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Kota Takai says there was something about his first training session at Tottenham that was ‘not good’
Thomas Frank is not going easy on his players during pre-season at Tottenham Hotspur.
Indeed, the new manager is making his mark very quickly at Tottenham, and he’s been putting his players through their paces.
Frank’s pre-season has been largely based around running and fitness so far, and many players appear to be struggling.
Djed Spence looked exhausted after Spurs’ running drill last week, while Micky van de Ven was also struggling after a running drill.
This week, Kota Takai joined his new teammates in Spurs training, and he was put through one of Frank’s running drills.
Unfortunately, Takai suffered a similar fate to the likes of Spence and Van de Ven as he was absolutely spent after this drill.
Kota Takai exhausted after Tottenham drill
Tottenham shared a video detailing Takai’s first week in Tottenham training.
The Japan international went through the usual rigmarole of stretching and doing gym work before being sent out to do a running drill.
Once the running was finished, Takai collapsed to the ground before being asked how he found the session.
The defender’s response was telling to say the least.
“How was that then? Good?” Takai was asked.
“Not good,” Takai said.
Kota Takai training closely with Pape Sarr
Takai’s struggles during the running drill were an interesting aspect of this video, but what was also intriguingly evident was that the defender was seemingly working closely with Pape Sarr at times here.
Indeed, Sarr and Takai appeared to be working as a pair at one point in the video, and these two could end up striking up something of a friendship at Spurs.
It’s never easy to settle into a new country or a new team, but Sarr may be able to help Takai settle in if they continue working together. After all, they’re a similar age so they may have a few things in common.
Takai is getting to work at Tottenham, and he may well be one of the surprise packages at Spurs this season after his £5m move from Kawasaki Frontale.