Tottenham manager Thomas Frank buoyed by signing of Xavi Simons

LONDON – As their Premier League rivals continue to beef up their squads in the new season, Tottenham Hotspur are also opening up their cheque book with manager Thomas Frank eyeing at least one key signing before the transfer window shuts on Sept 1.

He got his wish on Aug 29, as the club completed the signing of Dutch winger Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig for a reported £51.5 million (S$89.3 million).

“I’m really pleased we have brought Xavi in, he is a great addition to the squad,” Frank said in a club statement.

“Xavi has proven his ability to get goals and assists, both from the No. 10 position and left wing. He also has a great eye for his teammates in terms of unlocking defences and I know he will come in and be part of a good team that is already working hard together.”

Speaking to The Straits Times at the club’s training ground in Enfield on Aug 28, the Dane had said they were in the market for at least one more player.

“But I said all the time, it needs to be a player that we believe can improve us. If they can’t improve us, then I’d rather want to wait,” he added.

Spurs need to boost their squad depth as they return to the Champions League for the first time since 2023.

Vice-captain James Maddison is out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and Swedish winger Dejan Kulusevski is not expected to return from a knee injury till February.

With talisman Son Heung-min departing for Los Angeles FC in the United States, the club have signed midfielder Joao Palhinha on loan from German giants Bayern Munich and forward Mohammed Kudus from London rivals West Ham.

In the Champions League draw on Aug 28, Frank got his wish of meeting Danish champions FC Copenhagen, though they will also come up against holders Paris Saint-Germain, German sides Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, and Norway’s FK Bodo/Glimt.

Rounding up their fixtures are Spain’s Villarreal, Czech champions Slavia Prague and French side AS Monaco.

“We have at least eight games, and hopefully many more in the Champions League. So we need a good enough squad, because as head coach, I prefer to have not too many, not too few, but ones that are robust enough,” said Frank, as he looks at potential reinforcements.

“I think it’s fair to say we’re probably not favourites. When you are in that competition, you want to go as far as possible and the first step is to get through the group stage, of course, and then take it from there.”

The 51-year-old will be making his debut in the competition. His sole experience in Europe was in the second-tier Europa League with Brondby, but the Danish side never made it out of the qualifying rounds.

Since moving from London club Brentford – where he spent seven years as manager and guided them to the Premier League in 2021 – Frank has had a strong start at Spurs. They defeated Burnley 3-0 in their season opener before beating Manchester City 2-0 away, and now sit second in the league on six points behind Arsenal on goal difference.

When asked what success looks like at Tottenham, Frank said: “In a club like this, (I hope) that we can build something that where we are capable of competing on all four fronts (Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europe) every single season.

“And if you’re competing, that’s also playing to win, and we would like to try to win something in the future, and perhaps also this season.”

In the cut-throat world of Premier League football, managers are under huge pressure to deliver results on the pitch or face the chop. Tottenham are no exception, with their manager turnover notably high in recent years – Frank is their fifth full-time coach in six years. He was appointed in June after Ange Postecoglou was sacked after a 2024-25 season where the team won the Europa League trophy but endured a poor domestic league campaign.

The heat is on but Frank is taking it in his stride, with the Spurs boss looking relaxed and cheery during the first-team training session on Aug 28 – he also took the time to pose for photos after speaking with the international media.

While Frank did not address the changes directly, he told ST: “(A manager needs) resilience, and also have that consistency… Because there’s always a lot of ups and downs as a football manager, and especially these bigger clubs, and I think the ability to keep (away) from the scrutiny and all the extreme focus there is on a manager, to keep myself out of that, is key.”

In a separate interview, former Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt said he believes it can be a very successful season for the club under Frank.

The 64-year-old added: “I love what he did at Brentford. He’s now stepped up a level for himself, and he’s got to take us to the next level as a football team. We want to be the best in the world, and that’s where he wants to go.”