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Tottenham in the dark regarding injured star’s return; Thomas Frank weighs in

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Oct 30, 2025 9:04 AM ET

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank gives the latest injury update on young defender Kota Takai

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank is currently without 10 first-team players, and Archie Gray is the latest player to sustain an injury. As per reports, Archie Gray has sustained a calf problem and will be out for weeks.

There are many players who are yet to kick a ball for Spurs this season. One of those is Kota Takai. The youngster joined the north Londoners in a £5 million deal from J-League side Kawasaki Frontale in July, becoming the first signing for new boss Thomas Frank.

The Japan international’s absence from the team has been down to a plantar fascia injury in his foot sustained in training back in July, but Thomas Frank said at the start of October that he had been back in full team training for over a week and his condition was improving. However, the youngster has seemingly suffered a setback in his recovery from a foot problem.

Thomas Frank gives latest update on Kota Takai’s return from injury

Some of Tottenham’s long-term casualties are on the mend and edging closer to action, but not all of them are progressing as well as anticipated. Kota Takai appears to be a forgotten man at White Hart Lane due to a foot injury. He is still waiting for his Spurs debut and looks like it is not coming soon.

Thomas Frank has now revealed that the centre-back has not even returned to training yet and does not know when he will come back from injury.

“So he’s still not training on the pitch, hopefully soon. I don’t know when he will be back; he’s not training. I’ll come back to that on Friday, so I’m sure I’m saying the right thing,” Frank said (h/t Hayters).

Setback for Takai?

Takai has been unfortunate with a foot problem, preventing him from making his debut for Tottenham more than three months after arriving from Kawasaki Frontale. This means he is already behind his fellow central defenders in terms of physical fitness and sharpness, and the Japanese still not training on the pitch is bad news for the fans.

Frank did have an opportunity to get a look at the 21-year-old during pre-season, and he admitted that he has been impressed by him. However, Takai will find it difficult to clock minutes for the Lilywhites this season, given Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are the undisputed first-choice central defensive pairing, and back-up Kevin Danso impressing in recent games in the absence of Romero. Plus, Radu Dragusin is nearing full fitness after being sidelined for nine months with an ACL rupture.

It will be interesting to see Tottenham’s plan after Takai recovers fully from his injury and returns to action.

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

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