Thomas Frank spot on with double Tottenham decision ahead of Reading friendly - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur supporters will get the first chance to look at their side under Thomas Frank this afternoon as the north London outfit make the short trip down the M4 to take on League One side Reading.

The Select Car Leasing Stadium will play host to the friendly fixture, which will see a long list of Tottenham Hotspur first team members get valuable minutes in the tank. All eyes will be on the pitch in Berkshire but business continues away from the action in the transfer window.

Spurs have already splurged £55 million to bring West Ham forward Mohammed Kudus to the club with Mathys Tel’s loan also being made permanent. Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is clearly a target, among other rumoured names.

Tottenham Hotspur drop interest in Brentford striker

One of those had been Brentford striker Yoane Wissa but the talisman now appears to have been crossed off the shopping list by Frank. The 28-year-old was at his most prolific last season, bagging 19 Premier League goals, but Spurs are perhaps better off looking elsewhere for an attacking addition.

There’s an undeniable alchemy between Frank and Wissa, who have worked together since the player made the move to Brentford in 2021. Wissa’s goal tally has increased over the last three seasons and he is in the final 12 months of his contract at the Gtech Community Stadium.

BBC Sport claims that the Bees have opened talks over a contract renewal with Wissa but that the striker prefers a move away from the club. Football Insider reports that Brentford will demand at least £40 million for the striker.

That’s a steep price to pay for a player who will turn 30 in 2026. Chelsea paid £10 million less for highly rated 22-year-old Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and Everton paid £27 million to win the transfer race for Villarreal prospect Thierno Barry, who is also 22.

Tottenham Hotspur already have 27-year-old Dominic Solanke and 28-year-old Richarlison who can lead the line. If Frank wants to stick around at the club for a long time, then he needs to look ahead. There are really promising younger strikers out there for significantly less than Wissa.

It’s therefore perhaps welcome news that GiveMeSport reporter Dean Jones claims that Spurs have killed interest in Wissa ahead of the Reading friendly. In the Saturday morning newsletter, he wrote: “Tottenham Hotspur have made the surprise decision not to make a move for Yoane Wissa despite Newcastle United showing interest.”

Thomas Frank outlines captaincy plans for Cristian Romero

That’s not the only promising decision that Frank appears to have made ahead of the weekend. As important as incomings are, he must also work on keeping key players at the club and one of those is Cristian Romero.

The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to La Liga and Atletico Madrid, fuelling those flames by sharing his desire to play in the Spanish top flight. While Tottenham Hotspur could pocket around £60 million by selling the defender, he is not one of the first team members that should be on the transfer list.

With a new manager coming in, it’s vital to have those senior and respected players to lean on. Spurs were poor defensively last year and Frank must fix that - a job that will be harder if he’s having to embed a new first-choice centre-back instead of Romero.

The manager clearly knows that and, ahead of Reading, appears keen to demonstrate to Romero just how valued he is in north London. The defender could become club captain under Frank. Romero was skipper regularly last season but did not hold the official role, which was given to Son Heung-min.

In his pre-match press conference, the Spurs boss said: "Two top players [Son and Romero]. Sonny has been here for 10 years and finally got his well deserved trophy in the summer. Cristian Romero, World Cup winner, Copa America winner twice, very important for us. Both have trained well and set the standards. Both will play tomorrow and I'm very happy.

"I haven't decided on [who the captain is] yet. I have a long list of bullet points to get through. [Son] was captain last season and tomorrow we'll have two 45 minutes and Son and Romero will be the captains in both. I haven't decided on the captain yet."

In other news, Tottenham handed £100m asking price blow as Thomas Frank issues 'wants to leave' claim.