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Thomas Frank has revealed early team news on his Tottenham squad, with several players returning to training ahead of their first pre-season friendly against Reading.
Tottenham Hotspur are back in action after two months, following their last competitive fixture of the 2024/25 season, which ended in a humbling 4-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League.
Plenty has changed since then. Spurs are now under the leadership of a new head coach, Thomas Frank, who takes over from Ange Postecoglou following his departure despite guiding the club to their first piece of silverware in years by lifting the Europa League.
Frank, who is expected to lead the North London outfit for at least the next three seasons, will now begin preparations for the 2025/26 campaign, starting with a pre-season clash against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Thomas Frank provides Tottenham team news ahead of Reading clash
A host of Tottenham players have returned to first-team training after the off-season break, giving Frank a large pool of players to work with as he prepares for his managerial debut in the Spurs dugout.
Loan players are back in the fold, new signings such as Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai have been integrated into the group, and most of the senior squad have now reported back to Hotspur Way to kick off pre-season.
There are still a few injury concerns, however, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski both having missed the Europa League final. Radu Dragusin is continuing his recovery from an ACL injury, with the early signs remaining positive.
In his first official press conference as Tottenham boss, Thomas Frank has now provided an update on his squad’s fitness levels ahead of the Reading encounter.
He told Football.London: “James [Maddison] is part-training with the team, so that’s positive. Dragusin and Kulusevski are a little bit further away.”
Kudus, Takai, Vuskovic and Donley could feature for Spurs
Tottenham fans could get their first glimpse of some of the club’s new arrivals, with Mohammed Kudus, Kota Takai and Luka Vuskovic all in contention to make their debuts, either from the off or off the bench.
Given the current lack of depth in the number ten role, especially with Kulusevski and Maddison unavailable, Frank may opt to hand Jamie Donley some minutes, although Kudus is another player who could be deployed centrally if required.
Donley was one of Spurs’ standout loanees last season during his time with Leyton Orient, scoring eight goals and assisting 11 in all competitions. The youngster would be desperate to impress Frank, as he pushes for a spot in the Spurs first-team squad.
Kick-off for the friendly against Reading is scheduled for 3 pm UK time, and supporters in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match live via Spursplay.
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