Thomas Frank has selected Cristian Romero as his Tottenham captain, but he still needs to identify other players in his squad with the ability to lead.
Tottenham Hotspur have made a fairly positive start to the new season. Sitting third in the Premier League table is a pleasant contrast to the previous campaign, and their Champions League campaign kicked off with a victory.
The Tottenham first-team squad looks to be in good shape and there is a good balance between experienced players and bright prospects.
Thomas Frank will be looking to raise up leaders who can drive the team forward. With Heung-min Son gone and James Maddison likely injured for most of the season, Spurs will need more players to step up and show they can be a strong voice in the dressing room.
Five Tottenham players Thomas Frank should add to his leadership group
Dejan Kulusevski – Amidst the chaos of last season, Kulusevski emerged as a strong voice in the Tottenham squad. He demanded more from his teammates and failed to accept their abysmal domestic form. The Swede led by example for the most part and was exceptional during the first half of the season. He should definitely be considered as one of the team’s leaders when he returns from injury.
Pedro Porro – The Spanish right-back did the complete opposite of Kulusevski last season. He looked way off the required level, leaving ridiculous amounts of space behind him for attackers to exploit. However, Porro has been far better in recent months and is first-choice in his position by some distance. He is now 26 years old and has grown as a player since he arrived at Spurs.
Rodrigo Bentancur – Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou both saw Bentancur as a first-team player and now Frank does too. The midfielder is good at what he does and is one of the most senior players at the club. Bentancur has had his moments of madness, but he has the capabilities to step up and lead.
Joao Palhinha – Palhinha is technically still a Bayern Munich player, but his move to Spurs could well be made permanent in the near future. The 30-year-old has already become a heavy hitter in the middle of the pitch for Tottenham and looks like he could be trusted handling the responsibility of leadership.
Guglielmo Vicario – When Vicario arrived at Tottenham, he looked like the best sweeper-keeper in the world. Fast forward a few months and he was being heavily criticised for his set-piece struggles. However, the Italian has had a good start to the season and seems to have earned the favour of his manager. Vicario is certainly passionate and while he does not look suited to a captaincy role, he should be considered for some form of leadership in the squad.
James Maddison should resume his role at Spurs when he returns
Maddison is another player who should take his place amongst the leaders at Tottenham. The player says what he thinks. In fact, Maddison recently slammed VAR after Romero’s goal against West Ham was disallowed.
The attacking midfielder already has experience wearing the captain’s armband and he is someone many of his teammates will look to when he comes back from injury.
READ MORE – Thomas Frank gives optimistic update on Dejan Kulusevski’s Tottenham return