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Tottenham have held initial talks about signing Bryan Mbeumo from Thomas Frank’s former club Brentford and are also interested in bringing his strike-partner Yoane Wissa to north London.
Frank was confirmed as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement on Thursday and is targeting the duo that contributed 39 Premier League goals in last season for Brentford as he attempts to strengthen the Spurs squad. Mbeumo is also wanted by Manchester United, who had an offer worth up to £55m for the Cameroon forward rejected last week and are expected to return with an improved bid. Brentford value the 25-year-old at more than £60m but are not expected to stand in his way if they can agree a deal, with Mbeumo previously thought to favour a move to Old Trafford.
But Tottenham, who are also tracking Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo, are understood to be hopeful that Frank’s relationship with the player who he signed for £5.8m in August 2019 from French club Troyes can persuade Mbeumo to change his mind.
It is also believed that there have been internal discussions about a move for Wissa, who scored 19 league goals last season. Nottingham Forest tried to sign the DR Congo forward in January and remain interested in him, although Brentford are unlikely to sell the 28-year-old for less than £40m given they have an option to extend his contract, which expires next year, by a further 12 months.
Frank has said Brentford will always have “a big piece of my heart” following his departure from the club. “The time has come for me to move on. But, even as I leave, I know I have left a big piece of my heart at Brentford, not just at the football club but with the community and the incredible and loyal supporters,” the 51-year-old wrote in a message posted on Brentford’s website. “I want to extend my profound gratitude to the club for giving me the chance to pursue my dreams and for everyone involved who made the journey such a memorable one. For my family and I, it has been a privilege to be allowed to be part of such a special community – it’s an experience and adventure that we will cherish for life. So, thank you.”
Brentford are expected to target an external candidate to replace Frank despite holding talks with Keith Andrews about stepping up from his role as set-piece coach. The former Republic of Ireland midfielder has emerged as a potential candidate for the manager’s post. He joined Brentford last summer and is highly regarded at the club but it is understood he is unlikely to be given his first senior role in management there.
Brentford’s owner, Matthew Benham, is believed to have considered promoting Justin Cochrane from his role as Frank’s assistant until the 43-year-old former midfielder, who is part of Thomas Tuchel’s England staff, opted to join Tottenham instead. Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna and the former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic are among those being considered to takeover instead.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have filed high court proceedings against United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe’s company Ineos over a terminated sponsorship agreement. Spurs filed a commercial claim against Ineos Automotive on Thursday, though no documents are available. The chemicals firm agreed a five-year deal with Spurs in 2022 - before Ratcliffe bought a stake in United – for Ineos Grenadier to become the London team’s official 4x4 vehicle partner.
“Ineos Automotive has been a partner of Tottenham Hotspur since 2022, expanding on a partnership agreement that Ineos Group had in place with the club since 2020,” read a statement. “We have a contractual right to terminate our partnership contract and in December 2024 exercised that right”. Spurs declined to comment.
