The pressure is mounting on Tottenham boss Thomas Frank.
Spurs fell to a 10th home league defeat of 2025 against Fulham on Saturday night, a joint-club record. They still have two home games to play this calendar year, so time to set the outright record. Having shown promising signs of tactical flexibility in the opening weeks of the season, Spurs have regressed.
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Now, the aim is to spam crosses into the box, win the second ball, and hope summer signing Mohammed Kudus does something to break opposition resolve. When that doesn’t work… well, it’s becoming increasingly monotonous to watch Spurs.
Injuries to key attackers Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison hasn’t helped Frank. Conversely, he hasn’t started Xavi Simons in Spurs’ three games since the international break. Ange Postecoglou’s replacement isn’t doing himself any favours.
Frank must persist with Kolo Muani
One way he can help himself, however, is to persist with Randal Kolo Muani as the lead striker. The Frenchman secured a deadline day move to Tottenham, joining on loan from PSG. The striker was linked with a move to Spurs in January. Kolo Muani ultimately joined Serie A side Juventus.
The Old Lady wanted to retain the forward’s services, but were unable to agree a fee with PSG for Kolo Muani. Unwanted at the Parc des Princes, Spurs made their move for the 26-year-old. The north London side required reinforcements on the frontline, while Kolo Muani’s versatility meant he could cover a number of attacking roles.
And it’s as Spurs’ leading frontman where Kolo Muani should continue for the foreseeable future.
The stats show that Spurs haven’t exactly struggled in front of goal. Rather, they rank fourth for goals scored (21) in the Premier League this season. However, context is required behind the club’s goal haul. Richarlison is Spurs’ top scorer in England’s top tier this term, having struck five times.
Richarlison’s instinctiveness is wasted under Frank
However, the manner of the Brazilian’s goals paints a better picture. One of Richarlison’s goals was a long-range effort against Arsenal in a 4-1 loss. Another was a Wilson Odobert shot that glanced off the 28-year-old’s head in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Admittedly he’s now scored two goal of the season contenders, his scissor kick against Burnley another entrant for the award.
This is where Richarlison stands out. He’s an instinct striker, who knows when to hit the back of the net when he doesn’t have an extra second or two to think. The issue, though, is that he rarely gets these chances. Spurs, after all, are taking the third fewest shots per 90 (9.5) in the Premier League this season. Only Burnley (5.7) and Wolves (6.5) are creating fewer chances per 90 than Frank’s side (6.9). We all know that Spurs rank bottom for attempted through balls (6).
Richarlison vs Arsenal (L) | Randal Kolo Muani vs Fulham (R)
What Frank needs is a frontman with better hold up play in the final third, and this is where Kolo Muani comes to the fore. In an ideal world, Frank would have had Solanke available as the ideal hold up and link up man. However, the England international remains absent owing to an ankle injury, an issue that has restricted the 28-year-old to just 31 minutes of Premier League action. Solanke hasn’t played since the 2-0 win at Manchester City in August.
Kolo Muani’s link up play will help Frank
Kolo Muani gave the clearest example yet of his link up play in Spurs’ recent 5-3 loss to PSG. The France international was directly involved in all three Spurs goals, scoring twice and providing an impressive assist for Richarlison. For a team whose manager favours an approach that relies on winning second balls, the Brazilian’s opener was the archetypal Frank goal. “The exciting thing was around the first goal, the vision with the header towards goal for Richy,” Frank enthused after the eight-goal thriller.
Not only is Kolo Muani a physical presence in the final third, he offers the superior ability to bring teammates into play. This is what Frank needs right now. It’s all well and good utilising an instinctive finisher but when the chances aren’t forthcoming, then opponents naturally have a numerical advantage.
“I like his link-up play. I think he is very good at that. His ability to run in-behind and also his ability to go one-v-one. He is very good in those situations,” Frank said of Kolo Muani. Fact is he’s a better profile of striker that Frank has worked with in the past. Solanke has a bit of Ivan Toney about him, whereas Kolo Muani is a similar profile to Ollie Watkins in that he offers a physical presence but is happy to run the channels.
With the need to link up with those in support, namely the wingers and whoever Frank opts for in the number 10 role, it’s imperative that Kolo Muani now lead the charge for Spurs. Frank’s job, after all, could be riding on whether Randal does become too hot to handle.