Tottenham have another injury concern in Dominic Solanke, but Thomas Frank has ruled out a late move for a centre forward in the transfer window.
Solanke missed Saturday’s 1-0 loss at home to Bournemouth with an ankle injury, which had also disrupted his pre-season.
It is the latest fitness blow for Frank, with James Maddison sidelined for the majority of the season while Dejan Kulusevski faces a battle to play again in 2025, but Spurs hope Solanke can return for their trip to West Ham on September 13.
“I’m hopeful that he will be back after the international break,” Frank said.
“Sometimes, you know, we just take a little bit longer time. It’s not like he re-injured it again.
“So, you can say if you have a muscle injury, then you can maybe re-injure, it’s nothing to do with that.
“It’s not progressing as quick as we hoped for, but we are still positive that it can be solved in the next two weeks.”
The absence of Solanke left Frank bereft of attacking alternatives for the visit of Bournemouth, especially with new £51.8million signing Xavi Simons not registered in time.
Spurs are still on the hunt for a versatile attacker to boost their squad ahead of the club’s return to Champions League football, but are not set to pursue a central striker before Monday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
“No, I would say not particularly,” Frank responded when asked if he wanted to sign another forward to compete with Richarlison and Solanke.
“To have the three strikers in the squad can also cause a problem as you can only play one at a time.
“It’s a fine balance. I’m not saying we will never go for another striker at another time, but I’m happy with Dom and Richarlison.”
While Tottenham are eager to add to their ranks over the coming days, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola will welcome the summer transfer window being closed, especially after fresh speculation over the future of David Brooks.
Brooks was sensational in the 1-0 victory in north London and his display was particularly impressive after being linked to Crystal Palace earlier this week.
Iraola added: “He is an important player for us. We are going to keep him.
“I think there is going to be movement. The club is working towards signing, but you never know. The situation changes every hour.
“I will try to help the club but for me the best thing is that we arrive at September 2.
“I hate this moment of uncertainty, of you are here and you don’t know if you will be tomorrow, it’s difficult to create collectiveness.
“I am really looking forward to finishing the market and this is who we are and build something together.”
