Tottenham are now ‘on the brink’ of sacking Thomas Frank with two candidates emerging as his potential permanent successor, according to reports.
Spurs lost once again on Saturday with London rivals West Ham scoring an injury-time winner to boost their survival chances.
It was the Hammers first win in the Premier League since November 8 as Tottenham extended their run of matches without a win to five games under Frank.
Tottenham have now won just one of their last eight matches in all competitions and Frank is coming under some serious pressure in the boardroom.
Reacting to the defeat, Frank told reporters: “Of course, I’ve probably had better times.
“It’s probably not the best time of course, but I understand, I’m the man in charge, so the blame will go to me. That’s fair.
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“No problem in that sense. As long as they are backing the players, doing everything they can to support them and drive them forward, that’s what we do and we will keep going forward.”
And now The Sun claims that Frank is ‘on the brink of being sacked’ by Tottenham with the Spurs hierarchy ‘now weighing up whether to axe him before Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund’.
The report adds: ‘Senior figures are understood to be keen to take the temperature of Frank’s squad to assess if there is still internal support for the former Brentford boss.
‘But there is a growing sense that the Dane cannot restore any authority and that the best move for all parties could be to bring his miserable seven-month reign to an end swiftly.’
John Heitinga is likely to take over as caretaker manager, while former Barcelona boss Xavi is ‘in the frame’ to get the permanent job and Mauricio Pochettino would also be a candidate if Frank is sacked.
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney had sympathy for Frank after the defeat to West Ham as “it looks like he’ll lose his job”.
Rooney said on Match of the Day: “I’ve seen Thomas Frank at the end of the game and I felt for him. I’ve been in that position and it’s not a nice place to be.
“It’s a lonely place to be sometimes and especially when he’ll be feeling that a change is coming. I think the Tottenham fans have spoken.
“We’ve seen it before with the Tottenham fans and they’re not happy with what’s going on. Unfortunately, when that happens, it looks like he’ll lose his job.
“I’ve stood at Elland Road [when Birmingham City manager] and I knew it was coming just after New Year. New Year’s Day actually I think.
“Yeah, you know and it’s not a nice feeling because you want the ground to swallow you up.”