Why Randal Kolo Muani cannot leave Tottenham in January amid new Juventus exit talks | OneFootball

Striker linked with move but has key role for Spurs in remainder of season

It was a necessary change with Solanke in need of rest as he works his way back to full fitness, but one Frank admitted post-match he found tough to make.

But in drafting Randal Kolo Muani into the side, Frank performed a masterstroke as Spurs cruised through to the round of 16 with two second-half goals at the Deutsche Bank Park.

The on-loan striker has reportedly grown dissatisfied with being played out on the wing rather than through the middle and the latest reports in Italy claim he is open to returning to Juventus, who hope to find an agreement with Spurs and PSG.

Kolo Muani put Spurs ahead just after half-time in Germany

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Ultimately, though, it was his ability to pull into wide areas that carved out the first chance of the game against Frankfurt, as he made a bullish run to the byline before crossing for Xavi Simons to score inside two minutes.

VAR intervened to cut Simons’ celebrations short, but Kolo Muani had set out his stall. He was keen to make an impression against his former club and prove to Frank that he could be the figurehead of Spurs’ attack.

Spurs continued to dominate without finding the crucial opening goal in the first half, with Kolo Muani selflessly working on and off the ball to force turnovers and link play.

It was a performance that borrowed the best bits from Solanke’s game, and Kolo Muani got his reward two minutes after the break as he bundled home Cristian Romero’s header back across goal to give Spurs the lead.

Kolo Muani did not have to be a domineering presence. He took comfortably the fewest touches of any outfield player to start the game for Spurs.

What he had to do was stitch everything together, hold the ball and bring others into play before Frank felt comfortable releasing Solanke off the bench.

Kolo Muani helped Spurs go through into Champions League last 16 and avoid the play-offs

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When Solanke eventually came on in the 73rd minute, Kolo Muani’s running left him with the simple task of exploiting the space in front of him, and it took just four minutes for Frank’s plan to bear fruit as Solanke wrapped up the win after breaking clear to fire low past Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos.

Kolo Muani may have engineered a new role for himself within Frank’s side, and it is imperative that, with Spurs stretched for options, they do not terminate his loan.

Solanke has, by Frank’s own admission, been pushed to the limit since returning from injury, and Spurs need to be careful to manage his minutes.

With Richarlison currently out injured, Kolo Muani is the only natural understudy to Solanke.

Letting Kolo Muani leave would be a massive oversight in a month where Spurs have yet to reinforce their attack following the departure of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.