Thomas Frank has come in defence of Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the January transfer window, claiming transfers were not as easy as on the video game Football Manager.
Tottenham missed out on Antoine Semenyo as the Ghanaian international choosed a move to Manchester City.
So far, Tottenham have signed Conor Gallagher from Atlético Madrid and teenage Brazilian left-back Souza, but sold last season’s leading scorer Brennan Johnson and lost Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall to serious injuries in January.
Acknowledging his current squad of players to choose from was weaker than at the start of this month, Frank rejected any notion that majority owners ENIC — run by the Lewis family Trust — were not committed to the club’s project.
Conor Gallagher joined Tottenham Hotspur from Atletico Madrid this January. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Frank said: “I think we lost, I can’t remember, six or seven players inside three weeks in January? That’s crazy.
“There were definitely too many, so yeah of course [the squad] it’s weaker than we started the first of January.
“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 wants to sign Semenyo.
“They did everything. I think that’s a clear signal that the Lewis family is very committed.
“That’s a big signing with finances and all that, so it’s aligned with that. That’s the quality players we are looking for to improve the squad.”
Frank was also informed of a protest planned by fan group ‘Change for Tottenham’ before and during Sunday’s visit of City with the slogan ‘it’s time to act’ after largely quiet business this month.
He countered: “The fans just want the best for the club. Just like I want [the best], 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 is not.
“It would be a lot easier, but also a little bit more boring. We would not have as many good stories to talk about.
“In the last 30 days, you couldn’t go to work basically because there is nothing to write about or talk about. So, it is very difficult the transfer market. It’s an art, it’s a craftsmanship.”
