“Fantastic Badge” a Top Priority for Tottenham Manager

Tottenham Hotspur manager Frank Thomas has made it clear that he only wants players at the club who are committed to its “fantastic badge.” The statement comes as the club deals with the departure of England forward Eberechi Eze, who has joined Arsenal in a £67.5m deal.

Thomas was asked about the Eze saga at a press conference on Friday, but he chose not to comment specifically on the transfer. Instead, he delivered a message to the club’s supporters, saying that he doesn’t want players who don’t want to wear the club’s shirt and play for the badge. “We don’t want them here,” he emphasized.

This stance is echoed by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who believes that signing players who identify with the club is crucial. “The number one thing is that they want to be with us, that they feel something special to come to us,” Arteta said. “We’ve done very well in the last few years to create a group of players and to build this spirit in the team and if they are supporting Arsenal, so much the better.”

Thomas is confident that the club will add to its squad before the transfer window closes, with six options identified for the front line. These include Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, and Mathys Tel. However, the manager acknowledged that the group may not be enough to compete with the likes of Manchester City, who Spurs will face on Saturday.

Despite losing players like Son Heung-min and James Maddison to injury, Thomas remains optimistic about the squad’s strength. “It’s a good question,” he said, “but I think we’ve got six good front players and then Kulusevski – he will come back in this season. Maddison is a long-term injury, unfortunately, but I am also pretty confident that we will sign a player before the end of the window.”

The club has added João Palinha and Mohammed Kudus to the starting XI, but the loss of two key players has left a gap in the squad. Thomas is confident that the club will sign a player before the end of the window to address this issue.

The transfer window has been a challenging one for Spurs, with the club failing to sign Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White in July. Thomas was asked if the squad was stronger at present than it was last season, but he replied that it was “probably pretty similar” despite the departures of Son and Maddison. “You can say that’s two players in, two players out, so it’s probably pretty similar,” he said.

Thomas also addressed rumors about Richarlison’s future, saying that the striker wanted to stay with the club and that he wanted to keep him. “There’s been no talks about anything else,” he said.

The club’s commitment to signing players who are committed to the “fantastic badge” is a key part of its transfer strategy, and Thomas is confident that this approach will yield positive results. “Who don’t want to come to the club, who don’t want to wear this fantastic badge, we don’t want them here,” he emphasized.

As the transfer window draws to a close, Thomas will be looking to strengthen the squad and make the team more competitive. With the club’s commitment to signing players who are committed to the “fantastic badge,” it remains to be seen whether this approach will pay off in the long run.