The ten burning issues that Thomas Frank will be grilled over at his unveiling as Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach

Published on July 17, 2025 at 01:54 PM

THOMAS FRANK has his unveiling as Tottenham Hotspur boss on Friday – and he is sure to be grilled on a number of hot topics.

From transfers in, to transfers out, to his upcoming Champions League campaign and becoming 14th permanent manager, the Dane will not be short of questions to answer.

Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank, managers, talking.
Thomas Frank succeeded Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou
Man carrying shoes and a bag, walking down steps.
Morgan Gibbs-White turning up for Nottingham Forest training on Monday

Here, SunSport takes a look at ten burning issues the 51-year-old may have to address...

1 – The Morgan Gibbs-White saga

TOTTENHAM looked to have pulled off a stunning coup when they surprisingly moved for Nottingham Forest and England star last week.

It had been thought they had triggered a secret £60million release clause and on Friday, the 25-year-old was even expected to undergo a medical at their Hotspur Way training ground.

Then all hell broke loose.

Furious Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis cut all communication with Spurs and issued legal complaints to the North Londoners and Gibbs-White’s representatives.

Forest’s objections cited breach of confidentiality over the release clause and effectively tapping-up the player as they had not given permission to speak with him.

The fact that Gibbs-White is not a Spurs player yet raises questions over whether Tottenham have met all the conditions of the release clause.

His move has been left in limbo with Gibbs-White training with Forest in pre-season as normal.

Frank is known to be particularly keen on the four-cap England man, admiring his dynamism in the No10 position and his versatility.

Perhaps he can shed some light on the current state of play involving the transfer.

Cristian Romero of Tottenham Hotspur holding the UEFA Europa League Player of the Match award.
Cristian Romero was key to Tottenham going all the way in the Europa League

2 – What’s going on with Cristian Romero?

CRISTIAN ROMERO is a World Cup winner and a massive influence in the Tottenham dressing room, especially with the South American contingent.

He struggled with injury for a lot of last season but was a huge reason why Spurs went all the way in the Europa League.

However, made plenty of noises last season to suggest he was not entirely happy in North London.

He reposted on X a damning claim that Spurs had not put on a chartered flight for him coming back from international duty, while he also publicly criticised the club’s lack of spending compared to their rivals.

Most notable was a bombshell interview he himself had arranged late on in April where he claimed he wanted to play in La Liga one day, amid strong interest from Atletico Madrid.

Romero has two years left on his contract and Spurs will not sell the £60million-rated defender on the cheap.

Hearing Frank’s thoughts on the situation will be fascinating.

3 – What’s going on with captain Son Heung-min?

    SON HEUNG-MIN is understood to be open to calling time on his decade at the club this summer.

    Having finally won a trophy after all that time, there is an understandable argument that this is a good moment to go out on a high.

    But whether it happens or not remains to be seen.

    Son Heung-Min holding the UEFA Europa League trophy.
    Son Heung-min finally got his hands on a trophy with the Europa League triumph

    LAFC are very keen and Son is believed to like the idea of going to America, more so than Saudi Arabia, but a move Stateside seems unlikely right now.

    A switch to anywhere seems off the cards before Tottenham’s tour to Seoul at the start of August at the very least – barring a stratospheric offer.

    Son, now 33, has one year left remaining on his contract but given the commercial revenue he brings in from being a godlike figure in South Korea, Spurs certainly will not let him go cheaply.

    Frank is well-stocked out wide, particularly following the £55m arrival of Mohammed Kudus, albeit his best position is more on the right side compared to Son’s left.

    The Dane usually lives up to his last name in how honest he can be when speaking publicly – perhaps he will give a frank assessment over how he sees the situation surrounding his captain.

    4 – Will the club pursue another centre-forward?

    SPURS fans have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of money being spent – or trying to be spent, in Gibbs-White’s case – so far this summer.

    It leads questions as to where the extra cash has come from, with talk of a significant injection from majority owners ENIC being the source.

    Despite the big-money moves for Kudus and Gibbs-White, Spurs have strong interest in , the DR Congo striker who scored 19 Premier League goals for Frank at Brentford last term.

    Wissa, 28, has one year left on his Bees contract and would be a savvy signing given his versatility.

    Can Frank confirm that is an area he is looking to strengthen to give Dominic Solanke some much-needed competition – or is he backing Richarlison to overcome his injury problems?

    Yoane Wissa of Brentford FC running on the soccer field.
    Yoane Wissa scored 19 Premier League goals for Frank last season
    Yves Bissouma and Ange Postecoglou with the Europa League trophy on a bus.
    Yves Bissouma was vital to Spurs’ European success, but is he staying?

    5 – The midfield

    FRANK may well opt not to reveal his hand over the formation he plans to employ.

      But whether it is 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or 3-5-2, it is more than likely to involve three central midfielders – with two of them probably deeper-lying.

      This is interesting because holding midfield has been a problem position for some time for Spurs.

      First of all, given all the spending elsewhere, do Spurs have headroom to bring in a new No6?

      And if not, what about the players he has there now?

      The club are keen to sign up to a new deal and Frank namechecked the Uruguayan in his first interview with the club, so clearly rates him.

      Yves Bissouma looked to be out the door for most of last season but then played a key role in the semi-final and final of the Europa League. He only has one year left on his deal though and has been linked to Fenerbahce and Juventus.

      Lucas Bergvall is likely to be a key man going forward but what about Archie Gray, the teenager Frank came close to signing at Brentford? Where will he play?

      Many, many questions about the middle of the park.

      Kota Takai of Japan applauds supporters.
      Spurs have spent £5million on Japan rising star Kota Takai

      6 – Who will be on their way, either permanently or on loan?

      SPURS are back in the Champions League but have a big squad that needs trimming.

        At centre-back, for example, they currently have NINE different options if you include youngster Alfie Dorrington.

        Some players will surely go, either permanently like Bryan Gil, or on loan.

        Decisions will have to be made about youngsters like Luka Vuskovic, a target for Bundesliga clubs, and . Does Frank see them as first-team ready now?

        Manor Solomon has also returned from a Championship-winning loan spell at Leeds, and Frank will give him a chance in pre-season, but if the Israeli does stay, his opportunities look like they will be limited given the vast array of competition.

        7 – How does he stop Spurs’ injury crisis?

        FIRST off, Frank will be asked for fitness updates on Spurs’ current list of crocked players.

        , Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin all missed the end of the season because of various issues. Fans will be eager to hear where they are in their respective recoveries.

        But there may well be more scrutiny on how exactly he plans to stop Spurs being derailed by injuries, as they have been for the last two seasons.

        Predecessor Ange Postecoglou was often accused of being part of the problem with his intense training and matches, but he would push back on that.

        For the second summer in a row, Spurs have made big changes to their medical department, suggesting they are not happy with the results they have been seeing.

        Injured James Maddison of Tottenham Hotspur receiving medical attention on the field.
        James Maddison was one of many players injured last season
        Headline: Destiny Udogie appears to accidentally leak new Tottenham tactic with Spurs stars 'auditioning' in pre-season,
        Destiny Udogie’s Snapchat seemed to show ‘long throw audition’ as part of Spurs’ training schedule

        8 – Can fans now expect long throws?

        POSTECOGLOU often gave the impression he was not too fussed about set-pieces – but Frank certainly is.

        Dead-ball routines were a big part of his success at Brentford and he has already hired coach Andreas Georgson to focus on set pieces.

        No doubt they will look focus on a number of areas for that part of the game, and one in particular could be long throw-ins.

        seemed to suggest as much, with a screen in the background of one of the Italian’s posts showing ‘long throw audition’ as part of the day’s training schedule.

        Can Frank confirm he is looking to go all Rory Delap?

        9 – Is Daniel Levy’s Champions League target realistic?

        LEVY made a bold claim earlier this summer when explaining his decisions behind sacking Postecoglou and hiring Frank.

        Winning the Europa League was not enough,

        Given the club were revealed in February by the Deloitte Football Money League report to have had the lowest wage-to-turnover ratio in the division, is this feasible or deluded?

        While paying the most does not guarantee trophies – as Manchester United have found out – there is generally a correlation between bigger wages and success.

        In fairness, there was no timeframe put on Levy’s ambitious goal, and Frank will obviously not criticise his boss in public even if he thinks differently.

        Still, it will be interesting to see how he reacts when that question is put to him.

        Daniel Levy and Vinai Venkatesham - YouTube, ]https://www.youtube.com/@TottenhamHotspur
        Daniel Levy is targeting Champions League and Premier League titles
        Daniel Levy and Ange Postecoglou shaking hands.
        Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Levy 16 days after winning the Europa League

        10 – Does he have any concerns given the last guy ended the trophy curse and was still sacked?

        IT would be understandable if Frank did.

        may have had a nightmare league campaign – which was the justification Levy used when ruthlessly axing him in June.

        But the Aussie did something no other manager has achieved in 17 years at Tottenham by winning a trophy, which is the be all and end all for a lot of fans.

        He also delivered the first European success in 41 years, giving supporters memories to last a lifetime.

        Frank will back himself to build on that success but are there any concerns at all now he is working for a man with a trigger-happy history?

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