Thomas Frank confirms Tottenham transfer decision as January deadline nears | OneFootball

Spurs will not be looking for another striker this month

Frank was categoric when asked if he wanted to keep Kolo Muani at the club. “Yes. Next question,” he said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Randal Kolo Muani celebrates his goal in Frankfurt

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The Dane was impressed by the striker’s performance in Germany, and said he hoped Kolo Muani’s goal would give him the confidence to push on after a difficult first half of the season.

“I really hope this goal and the performance can give him some confidence to build from,” Frank continued. “His qualities and abilities, I always liked them.

“I think he gives us a different dimension. The first action inside the second minute against Frankfurt, where he is bursting through on the left-hand side… that one-v-one ability and pace is frightening.

“His goal is well taken, being in the right position inside the six-yard box on a ball headed back in the mix. Also his ability to go in behind. Hopefully, we’re getting closer and closer.

“Sometimes you need the rhythm. He came with basically no pre-season, got injured, broke his jawbone and then he got a little bit up to pace, we are not being free-floating, all that.

“Hopefully now we are on the right end of things and he can be better.”

All three of Kolo Muani’s goals this season have come in the Champions League, with Spurs cruising through to the round of 16 thanks to their win over Frankfurt.

Another Spurs player who has benefitted from playing in the Champions League this term is Xavi Simons.

He is actually progressing and looking more and more dangerous

Thomas Frank on Xavi Simons

The Dutch playmaker was Spurs’ best player at the Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday, following up a dominant display against Borussia Dortmund the previous week.

It is, however, in the Premier League where Simons is still struggling to find his feet as he gets to grips with the pace and physicality of English football.

Frank admits it has been a tough adaptation period for Simons, but believes the 22-year-old is showing signs of improvement as Spurs enter a difficult run of fixtures over the next month.

“I think actually Xavi has been on a positive (trajectory) for a while, but there is no doubt that the pace and the physicality in the Premier League is higher than all the other clubs across Europe,” Frank continued.

Frank has struggled to win over Spurs supporters with his style of play, and while not aimed at the team itself, more fan protests will overshadow Sunday’s game against Manchester City.

Frank’s adaptability, switching to a three man defence in Spurs’ last three games has, though, seen an upturn in performances, and asked whether Simons had benefited from the shift in tact, he acknowledged that the new formation has allowed his players to get into the right positions.

He added: “There is definitely a lot of our players that look to come in the right positions in this formation. So, it is all about that. How can we get them in their best positions for them to perform in the best possible way.”