Thomas Frank regretting not signing an alternative for this Tottenham star; Pete O’Rourke confirms

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 3:40 PM ET

Journo says Tottenham boss Thomas Frank regrets not signing a proper No.10 to replace the injured James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur spent well in the recently concluded summer transfer window to rebuild the squad under new boss Thomas Frank.

Thomas Frank was backed with several exciting new players, and the focus will now be on the Dane to integrate them in the squad and help the Lilywhites push their way up the Premier League table this time around. However, the north Londoners also had to face several rejections during the summer transfer window.

In their pursuit of a James Maddison replacement, Spurs had to toil extremely hard in the market. They had agreed personal terms with Morgan Gibbs-White and triggered his release clause, only for Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis to intervene a block a move. Eventually, Gibbs-White stayed at Nottingham Forest and signed a three-year contract.

For a long time, it did look certain that the Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze would end up at White Hart Lane, but in the 11th hour came arch-rivals Arsenal and hijacked the deal. The Hotspur Way chiefs were quick to recover from the Eze blow and raise plenty of eyebrows by signing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig in the final days of the transfer window.

Tottenham boss regrets not signing a proper replacement for Maddison

However, Frank is ‘regretting’ not signing an out-and-out replacement for Maddison, who has been ruled out for six to seven months with an ACL injury sustained in a pre-season friendly against Newcastle United in Hong Kong last month. This is because along with Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski is out on the sidelines and will not be returning to action anytime soon.

Speaking on the new Inside Track podcast, Football Insider senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke stated that while Spurs had a good transfer window, Frank will not be entirely happy with the club missing out on a cultured No.10.

“It’s been a positive window for Tottenham, although they did miss out on a few players”, Pete O’Rourke exclusively told Football Insider.

“Gibbs-White was a player that they were really hoping to get done and were confident of getting over the line, and they were interested in Eze, but were hijacked by Arsenal in that one.

“They’ll be regretting not getting that number 10 in because of James Maddison’s injury, and Dejan Kulusevski’s out injured as well, but it’s been a good window for Spurs.

“They’ve reshaped the forward line, and apart from that defeat to Bournemouth, it’s been a positive start to the season for Tottenham.”

Frank has many creative options to replace Maddison

Maddison and Kulusevski have been Tottenham’s source of creativity in the last two campaigns, so missing their services are bound to have a negative impact on the team.

The duo were sorely missed in the 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth before the international break – Spurs’ first league loss of the season. While Frank seemingly regrets not signing a proper No.10 in the summer, it must be noted that he has Simons and Kudus at his disposal who can operate in that position

Basically, Simons has been brought in to fill the England international’s void, and with his invention, flair and off the ball movement, the Dutchman can address one of Tottenham’s major problems in attack. Kudus, too, can be used in the hole behind the No.9, while Pape Matar Sarr has done well in an advanced role since the UEFA Super Cup game vs PSG.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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