Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur fans have serious issues with the job manager Thomas Frank is doing at the helm, and it goes beyond just the results themselves, which have been abhorrent. Spurs are not playing their best starting lineup in any given week, as Frank is leaving off some of his best performers, including stars of the future, for no reason other than playing favorites in an overly "safe" style of football that only dooms the team to losses.

Young left winger and striker Mathys Tel has come up big in recent weeks for Spurs, though he's been thrown to the side when it comes to picking the best XI. Tel won the game against Leeds and was vital to rescuing a point against Manchester United more recently. And yet Tel has not started since, even though he continues to impress in cameo appearances off the bench, including helping change the game on Tuesday night in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle.

Tottenham fans are frustrated as to why the second best striker in the healthy squad after Randal Kolo Muani is not getting any sniffs, plus Tel is one of the only two valid left winger options alongside fellow young Frenchman Wilson Odobert.

Mathys Tel can't be left out

But maybe Thomas Frank is turning the corner on Tel, based on what he said recently at a press conference after the Newcastle game. Frank said of Tel, via The Spurs Web, "The way he carries himself, the way he trains, has been very good. I'm very aware he can play off the left. The only thing that any player can do is keep training well, keep doing everything to catch my eye to make it difficult for me when I make my decision."

Frank has snubbed Tel so many times this season, and each and every time, Tel has risen to the occasion after improving. He caught every fan's eye last season by celebrating with the crowd and pushing hard for results in the clutch, showing the heart of someone who wanted to be a Spur for life. And he's only continued that this season.

For the fourth straight match, Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank left top summer transfer Xavi Simons to rot on the bench. Well, he did bring Simons in for the final minutes to run around, which is customary, and it may not be a coincidence that Spurs then went on to draw the match, even though the Dutchman didn't have a direct impact on the point.

In the preceding three games, Spurs lost quite handily, and they were clearly missing the attacking spark and creativity Simons can potentially bring. Now, truthfully, there's been very little of the spark, especially lately, but that's largely down to Frank isolating Simons with nobody to connect with, and when he has actually brought in players like Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, and Randal Kolo Muani to start regularly as superior options, that's been when he has discarded Simons.

To every single person affiliated with Tottenham, the answer with SImons is obvious. Frank has to play him. Even if he isn't performing optimally and even if he has a quiet game, he has to keep on playing him. The investment and long term benefits of having Simons firing on all cylinders are too great to ignore and simply throw away.

Xavi Simons should be the future of Tottenham

Let's face it, Simons has more of a future at Tottenham than Frank and means more to the club than Frank. There is more money tied up in him, and he can impact the team more than a manager can. Simons has shown it in the past at his other stops. It is, thus, Frank's job to get the most out of Simons and to actually coach him, rather than have a 60 million pound player toiling away while the team continues to hemorrhage points in the table.

Going forward, the priority needs to be for Tottenham to give Simons minutes and opportunities to shine. Spurs finally started playing Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall regularly in midfield, and those are players Simons can benefit from combining with. Likewise, Randal Kolo Muani has proven to be a considerable all around upgrade on Richarlison at striker, and clearly Simons will be able to do more damage linking up with the more active and accomplished Kolo Muani at striker.

Frank cannot keep barring Simons from the starting lineup. Spurs signed him to be a focal point of the team, just like Mohammed Kudus is on the right flank. There should be no choice in the matter for Frank, other than for him to choose how he changes his tactics to get the most out of the young star.

Coming into the 2025/26 season, Brennan Johnson was one of the players Tottenham Hotspur supporters were excited to see, because there was a feeling that the young Welsh forward could take another step forward with Thomas Frank as his manager.

See, not only was Johnson fresh off scoring the winning goal in the Europa League Final against Manchester United, but Frank was also the manager who pushed hard for Brentford to sign Johnson from Nottingham Forest before he joined Spurs as Tottenham were able to outgun the Bees financially on the transfer market. (Because, you know, those were the teams Daniel Levy was actually willing to beat on the market.)

Spurs supporters have, instead, been treated to disasterclass after disasterclass from Johnson. As opposed to making Johnson better, Frank, if anything, has made the Wales international markedly worse. Take Tuesday night's game against Newcastle, for example. Frank played Johnson on the left flank again, and that is just about the worst way to utilize the 24-year-old winger.

Brennan Johnson carries no threat

Every Tottenham fan knows that Johnson can't really defend, dribble, create, or carry the ball. He doesn't do any of the things that a winger is supposed to do, and that's why he doesn't start despite being amazing at one very important thing in football, which is scoring goals. Beyond the winner in the Europa League Final, Johnson actually led Spurs in Premier League goals last season, which is pretty insane.

This season, Johnson has not scored once and is no threat to score. Frank has started Johnson in five games this season, and just one of those starts has been on the right flank where he can actually cut inside and shoot on his left foot. The other four starts have been on the left flank as a "true" winger, which is laughable since that's just about the last thing Johnson is; he's not someone who is going to take defenders on by the touch line and whip in crosses like that.

Johnson has been completely ineffective. He doesn't play anywhere near the goal, so the one thing he had - timely tap ins - has been completely neutralized by his own coach. No defense could account for Johnson's goal threat better than Frank himself has, and Spurs have to have an internal conversation about how Frank has somehow made a player who was struggling totally hopeless. At this rate, Johnson will be out of a job, because the one thing he does well is no longer a factor at all.

Tottenham Hotspur made one of the best acquisitions on the wings in any European league this past summer transfer window, splashing 55 million pounds on rival West Ham star right winger Mohammed Kudus. So far, Kudus has been worth every penny and is both the best and most important attacker on an otherwise poor Spurs front line that has underperformed badly under Thomas Frank in 2025/26.

On the opposite flank, Spurs, though, are still figuring it out. They watched Son Heung-min set to sail to the United States to play for LAFC in MLS, and they didn't really replace him adequately. Now, Spurs do have two of the most promising young left winger prospects in Europe, as Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are 20 and 21 years old, respectively, and key stars at the French youth level.

Both Tel and Odobert have flashed potential this season and are getting visibly better week by week, even if Frank has stopped playing them as often. Tel, too, has shone brightly as a striker with important goals against Leeds and Manchester United.

Tottenham working the RB Leipzig connectoin

But Spurs do need more help on the left wing. Most fans are looking for the club to sign an immediate star like Antoine Semenyo or Iliman Ndiaye in the Premier League, but it looks like Spurs are also showing interest in yet another prospect - one even younger than Tel and Odobert but arguably even more talented.

According to a report from Sky Sports Switzerland's Sacha Tavolieri, Premier League giants Tottenham and Liverpool aren't just going to do battle this winter for Semenyo. Tavolieri says that both clubs are in talks to sign RB Leipzig gem Yan Diomande, who is the best young left wing prospect in Europe right now.

Per Tavolieri, Spurs have ramped up their talks to sign Diomande and are actually in advanced stages of negotiations heading into the January transfer window. The Premier League giants have been scouting Diomande for months and are talking extensively with his reps, though they have yet to engage in club to club talks with Leipzig for the player.

That could potentially happen as soon as January. Diomande is having a great season on the wings for Leipzig, averaging an outrageous 4.2 dribbles completed and 1.5 key passes per 90 minutes for the Bundesliga giants. Granted, the Bundesliga is easier than the Premier League, but those are pretty comparable numbers to what Kudus is doing on the flanks for Tottenham.

Diomande can play on both the left and right wing, but as a right footer, his long term value profiles best on the left flank. Spurs already have Odobert and Tel waiting for stardom, but it never hurts to add an even bigger talent to the mix. Competition at the youth level makes everyone better, because nobody feels entitled yet. Diomande would be expensive, but he's an immense talent worth tracking.

The lack of excitement for a quite incredible moment told the whole story: Thomas Frank is currently sapping my enjoyment of watching Tottenham.

Now, I know Frank doesn't owe me anything personally, but he has a responsibility to oversee an on-pitch product that supporters, the lifeblood of any football club, can get behind and believe in.

I thought we were right to move on from Ange Postecoglou once the emotion of Bilbao had simmered. I backed the Australian until the very end, but didn't think his idealistic style was conducive to sustained success at the elite level. He did 'get it', though, and Ange's successor is failing miserably to inspire hope.

The majority have long been appreciative of Frank's work, but there's a very high chance that most of us horribly misjudged the former Brentford manager. I assumed the "intelligent" Frank could scale up, that his approach in west London could evolve into a game model capable of adhering to the rather vague 'Tottenham Way'.

Thus far, though, it's been a pragmatic slog. We're now five games without a win under his stewardship, and although Tuesday's result was fine in isolation, there was no real sign of progress at St. James' Park.

Tottenham showed no tangible sign of progress in Newcastle draw

The manager ultimately had his captain to thank for rescuing a point at Newcastle United. Spurs fell 1-0 and 2-1 behind on Tyneside, but Cristian Romero's thumping header and shinned overhead kick helped the visitors restore parity twice.

Frank was right to commend his side's character after the draw, although it was almost solely a World Cup-winner's will that inspired Spurs to a point. Romero took it upon himself to maraud into the frontline and beat Dan Burn to Mohammed Kudus' cross, cancelling out Bruno Guimarães' opener with an emphatic finish.

There was no grand rescue plan from the manager, who once again oversaw a pitiful first-half showing that, for the fourth Premier League game in succession, failed to return a shot on target. That takes some doing.

There is no sign of evolution. No indication that Frank is learning from previous failings. If Kudus can't bring down a hopeful punt in his direction and roll the defender constantly up his backside, then Spurs can't get upfield. That's a problem.

The midfield pivot, no matter who plays there, are reduced to mannequins who seemingly serve the purpose of ensuring Frank has 11 on the pitch. Suddenly, Pape Matar Sarr doesn't know how to receive beyond the first line of pressure, get his head up and pass forward. His issues on Tuesday are symptomatic of the manager's risk-aversion and primitive idea of chance creation.

Get the ball wide and hope extra bodies in the box pay dividends. The centre of the pitch remains a no-go zone.

The second-half was slightly better, but it seems as if Spurs' "good spells" are dominated by long-throw sequences and other dead-ball moments. There's no emphasis upon sustaining pressure from open play.

You could perhaps legislate for such basic in-possession principles if Spurs were now an imperious force defensively, but that isn't the case. We continue to concede goals from the edge of our box, and, ultimately, our inability to keep the ball thrusts more pressure on the defence.

It's an antiquated brand of football that removes all scope for invention and craft. Perhaps I assumed all Danes were hip and progressive, with my love for Copenhagen's pastries potentially distorting my view of the incumbent in the dugout. Damningly, Frank is currently standing for something that no Tottenham supporter can get behind.

Can we really say with any confidence that things would look drastically better if Frank had a full squad at his disposal, or if we signed Antoine Semenyo in January? We can't.

Romero's stoppage-time heroics should've been a great moment and memory, but I immediately wondered what it all meant, and I still do. There are no signs of improvement with Frank, who is failing to maximise what is a flawed but undeniably talented squad by sapping the creative juice that lies within it in favour of a data-driven iteration of POMO.

Thomas Frank is not the manager I thought he was, or, at least, not yet, the manager I thought he could become. I'm very close to wanting a change.

No manager in world football is under more pressure right now than Thomas Frank, and that list includes some pretty high profile coaches sitting on a very hot seat, such as Xabi Alonso over at the perpetually scorching Real Madrid. But Tottenham Hotspur have suffered crushing defeat after crushing defeat under Frank, whose quotes at press conferences have left supporter incensed and grievously insulted.

Spurs were coming off back to back losses to local rivals, first falling 4-1 to Arsenal in a historically horrid North London Derby before crumbling 2-1 to Fulham in another inexcusable outing. And while Tottenham did not play well enough in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle to fully take the pressure off Frank, the solitary point is just enough to help Frank survive at least another week without very, very serious conversations regarding his future.

In truth, Tottenham were not impressive against Newcastle, and Frank had nothing really to do with the draw either. He benched Xavi Simons for a fourth straight game, picked another lousy lineup, and chose a tactical plan that left the defense exposed and the attack with no ideas. And for a fourth straight game, too, Spurs had no shots on target at all in the first half.

Tottenham had every right to lose

Yet, thanks to captain Cristian Romero, who returned from a one game suspension against Fulham, Spurs survived. He scored two late goals, including a bicycle kick at the death that saw him channel his inner Jude Bellingham (or Wayne Rooney, whichever you prefer) to rescue a draw from the throes of defeat.

Tottenham had every right to lose this game thanks to Frank's coaching incompetence, and that would have sent both Frank and the club into a tailspin. But Spurs were able to save some face thanks to the clutch gene of Romero, who has won a World Cup, Copa America, and Europa League in his illustrious career as one of the world's finest center backs.

Romero bailed Frank out big time. Frank owes him everything, especially since Romero was a player who loved Ange Postecoglou very dearly and could have easily left Spurs holding the bag by requesting a transfer after the way they cruelly fired BIg Ange to replace Frank.

Given Frank has set the team back significantly and lost the fan base already, Romero would have been forgiving for not bringing his absolute, 1000 percent intensity to the table. But that's not Romero's style at all ,and Frank needs to be eternally grateful to Romero for saving his behind vs. Newcastle.

Although it was not the finest overall performance from Tottenham Hotspur and they needed more heroics from Cristian Romero to save the day, this was a significantly better outing from the disaster this past weekend against Fulham. Instead of losing 2-1, Spurs did enough to grind out a last second 2-2 draw against a more talented side in Newcastle, with Romero sinking the Magpies via two braces, including a late bicycle kick.

Romero was the clear standout of the match, as the Spurs captain and star center back once again proved why he is one of the best players in the entire Premier League regardless of position. And even though most fans know his name by now, it still feels like Romero is underrated.

But the true underrated Spurs player is Kevin Danso, who was Romero's astute center back partner on the night with Micky van de Ven on some surprising load management restriction imposed by the overly cautious Thomas Frank.

Kevin Danso is in Cristian Romero's shadow

Well, Danso stepped in and after absorbing criticism from many fans for his lack of ball playing ability, the ex Lens man delivered a quietly outstanding performance against Nick Woltemade and Newcastle. Although Spurs surrendered two more goals, that was mostly down to Frank's horrid tactics and a cavernous midfield set up that had Danso and Romero facing an onslaught.

Just as Romero saved a goal with a timely tackle, Danso cleared the ball off the line to spare Tottenham from losing 4-2 on the night. He was no nonsense in his approach overall, clearing a total of 11 balls to more than double anyone else on Tottenham. Plus, Danso put his body on the line to directly block two shots.

It was another strong defensive performance from Danso, who was specifically bought to be a solid third center back who could step in for either superstar player at a moment's notice and deliver a clean defensive performance without a fuss in a game against any caliber of opponent. And that's exactly what the big, friendly Austrian did at the back for Spurs on Tuesday night.

Danso honestly deserves more appreciation than he gets, including from his own Tottenham fan base. So many people are focused on what he isn't, and what he isn't is a player like Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero. But how many of those guys are walking around out there? Instead, Danso needs to be appreciated for who he is, and he is a very solid central defender, as he reminded fans this week.

Although Tottenham Hotspur haven't gotten a whole lot right in the 2025/26 season, one thing they have to be very proud about is signing West Ham star Mohammed Kudus in the summer 2025 transfer window, and you really have to shudder to think where this Spurs team would be as a whole without Kudus's fine work on the right wing each and every week.

At this point, Kudus has to be exhausted by being the main man to carry this attack. He scored the lone goal over the weekend against Fulham in order to help Spurs try to save some face, volleying brilliantly into the near corner. Then this Tuesday night, Kudus provided the assist for Spurs first goal of Cristian Romero's double pack.

All around, Kudus was excellent for Spurs in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle, and they would have lost yet again without him. The Ghanaian international won a couple of tackles to chip in defensively and did his usual great work on the right wing as a creator, producing a couple of chances while winning several one on one duels.

Mohammed Kudus is cut from a different cloth

Kudus's strong game was a huge head to head message to former Manchester United and Nottingham Forest man Anthony Elanga. Another high priced summer transfer on the wings, Elanga joined Newcastle from Forest for a cool 55 million pounds, which, funnily enough, is exactly the amount of money Spurs paid to West Ham for Kudus.

While it is early, Elanga has been dreadful for Newcastle and one of the least productive summer signings of the last window. He is still a couple of years younger than Kudus, but, even then, watching Elanga struggle to make any sort of impact as a bench player for Newcastle on Tuesday night while Kudus helped keep Spurs in the game was enough to at least make Tottenham feel good about this.

The Kudus signing is one of the few things that has gone right for Spurs in the new Thomas Frank era, and he certainly sent that message to Newcastle that he and Elanga are trending in very different directions. And they are likely different calibers of player entirely, with Kudus offering more creativity and dynamism, especially in terms of his ball progression and skill in one on ones.

You can only imagine what Kudus would be capable of if Tottenham were a more cogent attacking side and with a better left wing and striker situation surrounding the team's primary wide playmaker.

Although Tottenham Hotspur had a better outcome on Tuesday night against a quality Premier League opponent in Newcastle United, drawing 2-2, it's really tough to say that Thomas Frank had a whole lot to do with it. Spurs were, once again, completely flat coming out of the gates, and for a fourth straight match, they failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, which is simply inexcusable.

And really, Frank had set the Spurs lineup for a disappointment, and without two clutch late goals from captain Cristian Romero, they would have been embarrassed by Newcastle. Frank inexplicably left Xavi Simons out of the starting lineup for the fourth straight matchup, and I don't think any Spurs supporter sees it as a coincidence that four straight Simons benchings correlate with four straight games without a shot on target in the first half.

Simons has been continually snubbed by Frank despite being the team's marquee signing of the last summer transfer window, as Frank has been forcing Lucas Bergvall into an uncomfortable No. 10 role instead. Though, well, Spurs supporters have to take the positive that he's actually playing the talented Swedish international at all.

Mathys Tel has earned better

But Simons isn't the only top talent Frank is snubbing. Mathys Tel scored important goals against Leeds and then Manchester United to cement his status as a key part of the Tottenham rotation and a potential option at the 9.

Well Tel got benched for an impossibly poor Brennan Johnson, who has been one of the team's worst players this season. He was able to at least come into this game in the 76th mintue alongside Richarlison to shake up the front line, but given he was not picked in the last game over Richy, it boggles the mind that Tel, the better player right now with more long term upside, is not seen as the definitively superior option.

Frank isn't showing enough faith in his young players, and as Simons and Tel watch midfielders Bergvall and Archie Gray finally get some trust from the manager, they have to be wondering when it will be their turn to shake up this attack.

Because while Spurs put two past Newcastle and ultimately drew the match, both goals were from a center back, including a late bicycle kick to save the day. That's not sustainable and certainly not a credit to the coaching Frank is doing with an attack that is severely underperforming the talent that is available in the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero was sorely missed in the weekend's disastrous 2-1 loss to Fulham, as he was suspended for picking up too many yellow cards in the previous weekend's 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal.

Well, Romero didn't miss a beat in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle, proving, once again, why he is by far the most important player on this Tottenham team. Romero played elite defense against Newcastle star striker Nick Woltemade, and not only did he save a goal for Spurs in the process, he also scored two of his own in crunch time, including a last gasp bicycle kick winner that would have made Wayne Rooney and Jude Bellingham jealous.

Really, it is quite jarring to see that Romero is often one of the team's biggest attacking threats, and in this vital matchup against Newcastle, he was the one to show up with the clutch gene and the ruthless finishing in front of goal.

Richarlison isn't offering enough threat

Randal Kolo Muani played well at striker before being hooked off, but the same cannot be said about Richarlison. The Brazilian international was mercifully benched, but he came into the match in the 76th minute as Thomas Frank looked to get Spurs back in it.

As just about anyone could have predicted, Richy offered no real attacking threat to the side. He didn't help change the game, and his only meaningful action of the night against Newcastle was to earn himself a booking.

Romero being more clutch as an attacker, being there, and making game altering plays, including a very high quality finish via the bicycle kick, really has to be another blow to Richarlison. When a center back is a better goal threat and difference maker from an attacking perspective than the main striker on the pitch, it both speaks to the quality of the defender and also the lack of quality of the striker.

Richarlison has been called up on so often by Frank this season, and while he has five goals and two assists on paper to lead the team, it's noticeable that every single Tottenham supporter thinks he needs to be doing more for the team. Romero just showed him levels as a center back on Tuesday night that this is the sort of quality that is expected from a Tottenham player, and it's the sort of impact that Richarlison has consistently failed to provide to Spurs when it matters most ever since his arrival at the N17.