Tottenham Hotspur are working on appointing a new manager, after parting ways with Thomas Frank on Wednesday.
Earlier today, Sport Witness covered claims from Italy that Enzo Maresca is in pole for the Tottenham job.
Spurs showed the exit door to the Dane due to poor results and performances. Tottenham won 13 of the 38 matches managed by Frank, and the Danish media share their take on what could have gone wrong for him at the north London club.
Former Everton, Real Madrid and Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen is now an expert for Viaplay in Denmark, and PL Bold have relayed his comments. He was accompanied by former Beşiktaş and Aberdeen goalkeeper, Peter Kjær.
Tottenham players responsible for Frank’s exit
PL Bold claim the duo ‘noticed a worrying trend: the players’ lack of respect for their Danish boss’ at Tottenham.
Spurs finished fourth in the Champions League group stage, while have struggled in the Premier League. The north London club are now 16th in the table, five points ahead of 18th placed West Ham United.
Tottenham have seven wins after 26 Premier League matches, and Gravesen believes their players have let Frank down.
“We have seen the way the players have behaved towards Thomas Frank. We have seen the way the players have performed, have solved the tasks, it has been under all criticism,” he said.
Frank was too soft at Tottenham
Gravesen believes his compatriot needs to take responsibility for failing to get a hold over players at Tottenham. The 49-year-old joined Spurs, after spending seven years at Brentford.
The former Denmark midfielder is confident Frank became a ‘victim of his own loyalty to the Brentford model’.
“The arrow sometimes points back to a football coach. ‘Are you tough enough?’. ‘Are you strong enough?’ in situations that arise when you are a coach, to make these decisions that are little more than an arm on the shoulder?” Gravesen explained.
“I think Thomas has taken what he had at Brentford with him to Tottenham and believed that an arm around these guys’ shoulders will take us a long way. I think Thomas should have been tougher. Much, much tougher in his rhetoric.”