Why Thomas Frank should give Spurs reason for optimism despite Arsenal hijacking Eberechi Eze deal and the club's other transfer blows, writes MATT BARLOW

Thomas Frank claims the white noise of the transfer market and the agony of near misses for top targets such as Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White will not distract him.

It's the line they all peddle but Frank is convincing. He worked successfully as head coach at Brentford , trusting others to drive recruitment because that was their area of expertise and is more than happy to keep it the same way at Tottenham .

He is involved in the process and notes 'a lot of similarities' between his new club and the one he left in June, but maintains the same rule that he keeps well clear of transfers once negotiations kick in.

Frank's area of expertise is on the training pitch. That commands his focus and his work in this field thus far at Spurs has been impressive. Two positive results and two strong performances using two distinct tactical systems against two opponents from different ends of the tactical spectrum.

First Paris Saint-Germain , the European champions, slick and brimming with confidence they are changing plans for nobody. They may have been a little rusty after a month on holiday but were still packed with quality when Spurs ran up against them in the Super Cup.

Frank knew what to expect and planned accordingly. A back three, strength and physicality throughout, strong defensive lines and very little appetite to dwell in possession or pass the ball out at the back.

Thomas Frank's area of expertise is on the training pitch and not on transfers amid near misses for Spurs in the summer window

He called it a 'special operation' and for an hour it was successful. They took positives from their aerial menace and goals from set pieces despite losing the trophy on penalties.

When Burnley descended on North London three days later it could hardly have been more different and yet their plan was also obvious.

Scott Parker built promotion from the Championship on a miserly defence with few risks, hustle in the press and pace on the break. He was not about to throw off any shackles for a tricky away fixture in the Premier League.

Frank switched accordingly to a back four with three changes loosening the style. Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson added zip and adventure at the expense of power, nous and reliability.

The home crowd would demand Spurs dominate unfancied opponents, so he backed his team to navigate their way from deep, through the Burnley press, playing almost everything short from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario whose distribution had been long and direct against PSG to wipe out their threat from high turnovers.

Again, there were tricky spells but overall, it worked nicely. Three goals from open play, three points and an early marker from flexible Frank the antithesis of predecessor Ange Postecoglou, an evangelical purist who simply refused to yield on his principles until it was too late to save his job.

The Dane reaffirmed what those who knew him said when he moved across London from Brentford, that he has a pragmatic football brain. He searches for the way to win. He is sensible and tactically astute, capable of forming a plan to challenge any opponent using the available assets.

'I'm very direct as a person,' said Frank on the matter on Friday. 'I try to be very clear. I say 'no' and 'yes' and 'this I want'. I believe in simple messages and try to create a narrative about each game.

Spurs set up in a different system in the 3-0 win over Burnley to the Super Cup clash with PSG

Frank has already demonstrated his skills as a coach in the early stages of his Spurs tenure

'There are probably two or three key areas that will win us the game or hopefully maximise our chances of winning. But there are a lot of other areas that will affect it.

'Those key areas will change. Against Burnley we were big on crosses for example and numbers in the box. Obviously, set pieces against PSG was a big thing.'

Next up is Manchester City. Frank is keeping his 'key areas' to himself but it is safe to assume his gameplan will be closer to PSG than Burnley on the sliding scale.

'I'm always thinking how can we tweak a little bit inside our principles,' said Frank, who has enjoyed success against City while at Brentford, taking seven points from eight games.

Tottenham can also boast a fine recent record against the dominant force in the Premier League for most of the last 10 years. They have won five of the last 10 against City and losing only nine of 23 against them under Pep Guardiola.

Manchester City though will be harder to predict than PSG or Burnley, header to predict than they would have been in their pomp even, because they are a team in flux.

For years under Guardiola, they played with the supreme confidence to take on allcomers without changing style. This season is different. They too are finding a new shape with an influx of new signings.

So, although Frank and his staff will have done their homework and enjoyed a full week of tactical preparation, they cannot be certain if Guardiola will play exactly the way he did against Wolves last week or has something else up his sleeve.

Rodri is fit and there are options aplenty. That is the advantage of City's power in the market. They have spent more than £300million in 2025 but that won't trouble Frank. His job is to beat them on the pitch not in the market.