Tottenham Begin Frank Era Seeking Top-Four Revival | OneFootball

The 2025/26 season marks the beginning of a new era at Tottenham Hotspur under the stewardship of Thomas Frank.

Former manager Ange Postecoglou delivered on his pre-season promise last term and halted Spurs’ 17-year title drought in 2024/25.

But despite guiding the club to Europa League glory, the 59-year-old failed to keep his job.

Postecoglou’s side showed two contrasting faces in the Premier League and Europe, with chairman Daniel Levy deeming this inconsistency intolerable.

Spurs finished 17th in England’s top flight in the club’s worst domestic season of the 21st century, making it impossible for Postecoglou to continue.

As such, the ex-Celtic boss had to go, with Levy turning to Frank to engineer Tottenham’s return to the top-four picture and re-establish them as contenders for Champions League qualification.

However, it’s worth noting that Spurs’ activity in the transfer market has failed to match their lofty ambitions.

Tottenham Fixtures

Frank’s touchline debut pits Tottenham against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final on August 13, three days before Burnley visit London for the Premier League opener.

Spurs then head to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in round two before hosting Bournemouth on the eve of September’s international break.

The start of November brings a brutal stretch for Frank’s side. They first entertain Chelsea at home. Then, they meet Manchester United here and make a short journey to face Arsenal in the North London derby.

Crystal Palace will host Tottenham on Boxing Day, while an away match against Frank’s former employers, Brentford, will serve to close their 2025 calendar.

A home game against newly promoted Sunderland will kick things off for Spurs in the new calendar year, yet the first challenging task of 2026 arrives only at the end of January.

Man City will touch down at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week before Tottenham’s trip to Old Trafford to lock horns with Man Utd.

The second edition of the North London derby in 2025/26 is scheduled to take place at Spurs’ home ground on February 21.

A mouth-watering away encounter against reigning holders Liverpool in mid-March is arguably Tottenham’s sternest test in the remainder of the season, which ends at home against Everton.

Manager

Frank did incredible things at Brentford over the past seven years.

He inspired the Bees to their first-ever Premier League promotion in 2021 and helped establish them as a stable top-flight outfit.

Brentford became synonymous with tactical discipline and lethal counter-attacks during his tenure.

Despite limited resources, Frank consistently had his side punching above their weight, earning widespread praise for his coaching skills and fighting spirit.

Spurs could use some of that resilience as they hope to avoid another embarrassing season in the Premier League.

However, this is the 51-year-old’s biggest challenge yet, as expectations at Tottenham far outweigh anything he faced at Brentford.

It will be exciting to see how he handles the pressure.

Transfers

As aforementioned, it’s been a relatively quiet summer for Tottenham.

Spurs have never been famous for breaking transfer records, especially during Levy’s regime, yet they’ve taken financial prudence to a new level this time.

In Levy’s defence, the permanent deals for Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel set the club back around €60 million.

However, new signings have been few and far between during the first two months of the transfer window.

Mohammed Kudus remains the only big-name addition, with the versatile forward arriving from West Ham United for a reported fee of €64m.

Prodigious defender Luka Vuskovic has signed a multi-year contract in London after Hajduk Split sanctioned his €11m move.

Finally, Japanese centre-back Kai Tokota has swapped Kawasaki Frontale for the Premier League.

Son Heung-Min’s exit headlines the list of departures, with the South Korean superstar joining Major League Soccer franchise Los Angeles FC.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has completed his permanent transfer to Olympique Marseille after an impressive loan season at the Stade Velodrome last term.

Meanwhile, Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon left Spurs as free agents after the club refused to offer them fresh terms.

However, we may not have seen the last of Tottenham this summer, even though they won’t be signing Morgan Gibbs-White.

Starting XI

Brentford were among the most enjoyable teams to watch last season in Frank’s favourite 4-2-3-1, and he will unlikely stray away from this set-up.

Guglielmo Vicario was one of Spurs’ most consistent players in 2024/25 and should retain his place between the sticks.

Likewise, Pedro Porro has been impressive on the flank since joining from Sporting CP, while Destiny Udogie will probably perform on the opposite side.

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are the likeliest centre-back pairing. Despite Danso’s hefty transfer fee, they should be Frank’s go-to options in defence.

Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are the leading candidates for the double pivot, although Pape Matar Sarr has a genuine shot at a starting berth, perhaps at the expense of the latter.

Further up the pitch, James Maddison has been the brain behind Tottenham’s attacking plays. His creativity and set-piece prowess make him a one-of-a-kind player on this team.

Dejan Kulusevski has been equally significant in terms of driving forward with the ball and linking midfield and attack.

Brennan Johnson’s speed and ability to cut inside with surgical precision were the cornerstone of Spurs’ European success, so it’s not hard to imagine him completing the trio behind a lone striker.

Kudus has come in to fill in for Son and potentially act as a centre-forward despite Dominic Solanke’s decent numbers in his first season at Tottenham.

(4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Maddison, Kulusevski; Kudus.

Star Player

It has to be Maddison.

The 28-year-old’s vision, creativity and playmaking skills make him an ideal linchpin between midfield and attack.

He tallied nine goals and seven assists in the Premier League last season, but he has the potential to eclipse those figures under Frank.

With Kudus’ arrival, the attacking potential is bursting at the seams, yet Maddison stands out as Son’s natural successor, although another injury has put doubts over his long-term reliability.

Prediction

Needless to say, Spurs’ goal is to compete for a top-four finish.

Last season’s 17th-place finish was a harsh reality check, one that, in all likelihood, won’t happen again soon.

However, the competition for Champions League qualification is ruthless, and sneaking back into the top four won’t be easy.

While no one would dare to write Tottenham off before the start of the season, a top-four finish seems unlikely unless everything clicks perfectly in Frank’s first year.

That sounds more like wishful thinking.

Predicted finish: 5th.

Watch Tottenham Live on TV

All 380 Premier League games are shown on Sky Sports and TNT Sports in the UK, while NBC Sports holds the rights to Premier League games in the USA. Tottenham’s Champions League games will be shown on TNT Sports in the UK. See our Tottenham live streaming page for more information.

Read Next: Our full Premier League 2025/26 preview (with links to all individual Premier League team previews).