Thomas Frank is “1000 per cent” sure he remains the right manager for Tottenham in the wake of growing calls for him to be sacked after Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle on Tuesday evening – though TEAMtalk understands the loss to the Magpies could well prove his final game at the helm.
The Dane was brought in over the summer as a replacement for Ange Postecoglou, but has struggled to get a tune out of his squad, who have steadily got worse as the season has progressed. Going into Tuesday’s game, Frank had overseen an alarming record of just one win in 10 Premier League games in form that had seen Tottenham Hotspur dragged towards the relegation zone.
And after Jacob Ramsey scored a 68th-minute goal for Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the home team were booed off at full-time with chants of ‘sacked in the morning’ directed at the 52-year-old’s direction.
While there are mitigating circumstances for the latest defeat – Spurs were without several first-team stars through injury and suspension – the fact that they now sit in 16th place, and only five points clear of the drop zone, is likely to enforce his sacking.
Despite staring down the barrel, Frank is refusing to walk away quietly and is adamant that he remains the right man for the job.
Speaking to the media at full-time on Tuesday night, he insisted: “1000 per cent sure. I am also 1000 per cent sure that I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries on the back end of this and what we’ve been facing, but I know when you need to build something and need to get through things, you need to show unbelievable strong resilience.
“I think it is fair to say there are a few before me up here not only for Tottenham but in many other clubs that have lost their head many times and I think you need to have a calm head, carry on, keep fighting and keep doing the right thing, make sure we stick together because we can only do this if we stick together. That is the board, that is the leaders, that is the players, that is the staff, that is me, and that is the fans.
“We’ve got to get through this!”
Frank is also adamant he will remain in charge for Spurs’ next Premier League game, at home to Arsenal on Sunday 22 February.
“I’m convinced I will still be in charge [for the Arsenal game],” he continued. “I understand the question, and I understand it’s easy to point at me, but I also think it’s never only the head coach or the ownership or the directors or the players or the staff. It’s everyone.
“If you do something right, you build something that can last. Of course, we are not in a top position now. Everyone knows, directors, ownership, and myself, what position we are in, what we need to improve and what we need to do better.
“That is what we are working very hard on.”
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Frank can expect Tottenham sack with successor already chosen
Tuesday night really was the game that Frank could not afford to lose.
Going into the match, sources had informed TEAMtalk that a defeat to Newcastle could prove the final straw for their owners, who have been alarmed by their slide down the table over the course of this season.
And with club bosses seemingly at the end of their tether, the pressure on Frank has now reached what well-placed sources describe as “breaking point” with his reign due to come to an end after just 38 games at the helm.
Showing a barren 34.21% win record across those games (just 13 games), insiders suggested going into the game that another poor showing against Eddie Howe’s Magpies could prompt immediate action.
Bookmakers had already listed Frank as the overwhelming favourite to be the next Premier League manager sacked, with odds shortened even more dramatically in recent hours.
Should Frank depart, Tottenham are expected to appoint an interim coach — possibly Johnny Heitinga, already part of the backroom staff — to guide the team through to the end of the campaign, buying time for a permanent solution…
Former coach Ryan Mason, recently axed by West Brom after a short spell in charge, is also in the frame.
Down the line, though, the north London side have already earmarked the man they want to take charge in the long run, though such an appointment will have to wait and hence why Spurs, who have wanted Frank to succeed, have stood by his side for now and refused, to this point, to pull the trigger on his reign…
With Spurs bosses already casting their minds towards a successor, we revealed last week how the long-term picture points towards a sensational reunion with Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine, currently leading the United States into their home-hosted 2026 World Cup, has given the green light to return to north London once his international duties conclude this summer.
Tottenham latest: £52m deal on for Dortmund midfielder; Rudiger offer
Meanwhile, a second source has backed up our exclusive reveal on Tottenham moving for a German international midfielder, with the new report insisting a €60m / £52m bid will ‘probably’ see the deal completed.
Elsewhere, reputed transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed the summer target that Tottenham Hotspur are ‘dreaming’ of signing, though the club will have to completely obliterate their current transfer record to seal a deal.
In other news, Antonio Rudiger is open to a return to England this summer, with intermediaries already sounding out Premier League clubs about a potential deal for the Real Madrid defender, and TEAMtalk understands Tottenham are among his potential suitors.