Kudus stars, youngster is next big thing – 3 things learned in Tottenham win v Reading
Tottenham started their pre-season off with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Reading.
After a goalless first-half, Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic both netted early in the second half to secure the win.
The match was also Thomas Frank’s first game in charge of the London club, which was no doubt a success.
Looking back on the match, there were plenty of positives and some negatives, with Tottenham Hotspur News now examining three things we learned from the match.
Tottenham continue to have defensive set-piece concerns
While Tottenham clearly enjoyed attacking set-pieces against Reading, defending was another matter.
Last season, Spurs had one of the poorest records from set-pieces in the Premier League.
While defending was a collective issue for the London club, there was a hope that this would be quickly rectified under Frank.
However, just 10 minutes in, Pedro Porro was forced into a goal-line clearance after Reading caused issues from a free-kick.
| Premier League set-piece goals conceded 2024/25 | Team | Goals conceded |
| 20th | Wolves | 20 |
| 19th | Southampton | 20 |
| 18th | Arsenal | 14 |
| 17th | Ipswich Town | 13 |
| 16th | Tottenham | 13 |
| 15th | Manchester United | 13 |
Against a superior opposition in the Premier League, this goalmouth scramble could have easily resulted in a goal.
This continued into the second half, with Reading going close once again off a corner.
Therefore, Frank has to do more work to ensure this isn’t a problem for when 13 August rolls around.
Mohammed Kudus looks an excellent new addition
Much has been said about Mohammed Kudus’ arrival at Tottenham.
The winger had an excellent first season at West Ham but went on to struggle in the following campaign.
However, against Reading, it only took him four minutes to make an impact.
Coming off the bench, the Ghanaian international sent in a wonderful cross off a corner that was flicked on by Vuskovic before being buried by Lankshear.
From here, Kudus continued to cause problems down the wing and was a real threat throughout the second half.
While the performance was only against League One outfit Reading, it was a bright start to his Spurs career and he now looks set to become a star at Tottenham.
Will Lankshear to be next big thing at Tottenham
Amidst many regular first-team Tottenham players, two of the standouts in the first half were Alfie Devine and Mikey Moore.
The young duo looked to unlock Reading’s defence and had plenty of bright moments throughout the half.
Moore, in particular, made a fantastic run late in the first half, which saw him beat numerous players.
Then, in the second half, Lankshear came off the bench to open the scoring with a fantastic header.
It was a decent finish, and gives more evidence that the 20-year-old could be the next big thing at Spurs if he continues to develop.
The young striker had little luck on loan to West Brom last season, but Frank may now consider giving him a role this season.
If it wasn’t clear before, the future of Tottenham is clearly bright, with the London club boasting excellent talents.
Hopefully, the trio are given more chances in the coming weeks ahead of the new campaign.
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