BREAKING NEWS: Another injury nightmare for Thomas Frank as Tottenham suffer another crushing injury setback as 10 stars now ruled out of Arsenal showdown after Five of His Players sustained injury during international break yesterday
Tottenham Hotspur have suffered what could be another crushing setback ahead of the north London derby on November 23, and are facing the prospect of being without as many as 10 players against Arsenal.
It’s been a testing start to Thomas Frank’s reign, despite the club sitting fifth in the Premier League table and being in a decent spot in the expanded Champions League group phase after four unbeaten outings.
Injuries have already played a part for Tottenham, as they did for so much of last season under Ange Postecoglou, and it appears there is no let-up at the moment.
One player who had hoped to be available again against the Gunners was midfielder Lucas Bergvall after he jetted off on international duty with Sweden, having missed two games with the concussion he suffered against Chelsea.
However, Sweden boss Stefan Pettersson confirmed Bergvall suffered a setback during training, telling SportBladet: “We had agreed with Tottenham’s doctor to do some tests during the week and then run at full speed so that Lucas would feel it properly.
“When there was a reaction, there was no hesitation. We don’t want to take any risks.”
Bergvall has now returned to London, where he will continue rehabilitation after leaving Sweden’s training camp and must be considered a major doubt to face Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Thomas Frank faces anxious wait on injured Tottenham stars
Thomas Frank, who is reported to be under pressure after one win his last four games as Spurs boss, faces the prospect on not being able to call on 10 players for the Gunners clash.
Besides Bergvall, Randal Kolo Muani and Mohammed Kudus are both sidelined, although there is some hope that the latter could be good to go against Mikel Arteta’s men.
Archie Gray, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies and Kota Takai are also struggling with injuries and not expected to be available.
Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke are out for the foreseeable future due to long-term injuries, with the latter the likeliest to return early from the ankle issue that forced surgery.
Latest Tottenham news: Winger chase update; Brazilian striker emerges on radar
First up, Tottenham could turn their year-long scouting of a top Ligue 1 winger into a January transfer swoop, according to sources, as Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange aim to provide Thomas Frank with attacking upgrades.
Elsewhere, Antoine Semenyo, the dynamic Bournemouth forward, has emerged as a prime target for Liverpool and Tottenham, with TEAMtalk sources indicating a potential blockbuster move on the horizon.
And finally, Spurs are being tipped to switch their focus for signing a new No.9 from Europe to Brazil, as sporting director Fabio Paratici looks to give Thomas Frank more firepower, although TEAMtalk can reveal why the latest links must come with a word of caution.
