Tottenham Hotspur hosts Brentford FC in a London derby that overflows with storylines. We start with Brentford boss Thomas Frank, as he’s now emerged as a candidate to take the open Tottenham managerial position. This is according to a report from talkSPORT.
Well, I guess Saturday provides a good opportunity for parties involved to better get to know each other, and see if there is indeed a deal to be struck. Last week we learned that Julian Nagelsmann and Vincent Kompany are out of the picture now, which means Thomas Frank stands a decent chance of getting the gig.
Tottenham vs Brentford FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday May 20, 12:30pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Win 54% Draw 23% Brentford 24%
THFC Coaching Candidates: go here
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction: go here
PL Form Guide: Tottenham LWLDL Brentford WLWWD
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Spurs Team News
Another major storyline here is the suspension of Bees striker Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old, who has 21 goals this season, got hit with a whopping 8 month suspension from the Football Association. This is due to his eye-popping 262 breaches of the betting rules.
An FA statement read: “Ivan Toney has been suspended from all football and football-related activity with immediate effect for eight months, which runs up to and including 16 January 2024, fined £50,000 and warned as to his future conduct for breaches of The FA’s Betting Rules.
“The Brentford FC forward was charged with 262 breaches of FA Rule E8 in total between Feb. 25 2017 and Jan. 23 2021. The FA subsequently withdrew 30 of these breaches and he admitted to the remaining 232.
“His sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent Regulatory Commission following a personal hearing. He is permitted to return to training only with his club for the final four months of his suspension starting from Sept. 17 2023.
“The independent Regulatory Commission’s written reasons for these sanctions will be published in due course, and The FA will wait to review them before commenting further.”
Does he have a future with Brentford?
Their club statement only said that they will wait until the details of all the charges come out before making their decision.
As for Tottenham, there is only one bit of player team news here- Eric Dier, who missed the Villa match with a knock, is expected to return to action here. Otherwise, the same long-term injury absentees remain out and there are now new injury concerns.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.