Tottenham are expected to make an approach for one 'elite' Premier League manager as his club brace for contact from Spurs, according to a new report.
Thomas Frank leaves Tottenham as Spurs begin new manager search
The Lilywhites at long last pulled the plug on Thomas Frank's dismal reign on Wednesday morning after the club's powerbrokers concluded his position had become utterly untenable.
Tuesday evening's humiliating Newcastle capitulation sparked fury among supporters, and not for the first time this season, with the 52-year-old's nightmarish eight-month tenure reaching its inevitable conclusion.
The Lewis family, with encouragement from Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham, rubber-stamped Frank's termination to end the worst managerial appointment in Tottenham's modern Premier League history.
Frank's statistics make for horrifying reading for a club desperate to escape relegation warfare.
Just 13 victories from 38 matches represent a catastrophic underachievement, even with Tottenham's plethora of injury woes, with Frank's 26.9 per cent win percentage standing out as the worst ever from a Spurs boss in the Premier League.
Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat sparked volcanic scenes inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as supporters demanded Frank's immediate removal.
"Sacked in the morning" chants echoed relentlessly around N17 whilst sections of the crowd called desperately for Mauricio Pochettino's return during another dismal display.
Tottenham currently languish just five points above the relegation zone, winning just twice in their last 17 league encounters.
It is quite simply unacceptable, and even with all the injuries (Wilson Odobert being the latest long-term casualty), Spurs have fielded strong-enough sides to be in a far better position.
Frank had to take a lot of the blame, and club chiefs simply can't afford to get another appointment wrong.
In the aftermath of the Dane's dismissal, a host of big-name managers, including Pochettino, Xavi, Gareth Southgate and many more, have been linked with moves to north London.
A familiar name, Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, remains in the frame as well after being tipped for the job last year, with the Spaniard still yet to agree a new deal and poised to leave as a free agent at the end of the season.
Bournemouth expecting Tottenham approach for Andoni Iraola
The 43-year-old is believed to be on Spurs' shortlist to replace Frank, and GiveMeSport claim that Bournemouth are expecting Tottenham to make an approach for Iraola.
However, according to their information, the north Londoners are set to be disappointed.
Indeed, it is also reported by the outlet that Iraola has no desire to leave the Cherries and join Tottenham, and would prefer a return back to Spain with Athletic Bilbao, or even another side on an upward trajectory.
Make no mistake, missing out on Iraola could be seen as a blow, even if Pochettino is widely regarded as their ideal top target.
Iraola's tactical identity - aggressive man-marking, explosive counter-attacks, and structured 4-2-3-1 formations - would immediately inject entertainment into a Spurs side starved of attacking philosophy under Frank's sterile approach.
Despite losing defensive stalwarts Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez last summer, Bournemouth haven't regressed too much, and you could even say they've improved through data-driven recruitment identifying replacements with identical profiles.
The south coast side have found their best form again, making a fine start to 2026 with just one league defeat this calendar year — not to mention winning four out of their last six top flight matches.
His sides combine defensive intensity with attacking directness, consistently punching above their weight.