Fabrizio Romano details player’s yes to Tottenham move after talks with Frank

Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are working to back manager Thomas Frank behind-the-scenes, with just two weeks ago before the new Premier League season.

Frank has big shoes to fill after Ange Postecoglou ended the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy at the back end of last campaign, which subsequently gifted Tottenham a route back into the Champions League.

The Dane is now tasked with building upon 2024/2025’s feats, with compatriot Johan Lange doing his best to assist Frank when it comes to much-needed recruitment.

Tottenham were set to welcome Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White in a statement £115 million double-deal with Mohammed Kudus just over three weeks ago, with a medical even booked for the England international, who looked certain to be joining (BBC).

However, unprecedented events resulted in Evangelos Marinakis putting a stop to the transfer, threatening Spurs with legal action and somehow agreeing to extend Gibbs-White’s contract to end Daniel Levy’s hopes of a deal.

After this unexpected blow, Tottenham are maintaining their pursuit of new attacking options, while it is also believed that Frank wants a new full-back (Sky Sports).

Spurs were also in the market for a number six, but they’re not any longer after completing a loan deal for Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha.

The Portugal international returns to London after a lacklustre debut season at Bayern, which was marred by injury, suspension and a lack of consistent opportunities under Vincent Kompany.

Palhinha joins Tottenham on an initial temporary deal which includes an option for Spurs to buy outright next summer for £26 million – just over half of what Bayern paid to sign the 30-year-old from Fulham last summer.

Levy and co are now aiming to get the ex-Sporting Lisbon star over the line as quickly as possible, with Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg also revealing that Spurs are set to pay a £4.3 million loan fee whilst covering his full salary of around £166,000-per-week.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has shared even more details about the transfer, and Frank was apparently key.

Joao Palhinha said ‘yes’ to Tottenham after talks with Thomas Frank

Speaking via his YouTube channel, Romano claims that Palhinha green-light a move to Tottenham after speaking directly with the Lilywhites head coach.

“Palhinha said yes to Tottenham after speaking directly to the coach, Thomas Frank, who is really excited about the opportunity to have a player like Palhinha,” said the famous transfer journalist.

“He can provide quality, can provide experience, can provide intensity, so he wanted exactly that kind of player.”

The 30-year-old is known for his touch-tackling, energy and robustness in midfield, providing Frank with that extra bite in the middle of the park, with the manager now granted his transfer wish.

“There is no doubt that, if you want to compete in all tournaments, you need a competitive squad,” said Frank in his first ever press conference as Spurs boss.

“There are a lot of competitive players in the squad already. The club is in the market and looking. What will happen, I will speak when a player comes into the building.”