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Thomas Frank urged to take 27-year-old defender with him to Tottenham; a shrewd deal on the cards?

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 4:24 PM ET

New Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has already shown interest in raiding his former club Brentford for a few players

Tottenham are anticipating a busy summer window following Thomas Frank’s appointment and are believed to have placed the signing of a new forward at the top of their agenda. This is documented by their £70million bid for Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.

Spurs have completed the permanent captures of Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel thus far, but Spurs need a lot more quality additions to fight for top spots in the Premier League next term. Having faced so many defensive problems this past season, signing a new central defender has to be on the club’s agenda this transfer window. Along with a centre-back, a left-back must be brought in.

This is because Thomas Frank has been left with only one natural left-back in Destiny Udogie after the club’s decision to release Sergio Reguilon at the end of June. Udogie, just majority of his teammates, blew hot and cold throughout the 2024/25 campaign and spent over a month on the sidelines owing to a hamstring injury.

Djed Spence deputised for the Italian, but with the Lilywhites set to compete in the Champions League, they need quality depth in every area of the pitch. As per reports , Frank has been looking forward to reunite with some of his Brentford players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Now, former Brentford and Leicester City boss Martin Allen wants the Spurs new boss to raid his ex-employers for 27-year-old Rico Henry.

“Brentford have got a lot of good players and internationals,” Martin Allen exclusively told Tottenham News.

“I really like their left-back Rico Henry, he’s a fantastic player. He had a cruciate knee ligament injury, but I’m sure he’s going to be fit for the upcoming season.

“Henry is the one that I’d really be looking at. The left-back at Tottenham, Udogie, is good going forward, but defensively is nowhere near it. So, I’m sure they’ll be looking to bring in a decent left-back, and there he is sitting at Brentford. Maybe he’s the type to toughen up Tottenham as a team.”

Rico Henry has been a consistent performer for Brentford since arriving from Walsall back in 2016. He was an ever-present in Frank’s side, operating as a left-back and left wing-back with assurance and solidity. However, it has been a very difficult journey for the Birmingham-born defender at Brentford across the last two campaigns as he has missed plenty of action due to devastating injury setbacks.

Henry has managed just 11 appearances across the last two seasons, which speaks volumes about his injury struggles. While he is set to use the off-season period to rest, recuperate and build on his fitness, it is worth noting that this was the former England Under-20 international’s second ACL injury. The first one he suffered was back in September 2017.

Considering his recent fitness and form, Spurs would be wise to stay away from Henry. Instead, Levy should target a left-back with an upward trajectory, and most importantly, a clean injury record.

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

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