A second observer, this time a former Tottenham manager, has outlined when Thomas Frank could be sacked – and it’s not far away.
Frank is under significant pressure at Tottenham right now, with the club exiting both domestic cup competitions in the early rounds and labouring in the Premier League.
When speaking on Sunday Supplement, pundit and broadcaster, Jacqui Oatley, insisted Frank’s situation will devolve into a full-blown crisis if his side lose to West Ham on Saturday.
The Hammers haven’t won a league match since November 8 and defeat to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would signal a new low for Frank in north London.
“I think the key thing now is the next three or four games,” began Oatley.
“They’ve got West Ham at home. Now, lose that, and this crisis becomes a full-blown mega multi-crisis.
“Then they’ve got Borussia Dortmund at home in the Champions League. They are well-placed, potentially for a top-eight finish [in the Champions League].
“And then they’ve got Burnley as well in the Premier League, so these are really crucial games for Thomas Frank now.”
Now, former Spurs boss, Tim Sherwood, has added to suggestions Frank will be axed if Tottenham lose to West Ham at the weekend.
When appearing on Sky Sports and asked point blank if Tottenham have to beat West Ham for Frank to remain in charge, Sherwood responded: “No more than Nuno has to win it to stay in charge at West Ham.
“El Sackico isn’t it, it’s a huge game. If West Ham go there and play on the front foot and take advantage of the fragile confidence of Tottenham at home, I think they’ve got a real chance.”
Giving his take on what Frank and Tottenham are doing wrong, Sherwood insisted the Dane must “take the shackles off” his players.
“They need to start passing the ball forward instead of sideways and back,” declared an increasingly exasperated Sherwood.
“Their midfield players are capable of getting turned and passing it between the lines. If they take the lead from the Aston Villa game it’s exactly what Unai Emery did.
“They had two No 10s with Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia and what their midfielders like Youri Tielemans did was pop it in behind Tottenham’s midfield players … and they ripped Tottenham to shreds.”
“Not because they’ve got better players, but because their playing style was on the front foot, it was positive.”
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What we’re hearing on Thomas Frank sack
TEAMtalk tasked insider, Graeme Bailey, with speaking to sources high up in the Tottenham food chain about Frank’s situation.
Reporting back, Bailey explained: ‘Tottenham Hotspur’s hierarchy are split on the future of Thomas Frank, but the club remain determined not to make a change this season.’
‘Spurs CEO Vinai Venkatesham believed he landed the right man in the summer when luring Frank across London from Brentford.
‘However, we are now told by sources that Venkatesham was warned by some members of Spurs’ hierarchy that the former Arsenal man was not a good fit in terms of his system and the Tottenham players already in situ.
‘The source, who spoke to us on the guarantee he would not be named, told us: “Vinai feels Thomas is such a great fit for Spurs in so many ways. A great person, character – who is well liked, but he was warned that the system would not be a fit.
“There is a real concern in the club, up high, that this is how things are playing out. The players like Thomas, but do they believe in what he is asking? That is the worry.”
Bailey added: ‘Now with Spurs sitting in 14th and with just one win in their last seven games, including an FA Cup exit to Aston Villa on Saturday, pressure is mounting.
‘Spurs are ready to invest this month and want Frank to succeed, and insist they do not want to make a mid-season change. But forthcoming games against West Ham and Borussia Dortmund are huge.
‘We are told that whilst Tottenham would not describe the current situation as Frank being given the dreaded ‘vote of confidence’ it does seem it is close to that situation.’
On Monday, another of our insiders, Fraser Fletcher, was informed Frank will be under ‘serious threat’ of being sacked if his side taste defeat to the Hammers on Saturday.
Latest Tottenham news – Bentancur surgery / Real Madrid deal / Spurs block move
In other news, Rodrigo Bentancur will require surgery to repair a hamstring injury that will rule the Uruguayan out for around three months.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid have set a reasonable price tag on a player that Spurs are keen on bringing to north London, according to a report in Spain, and there is no doubt that he would walk straight into the starting line-up.