Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has lavished praise on a few members of his squad ahead of their Carabao Cup tie at Newcastle on Wednesday.
Tottenham prepare for Newcastle tie after 3-0 win at Everton
After his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy at the back end of 2024/2025, Frank will undoubtedly be judged on his charge for major silverware.
Spurs are currently third in the Premier League table and back to winning ways after victory against Everton on Sunday, and much like their north London rivals Arsenal, they’ve been excelling at set pieces.
The Lilywhites have scored from a dead ball situation on five different occasions this term in the league, the same number as Bournemouth, with it being no coincidence that the Cherries and Frank’s side occupy a place in the top three behind Arsenal.
While concerns have surrounded Tottenham’s lack of creativity from open play, with summer signing Xavi Simons off to a slow start after being signed as their new star playmaker, Frank has undoubtedly embraced this new ‘set piece revolution’ happening up and down the Premier League.
Spurs travel to St. James’ Park for their next clash as Frank looks to inspire a cup run, but they face a tricky test against the current Carabao champions who have won five out of their last seven matches in all competitions.
Tottenham also have nine players unavailable for the clash, including star defenders Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, with Kevin Danso set to partner Micky van de Ven at the heart of Frank’s defence once again after impressing against Everton.
Dejan Kulusevski
Knee
22/11/2025
James Maddison
ACL
01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin
Knee
22/11/2025
Ben Davies
Thigh
23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma
Ankle/Foot
08/11/2025
Kota Takai
Ankle/Foot
08/11/2025
Cristian Romero
Groin
01/11/2025
Destiny Udogie
Knee
08/11/2025
Dominic Solanke
Ankle
08/11/2025
via Premier Injuries
Frank has piled praise on Danso for his excellent form since coming to replace Romero, but the Austrian has been somewhat overshadowed by van de Ven.
The latter has proved magnificent since Frank took over from Postecoglou, with reports suggesting that Tottenham are prepared to double van de Ven’s salary in a bid to keep him out of Real Madrid’s clutches.
The Dutchman’s brace against Everton condemned the Merseysiders to their first ever defeat at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Frank lavishing his star centre-back in the build up to Wednesday.
Thomas Frank says Micky van de Ven is becoming a new leader at Tottenham
Van de Ven was named as part of Spurs’ leadership group earlier this season, alongside Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Romero, with Frank explaining how he’s since repaid the faith.
“I think he’s really growing and taking some big steps,” Frank said in a post-match press conference after Everton.
“I’m very pleased with him overall. I think he’s taking more leadership. I think he’s defending better and better, not only using his pace but also more clever positions. I’m very happy with that. And then I said, actually at the beginning of the season, I said, it’s okay you score with your left foot and your right foot, but you need to score more goals with your head. We have worked with it and that’s a big praise to Micky, but especially to Andreas and the way he, how can you say, attack the ball, also get in there where it hurts, I think is key. Now, yeah, hopefully it will continue.”
Commenting further in his pre-match press conference before Newcastle, Frank also explained how he’s gone up another level behind-the-scenes.
“He’s taken his game up a level, he’s still very good on the ball, and he added headed goals,” Frank said.
“He’s a threat from set pieces. Character and leadership. We have a good contract for him but definitely a player with a big future here.”
While van de Ven is tied down until 2029, if the 24-year-old continues in this fine form, Spurs must surely be worried about the prospect of Real swooping in to tempt him amid their hunt for new centre-backs.
That being said, the defender will command a premium, so the pending availability of free agents like Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Marc Guehi could sway them elsewhere.