How Thomas Frank is turning assist-king Mohammed Kudus into Tottenham's Bryan Mbeumo... and the 'no-walk rule' and 'park the ego mantra' that hold the key

Goals elude Mohammed Kudus, and yet Thomas Frank has no complaints about his £55million Ghana forward and what has been a smooth transition into life at Tottenham.

Frank rates Kudus as his team’s most dangerous forward this season, a feeling reinforced by the fact he has been on the pitch for all but nine of 540 minutes through the first five Premier League games and the Champions League opener against Villarreal.

Playing almost exclusively on the right wing, Kudus has registered three assists plus the wicked cross that forced Jan Paul van Hecke’s own goal at Brighton, which does not go down as an official ‘assist’.

Only Jack Grealish has more in the Premier League, while no player in English football’s top flight has attempted or completed more dribbles or produced more crosses from open play than Kudus.

'I’m very happy with what he’s doing so far,' said Frank. 'His ability to be the player one on one, to produce crosses, dangerous moments and three or four assists. Of course, we’d also like him to score goals and I’m convinced that will happen.

'We have a team that we are growing and adding layers to offensively. We saw an extra layer against Brighton when we created a lot of dangerous situations that could have led to more clear-cut chances. 

'So far, I think he’s been our best offensive player.'

There were few doubts about his talent when Kudus arrived from West Ham in the summer. He has outstanding technical ability, combined with incredible strength and acceleration but doubts do linger around attitude and levels of consistency.

Frank, however, with a background in youth development, earned a glowing reputation for improving individual players at Brentford, and particularly for harnessing their natural gifts within a collective structure.

There is perhaps no better illustration than Bryan Mbeumo, who worked with Frank for six years and is set to return to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday for the first time since his £71m move to Manchester United.

The Bees signed Mbeumo at 19 from Troyes in France and Frank moulded him into the 20-goal Premier League star of last season, a forward capable of wreaking havoc week after week with his power and pace - with an ability to threaten the goal in different ways but often coming inside from the right onto his left foot from the same areas of the pitch where Kudus likes to operate.

'A good comparison,' according to Flemming Pedersen, technical director of Right to Dream, the academy where Kudus came through the ranks in Ghana and which owns Nordsjaelland, where he made his breakthrough in the Danish Superliga.

'Kudus has the potential to play at the top of the Premier League and the top of the Champions League, too.'

Pedersen, who has also coached at Brentford, has worked in various roles at Nordsjaelland in the last 20 years. 

He was the club’s technical director when Kudus arrived as an 18-year-old in 2019 and head coach when they sold him to Ajax for £7.8m two years later.

'One key was this understanding of the whole game,' Pedersen tells Daily Mail Sport as he recalls those days coaching a teenage Kudus, helping him adapt to a new way of life in Denmark and professional football. 'Understanding that all players are connected.

'There were a couple of games when I subbed him and had to explain that it was because he looked tired and his work-rate started to decrease, and I could see he was stating to walk during the games.

'He said, "I’m not walking". And I said, ‘You are walking, do you want me to show that you are walking’. He said, "Yes, please." He didn’t believe he was walking so I showed him the clips.

'I said, "Look, here you are walking, and you have to stay connected with your team-mate, your team-mate is moving and the space between you is increasing." And then he said, "Yes, you are right".'

Having displayed an appetite to learn and improve at Nordsjaelland and adapt his talent to the team ethic, Kudus cited Frank as one of the main attractions in his decision to join Spurs from West Ham.

'One of the most important parts of why I came here is the project and how the manager sees it, and to develop under him,' said the 25-year-old Ghanaian in an interview for the matchday programme ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League opener against Burnley.

'With the history of where he’s come from, I’ve seen the amount of talent he’s developed to become great players. It’s a big sign of why I wanted to work under him.'

Frank devotes attention to creating pairings all over the pitch, including the links between the full backs and wide players on both flanks. He has been impressed with the understanding Kudus and Pedro Porro have struck.

Right back Porro has been encouraged to restrain his attacking instincts and allow Kudus the space necessary to operate on the ball. 

In return, Kudus is expected to track back, protect Porro and provide passing angles when Spurs recover possession and are looking to zip passes out of defence. Both have been impressive through the opening games of the season.

Pedersen, 62, is a close friend of both Frank and Tottenham’s technical director Johan Lange and recognises holistic Scandinavian styles in the way they operate. 'We think collectively and this comes through in team sports,' he explains. 

'English society is more focused on the individual. The ego shines more than in Denmark.

'The last time I visited Brentford there was a Danish environment. Thomas has been really strong on this. He has not allowed too much egotistic feeling. His teams play as a team. It is never only about the individual player.'

By the time footballers step into the first team dressing room of a club in the Premier League, they are already developed to a very high technical level, so when we talk about coaches who improve players, it is usually those who can help them find ways to use their strengths to influence games – even when opponents have been making specific plans to stop them.

This comes down to their physical condition. Ensuring they will play regularly, play at full power for longer and not fade, maintain focus for longer, not drift off. And not start walking.

Also, improving the player’s own tactical awareness and devising and refining tactical plans with him in mind. All coaches need their most talented forward players to make an impact in attacking areas, creating chances, scoring goals, and not simply decorate games around the edges.

It is very early in the campaign but there are signs that Frank and Kudus can be good for each other.

Although neither would say no to a Kudus goal. He has only six in the last 12 months for club and country.

'He still needs to score more goals because he can score many more,' says Pedersen. 'With good training, I expect that will come naturally.' Look out Wolverhampton Wanderers.