Thomas Frank insists Tottenham owners are ‘super committed’

LONDON – Thomas Frank has said that Tottenham Hotspur’s much-maligned owners are “super committed” to the club despite their struggle to make signings during the January transfer window.

Spurs will face one of the targets they missed out on Feb 1, when Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City arrive in north London for their English Premier League clash with Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo in their ranks.

Frank revealed that the former Bournemouth star had been one of Spurs’ top targets before he decided to join City in a £65 million (S$113 million) deal earlier in January.

With the window shutting on Feb 2, Tottenham’s only major signing is England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid, while last season’s leading scorer Brennan Johnson has been sold to Crystal Palace.

Languishing in 14th place in the league coming into this weekend, they have also lost James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall to long-term injuries.

But Frank rejected claims that majority owner Enic, an investment group run by the Lewis family trust, is not committed enough to the club.

“I can promise that the Lewis family is super committed to this project. They want to do everything and I would go against my rule, hopefully only once, that there’s no doubt it’s clear that the club wanted to sign Semenyo,” he said.

“They did everything. I think that’s a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed.

“The club work relentlessly to try to do the best they can to improve the squad. That’s (Semenyo) a big signing, with finances and all that. So that’s the quality of player we are looking for to improve the squad.

“If we can’t find that, then it’s definitely better to take the right decisions... because we all know it’s not that easy. It’s a big summer ahead. I’m not in doubt we’ll see big improvements there.”

The Dane has been under intense pressure in his first season after arriving from Brentford, although he led Tottenham to the Champions League last 16 on Jan 28 following a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Told that a protest against the owners is planned by fan group “Change for Tottenham” before and during the City game on Feb 1, Frank reiterated that they should appreciate the difficulties of the transfer window.

Referring to the Football Manager video game, he said: “The fans just want the best for the club. Just like I want.

“The owners, the staff, the players, everyone wants the best for the club, but I also think it’s fair to say that the transfer window is not Football Manager, unfortunately.

“It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring (if it is as easy as the game). It is very difficult, the transfer market. It’s an art, it’s craftsmanship.”

On facing City, who are battling leaders Arsenal in the title race, he added: “Pep is the best coach in the world. He proved that many times. I think what he’s done over the years is he’s extremely innovative.

“He’s always changing... playing around with positions, offensive positions, different types and different positions.

“I think the City team now, when they’re in full flow, I think there’s a threat from so many angles that we need to be aware of, but I also see some areas that we hopefully can explore.” AFP