Thomas Frank’s journey at Tottenham has been a rollercoaster from the start. The team has shown remarkable prowess on their away games, securing more Premier League points on the road than any other team this season. Conversely, their performance at home has been less than stellar, with only winless Wolves faring worse on home turf.

This mixed bag of results encapsulates the challenges Frank has faced since taking the helm in June. His tenure has been further complicated by significant changes behind the scenes, notably the departure of Daniel Levy and a subsequent shake-up within the boardroom at the club’s North London headquarters.

Questions loom large as the January transfer window approaches. How will the absence of Levy influence the club’s transfer strategy? Although this marks the first window without Levy steering the ship, it’s unlikely that Tottenham will deviate drastically from their established approach to transfers.

What are our plans for the January transfer window? How will Daniel Levy’s exit affect things? 

It’s the first transfer window without Levy in the cockpit but I would be surprised to see a radical change of policy.

Fabio Paratici, back in an official sporting director’s role after his ban, will be in overdrive and most likely scouting for those who can improve the first team or fix short-term problems.

Having former Juventus man Fabio Paratici back in the fold makes me think Spurs will explore a move for Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic (right)

When January comes around, it may be that Dominic Solanke is fit and in form and the issue feels like something that can wait until the summer

Right now, the priority appears to be at centre forward, but Spurs need one from the very top bracket to improve the team and not another from the next level down to clutter what they already have.

When January comes around, it may be that Dominic Solanke is fit and in form and the issue feels like something that can wait until the summer.

The Paratici factor makes me think they will at the very least check out what’s happening with Dusan Vlahovic, whose contract at Juventus expires in June. His situation has changed slightly since Luciano Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor as boss.

Spalletti says he wants to keep Vlahovic and would like him to sign a new deal, but the 25-year-old Serb is on big wages worth £10million a year after tax and a free transfer in the summer would be hugely lucrative for him.

If Spurs can afford to pay him what he is asking for then this deal, either in January or in the summer, feels at this stage a more viable option than Ivan Toney, who has been subject to a lot of speculation because of his links to Thomas Frank.

Toney at 29, would jar with Tottenham’s policy of recruiting younger players with scope to develop and his inflated Saudi wages would make him potentially more expensive than Vlahovic.

Similarly, a world-class goalkeeper would give them a boost and, despite signing Antonin Kinsky less than a year ago, Spurs are actively looking. Guglielmo Vicario has had some brilliant moments this season but does not command his penalty area and is often targeted at set-pieces. Could they, for example, make Aston Villa an offer they can’t refuse for Emi Martinez?

There is an element of the unknown because nobody is sure precisely how the Lewis family plan to follow up on public promises to invest in the team for sporting success.

Ivan Toney has been subject to a lot of speculation because of his links to Thomas Frank from their time together at Brentford

Tottenham also need a high-class goalkeeper, and Emi Martinez of Aston Villa may fit the bill

Even if there is a will to come out spending, January is a notoriously difficult market.

There is a lot of excitement around Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo who would fit perfectly into a role on the left wing unclaimed since Son Heung-min left for LA. But in the last three transfer windows, Spurs have spent £125million on Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel.

They also have highly rated teenage winger Mikey Moore out on loan at Rangers – he has suffered in a difficult first half of the season at Ibrox and might benefit from a recall.

I’m not sure it makes sense for Spurs to wade into what could become a mid-season auction alongside Liverpool and others for Semenyo only for him to compete for the same roles in the team as these players, potentially blocking their progress.

Yves Bissouma will be allowed to leave for the right price and Spurs plan to trigger a clause to extend his contract by a year to 2027 if they don’t sell in January.

What rating would you give Thomas Frank for the job he’s done so far?

6.5/10.

There’s been definite improvement defensively, which was the first challenge. Frank’s Spurs are much more secure at the back, stronger at set-pieces at both ends and much harder to beat than under Ange Postecoglou last season.

There have been games, especially at home against obdurate visitors, when they have not been fluent or creative. Maybe not playing with the free-spirited sense of adventure some Spurs purists would like to see. Maybe too concerned with what those opponents can do.

Yves Bissouma will be allowed to leave for the right price and Spurs plan to trigger a clause to extend his contract by a year to 2027 if they don’t sell in January

Frank’s Spurs are much more secure at the back, stronger at set-pieces at both ends and much harder to beat than under Ange Postecoglou last season

I’m looking at it from a neutral point of view, but I think Frank deserves time to work on the next stages. He knows they need to be more creative in open play, and you can see him tweaking and tinkering with different formulas to find solutions.

His substitutions against Manchester United were booed – but worked. He is not an idiot. He knows what he is doing. He is also aware he has to compete against some of the best teams and biggest budgets in world football without spending as much as they do, and that is impossible if you don’t plan to stop opponents doing what they want to do.

It is a question of balance. It always is at Spurs. And it is a difficult one to solve.

What’s the latest on Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison’s injuries? When can we expect them back?

Maddison, injured in August, won’t be back much before the end of the season. It is a serious injury and even when he is fit to train I would expect Frank to be cautious with his return, based upon Radu Dragusin who is on the brink of a return from a similar knee injury. 

Dragusin, out since January, has been back in training for a while and anxious to start playing again but played for the first time last week, only 45 minutes with the Under 21s, behind closed doors against Leyton Orient. 

He was wanted by Romania for this international break. Spurs resisted his official call-up because they were keen to keep him under their control but they have allowed him to join the Romania camp for training only.

Kulusevski remains on course for a return in December.

Maddison, injured in August, won’t be back much before the end of the season. It is a serious injury and even when he is fit to train I would expect Frank to be cautious with his return

Dejan Kulusevski, one of Spurs’ few bright lights last season, remains on course for a return in December

How does Lucas Bergvall fit into this team? He’s a massive talent but I’m worried there’s not a place for him in this system

That’s a fair question. Bergvall is an exciting talent but I sense Frank is a little more concerned about his carelessness in possession than most supporters, which I think is the reason he is reluctant to play him regularly in one of the deeper midfield roles. 

For the time being, I think he competes for the No10 role with Simons. And maybe over time Frank adjusts the shape of the team and finds a place for him in a midfield with one six and two eights. It’s important to remember that Bergvall is still only 19.

Will Randal Kolo Muani be out for a long time with his fractured jaw, or will we see him playing in a Zorro mask before long?

Spurs are relieved the specialist decided there was no surgery required, which would have ruled Kolo Muani out for a couple of months. As it is they will fit him for a protective mask and get him back sooner, but he is not going to be fit to face Arsenal on Sunday.

Frank must feel cursed by the injuries. It is slightly different to last season when many of Spurs’ injured players had muscle issues which were easily blamed upon the workload of the schedule and Postecoglou’s high intensity training regime. 

Kolo Muani broke his jaw in an innocuous collision with Harry Maguire and Solanke has been out for five months and counting after turning an ankle in a pre-season game, a problem which later required an operation.

Spurs are relieved the specialist decided there was no surgery required for Randal Kolo Muani, which would have ruled him out for a couple of months

How can Frank fix our abject home form?

This probably goes hand in hand with all the other things, such as the quality of recruitment or the calibre of the players and the search for the right balance, which is probably slightly different at home to away games because few visiting teams will arrive in N17 and take the game to Spurs. 

Some will play purely on the counter-attack, others mix it up with a high press, but they all know it is prudent to frustrate the home crowd because when the atmosphere turns, it makes Spurs anxious and prone to overcommit going forward. 

It eats away at confidence when trying to play through the press and leads to individual mistakes, especially among the least experienced players. When fear creeps into the football, it means they are no longer making instinctive decisions on the ball. 

It’s a cycle they must break to change the mood, and it might take a stroke of good fortune to help them do it.

What’s going on with Solanke? Is it just injury issues or is there more to his absence? Does Frank not fancy him?

Well, he’s injured. He hurt his ankle in Frank’s first pre-season friendly and has not been fully fit since, initially trying to play through it while in discomfort, then trying a treatment of rest with injections and eventually giving in to surgery. 

Any conspiracy theory that he is somehow fit and raring to go and not being selected by Frank is ridiculous.

Solanke was the best of the Spurs forwards last season. He scored 16 in a misfiring team, and his presence was valuable beyond the goals

Solanke was the best of the Spurs forwards last season. He scored 16 in a misfiring team, and his presence was valuable beyond the goals because he holds the ball up and helps the team up the pitch.

Spurs were much better with him in the team last season and in the short term could do with him back even if in the longer term they are shopping for an upgrade.

Frank clearly is uncertain about his best forward unit. There are a lot of players at his disposal and yet he cannot find a blend he likes. He has used 14 different combinations of front four in 18 games so far and never used the same one more than twice.