Football365

Crystal Palace are resigned to losing Oliver Glasner at the end of the season and reportedly have a La Liga manager lined up as his replacement.

According to Spanish website Cadena Ser, Glasner will not renew his contract beyond next summer, and the Eagles are considering replacing him with Getafe’s Jose Bordalas.

Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace career

Only manager in Palace history to win a trophy

Managed longest unbeaten run in Palace’s history (19 games)

Glasner has done an outstanding job at Selhurst Park, guiding Crystal Palace to their first major trophy by winning the FA Cup last season.

His effective counter-attacking 3-4-3 has earned widespread praise since he arrived in the Premier League in 2024, with players like Ebere Eze, Marc Guehi, and Adam Wharton all thriving under his system.

Glasner’s success has sparked speculation about his future, with Manchester United constantly linked to searches for alternatives to current head coach Ruben Amorim.

The Austrian head coach employs a similar, albeit more effective, system to Amorim, but has shown greater tactical flexibility during his career. He has successfully used both a back three and a back four during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, where he won the Europa League in 2022.

Glasner has plenty of admirers, and Palace appear to be preparing for life without their highly-rated head coach.

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Glasner has ‘no intention’ of renewing Palace contract

The Cadena Ser report from Jose David Palacio and Bruno Alemany states that Bordalas is expected to leave Getafe at the end of 2025/26 and ‘his next destination could be Palace’.

Bordalas has reportedly been ‘identified’ as Glasner’s replacement, as the Austrian ‘has no intention of renewing his contract’ due to his ambition of taking charge of a ‘Premier League giant’ in 2026/27.

Palace owner Steve Parish has been forced to start searching for a new manager but is ‘very impressed’ with Bordalas, though no contact has been made yet.

It appears the move would suit Bordalas as well, as Palace ‘offer him a project that aligns with his wishes’.

Still, this is bad news for Palace fans. Glasner has already established himself as a club legend, and his departure will feel like the end of an era at Selhurst Park.

Meanwhile, an insider on X with a ‘team of five elite reporters’ and over 690k followers claims Glasner has rejected two offers to extend his contract because he wants to ‘manage a top club’.

Manchester United is the club most frequently linked to him, though Liverpool could be an option if they part ways with Arne Slot.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are likely to be connected with the 51-year-old as Thomas Frank and Eddie Howe both fight to save their jobs.

The report adds: ‘Oliver Glasner has turned down two contract offers in the last six months, signaling his ambition to stay in the Premier League and manage a top club. He’s not just looking for any job; he wants to make an impact at a bigger team.

‘What sets him apart is his flexibility. He’s ready to adapt his tactics to fit the strengths of his players, knowing that clubs expect versatility in today’s game.

‘With eyes across Europe on his next move, Glasner could very well be the next big name in football management. His strategic mindset and willingness to evolve make him a hot prospect for clubs looking to elevate their game.’

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Jermaine Jenas has revealed his Premier League title prediction, backing Arsenal over Manchester City.

It has been a dramatic few weeks in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal took control at the top of the table during an 18-game unbeaten run across all competitions, but Man City have closed the gap on their rivals to two points.

The Gunners have dropped points against Sunderland, Chelsea and Aston Villa, while Man City have hit their stride to leave themselves in touching distance of Mikel Arteta’s side at the top of the Premier League table.

Despite this, Jenas has argued that the Gunners are “still favourites” to win the title this season because they “have got the best team”.

“I do think Arsenal are still favourites. I’ve been saying it from the start of the season. I think they’ve got the best team,” Jenas told 10bet.

READ: Man City can smell blood in the Arsenal water and Pep is intoxicated

“I think they’ve shown in the last couple of games that without Saliba and Gabriel together, the frailties are there and they don’t have that stable foundation to build off.

“But I assume they’ll both be back come the new year. Saliba was back this weekend, but either way, I don’t see a better team in the league right now.

“I think City are making a really good run of it, but they’ve still got a clanger in them. But they’ve had a couple of big results recently. You know, City are going to test them, put it that way. City are going to push Arsenal to see if they’ve learned any lessons, but I believe they have and I think they’ll get over the line this time.”

Still, Jenas has explained his “only worry” about Arsenal, with there being an “issue” with Man City.

“I don’t think City will overtake Arsenal over Christmas. The issue with it is, City have the ability right now to go on the type of unbeaten runs that they’ve gone on in the past to really apply that pressure,” Jenas added.

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“I’d be absolutely shocked if this group of players at Arsenal have not learned their lesson with regards to just dealing with pressure when it gets to the business end of the season.

“They had a bit of a wobble against Wolves the other day and got away with it. You do need a lot of luck at times, things to go your way. We’ve seen that with City over the years and Liverpool, and the great teams that have won the Premier League title.

“The only thing I would say about Arsenal that worries me a little bit is that they don’t seem to be blowing teams away.

“It’s always like a one-nil, two-nil type of situation where you’re always putting yourself under pressure doing that. But I still think even if we get to New Year’s Day and they’re behind City, I think they’ll go on and win it.”

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United reportedly ‘want’ the same manager as Thomas Frank and Ruben Amorim face being sacked in the coming weeks/months.

Frank left Brentford to join Spurs in the summer, but he is already under serious pressure at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 52-year-old helped Spurs have a strong start to this season as he made his side more defensively resolute following Ange Postecoglou’s spell at the club, but results and performances have declined in recent weeks.

Under Frank, Tottenham have only won three of their last eleven matches in all competitions since the end of October and they are coming off a damaging 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.

This result leaves Spurs in the bottom half of the Premier League table, while Frank has become one of the favourites to be the next manager sacked.

Therefore, Spurs are already being linked with several potential replacements, including Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and AFC Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola.

READ: Tottenham ‘insiders’ reveal Frank nearing sack as ‘toxic’ style creates ‘total panic’ as it ‘cripples brand’

However, a new report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims they ‘want’ to appoint former Barcelona boss Xavi to replace Frank.

This is part of an ambitious plan to beat Man Utd to Xavi, who is reportedly INEOS’ ‘top candidate’ to replace Amorim at Old Trafford.

The report from Fichajes claims Spurs have ‘lost confidence’ in Frank, with it noted that they ‘face a key decision’ regarding his future.

It is also explained that Xavi is not an ’emergency option’ as he would implement a ‘significant change’ at the club.

The report adds: ‘This change isn’t seen as an emergency solution, but rather as an investment in the future. The board believes that Xavi Hernández could lay the foundations for a more solid project and give the team a clear direction.

‘The arrival of Xavi Hernández would represent a significant change in Tottenham’s approach to the game. The club seeks to regain prominence, improve decision-making on the pitch, and present a more reliable image week after week.’

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Despite this, BBC journalist Sami Mokbel has insisted that Frank’s job is not under threat after the Forest loss.

He explained: ‘There is unlikely to be a knee-jerk reaction at Tottenham to Sunday’s disappointing loss at Nottingham Forest.

‘Thomas Frank’s future has been thrust back into the spotlight once again following the 3-0 loss at the City Ground that, not for the first time this season, sparked anger from Spurs supporters towards their head coach.

‘But for the time being, there is no sense that the Dane’s future is under any immediate threat despite the lacklustre level of performance against Forest.’

Tottenham centre-back Micky van de Ven has hinted that he and Cristian Romero were effectively given a short player-manager role during Ange Postecoglou’s time at the club.

Spurs had a nightmare 2024/25 season under Postecoglou in the Premier League with the Australian’s side finishing 17th in the table.

However, Postecoglou did manage to lead Tottenham to their first trophy in 17 years by beating Manchester United in the Europa League final, giving Spurs a place in this season’s Champions League.

It was his form in the Premier League which cost him his job with former Brentford head coach Thomas Frank replacing him over the summer.

Postecoglou’s attacking approach was initially refreshing for Tottenham fans, who wanted to see the club move away from Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s more pragmatic styles, but eventually it became too much.

The former Celtic head coach was against changing his style of play during runs of poor results with Van de Ven and Romero often impacted the most by his attacking football.

READ: The best footballers out of contract in 2026 and free to sign in January

Incredibly, Van de Ven has now revealed that he had to tell Postecoglou to go more defensive after taking the lead in their 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in last season’s Europa League quarter-final second leg.

Speaking on The Overlap, Van de Ven revealed: “At one point, we just walked up to the gaffer and said that we need to change some things and play more defensive sometimes.

“We played away at Frankfurt and were 1-0 up, and we can’t keep attacking, we just need to come back and have a low block and make sure we get the three points.

“We sat with him and he agreed with us on some things, and he told us that he expected us two guys to sort this on the pitch – to make sure that this is something everybody knows and to speak to everybody on the pitch.”

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Van de Ven added: “When we were getting further in the Europa League, sometimes we would sit down with him and say, ‘We need to adapt sometimes’. That wasn’t only with him – that was also with his assistant and other coaches.”

On his relationship with the manager, he added: “He is a really good manager – I still really like him. I don’t know how it all went down behind the scenes, winning the Europa League then getting sacked. I didn’t expect Ange to be sacked.

“There were a lot of rumours, and everyone was on Ange, like the media – there was not a day I was scrolling on my phone and saw nothing about our gaffer. There was always something about him.”

On Postecoglou being sacked, Van de Ven continued: “He was the manager that brought silverware to Tottenham – then afterwards when he got sacked, I sent a text to my dad and my friends, and said, ‘I never expected this’. I texted Ange as well and said, ‘All the best in the future.'”

Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Manchester City executive Carlos Raphael Moersen to take up the role of Director of Football, according to The Athletic.

Moersen has been with the City Football Group – the company that owns City along with several other clubs worldwide – for 10 years but is reported by David Ornstein to be in “advanced talks” for a switch to London.

In his current remit as Director of Football Transactions, Moersen plays a role in negotiating contracts with current and potential City players. He was also known to be the right-hand man of former City director of football Txiki Begiristain.

In total, the Spaniard has worked for CFG for over 10 years, starting with New York City FC in 2015. He moved to Manchester in 2017 and since arriving in the UK, has worked his way up the ladder. Since February 2024, he has worked as Director of Football Transactions.

Following Omar Berrada’s departure to Manchester United in July 2024, Moersen took over part of the former chief executive’s remit.

In the last 10 years, City have been the undeniably most successful club in England, winning six Premier League titles.

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It also represents the latest senior staff change at Tottenham after an eventful 12 months which most notably saw long-time chairman Daniel Levy depart. Former Arsenal executive Vinai Venkatesham was appointed CEO in April 2024 while long-serving executive director Donna-Maria Cullen also stepped down in June.

In October, Spurs announced the return of Fabio Paratici as joint sporting director alongside Johan Lange. The Italian returned after serving a 30-month ban from football activity after being involved in financial malpractice with Juventus.

Should Moersen make the move, he will be joining a club in far more turmoil than his current employers as Spurs sit 11th in the Premier League table and have only once finished in the top four in the past six seasons.

As to which manager Moersen will be working with remains to be seen, with a lot of pressure on Thomas Frank and doubts as to whether he will remain in his post.

With reports suggesting he could face an imminent sack, Frank suggested he was confident he would not be dismissed as there was an understanding it takes time to implement new ideas.

“I can’t see why not. I think it’s pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix.

“I do everything to control my emotions, which is a hurricane inside me, because, of course, it’s deeply frustrating that we are not doing better after three good performances.

“It is extremely important to be calm and measured and of course, have very, very direct and clear messages at the right time so they’re not in doubt of what I think, because I’m very honest about where we are as well.”

According to reports, Thomas Frank’s ‘job is hanging by a thread’ as his ‘toxic playing style’ induces ‘total panic’ at Tottenham.

Nottingham Forest condemned Tottenham to their fourth defeat in seven games on Sunday, in a run which has featured just one win, to ramp up the pressure on Thomas Frank, who made some bizarre substitutions in a bid turn the tide in his side’s favour in that game.

When asked after Sunday’s loss whether he will get time to implement his ideas, Frank said: “I can’t see why not. I think it’s pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix.”

On his side’s display against Forest, Frank added: “I do everything to control my emotions, which is a hurricane inside me, because, of course, it’s deeply frustrating that we are not doing better after three good performances.

“It is extremely important to be calm and measured and of course, have very, very direct and clear messages at the right time so they’re not in doubt of what I think, because I’m very honest about where we are as well.

READ: Who will be the next Tottenham manager if Thomas Frank is sacked?

“I was also very honest, today was a very bad performance. No two ways about that, but also know that to change this, this will take some time.

“No one will want to hear about that. It’s just reality. I think the ones who have followed the club and the team, I think it’s fair to say there’s been a few not too consistent performances, and that’s the thing. We are working very hard.”

Former Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar has already thrown Jurgen Klopp’s hat into the ring to replace Frank at Spurs and a report on Monday claimed Spurs want Xavi Hernandez to take the reins after the club bossed have ‘lost confidence’ in the Dane over a ‘concern that the team lacks a clear playing style’

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And those playing style doubts were also referenced by the X account said to be run by a ‘team of elite 5 reporters’, who claim Frank’s job is ‘hanging by a thread’.

They wrote on X: ‘BOMBSHELL EXCLUSIVE! Despite Spurs Officially backing Thomas Frank in public. INSIDERS REVEAL His job is HANGING BY A THREAD! Club in TOTAL PANIC as toxic playing style CRIPPLES the Tottenham brand!’

The Tottenham board are losing patience with Thomas Frank and are considering replacing him with Barcelona legend Xavi, according to reports.

A 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest saw Spurs drop down to 11th in the Premier League table with Callum Hudson-Odoi bagging a brace and Ibrahim Sangare scoring a third in a miserable Sunday afternoon for Tottenham.

It was their fifth defeat in seven Premier League matches and the pressure is building on Frank, who was initially very well received by the Tottenham faithful.

When asked after Sunday’s loss whether he will get time to implement his ideas, Frank said: “I can’t see why not. I think it’s pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix.”

On his side’s display against Forest, Frank added: “I do everything to control my emotions, which is a hurricane inside me, because, of course, it’s deeply frustrating that we are not doing better after three good performances.

“It is extremely important to be calm and measured and of course, have very, very direct and clear messages at the right time so they’re not in doubt of what I think, because I’m very honest about where we are as well.

READ: Who will be the next Tottenham manager if Thomas Frank is sacked?

“I was also very honest, today was a very bad performance. No two ways about that, but also know that to change this, this will take some time.

“No one will want to hear about that. It’s just reality. I think the ones who have followed the club and the team, I think it’s fair to say there’s been a few not too consistent performances, and that’s the thing. We are working very hard.”

Former Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar has already thrown Jurgen Klopp’s hat into the ring to replace Frank at Spurs and now Spanish website Fichajes insists that the north London club ‘want’ Barcelona legend Xavi as their next head coach.

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Tottenham have ‘lost confidence’ in Frank with ‘concern at the club that the team lacks a clear playing style’ and Xavi’s ‘name has begun to circulate strongly as a possible replacement.’

The report adds: ‘Xavi Hernandez is seen as a coach capable of bringing order, ball control, and a defined identity, something Tottenham currently lacks. His recent experience at a highly demanding club works in his favor in internal assessments.

‘This change isn’t seen as an emergency solution, but rather as an investment in the future. The board believes that Xavi Hernandez could lay the foundations for a more solid project and give the team a clear direction.’

The report finishes by claiming that ‘the appointment of a new coach is being seriously considered as a real option if there is no immediate change’.

Former Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar has claimed that Spurs should replace Thomas Frank with Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp in January.

Tottenham were well beaten on Sunday by Nottingham Forest with a brace from Callum Hudson-Odoi and another goal from Ibrahim Sangare sealing a 3-0 defeat for Spurs.

Forest were by far the better side at the City Ground as Spurs dropped to 11th in the Premier League table as Tottenham suffered their fifth league defeat in seven matches.

The pressure continues to build on former Brentford head coach Frank with the Dane losing the backing of many Spurs fans after a bright start earlier in the season.

And there are already rumours about who could replace Frank if Tottenham decided to sack the 52-year-old with former co-owner Sugar throwing Klopp’s hat into the ring.

Sugar, who was Spurs chairman from 1991 until 2001, wrote on X: “With the massive fortune of the Lewis family it would be a win win situation if they hired Jurgen Klopp in January.

READ: Who will be the next Tottenham manager if Thomas Frank is sacked?

“Loads of money for players and a great manager. Who agrees #coys.”

Klopp announced that he was unlikely to get back into management after leaving Liverpool in 2024 but that hasn’t stopped his name being linked with Real Madrid and other clubs.

Frank did make changes on 59 minutes against Nottingham Forest, bringing on Ben Davies, Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall, but it took until ten minutes from time for him to bring attacking players Brennan Johnson and Mathys Tel onto the pitch.

Former Premier League striker Dean Ashton was “astonished” by Frank’s decision to leave attacking changes until the 80th minute.

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Ashton said on talkSPORT: “There has been no fluidity or cohesion between that front four.

“I am astonished that it has taken until the 78th minute to finally see some forward changes to that front four.

“Also, you’d think Tottenham would know that nobody has conceded more goals after the 76th minute than Nottingham Forest, so they should have been bombarding Forest to put the pressure on and try and get that goal, but they’ve been doing nothing of the sort.”

When asked why he brought on two midfielders and a defender when Tottenham were 2-0 down, Frank replied: “We had four offensive players on the pitch. I think that’s fair to say. So, I felt that, just to go back to the bit before where I say we’re disjointed.

“So, if you’re disjointed, you can have 11 offensive players on the pitch. It will not help. So we need to be in sync, and then it helps, and hopefully we can find a way back after that.”

Jamie Carragher has laid into Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, claiming he is “always blaming someone else”.

Vicario was poor once again as Thomas Frank’s side were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Guglielmo Vicario: 2025/26 PL stats

Save percentage: 70.6% (7th)

Clean sheet percentage: 30.8% (11th)

+1.3 post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (8th)

In the summer, the Italian shot-stopper was added to Tottenham’s ‘leadership group’, alongside Ben Davies, club captain Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.

Fast forward to today and Davies remains a back-up option, albeit an important and experienced member of the squad; Romero and Van de Ven are likely to leave at the end of the season, Maddison is out with an ACL injury, and Vicario is proving to be a major liability.

Vicario has been playing well below par for some time now. When he first joined, he excited fans with his sweeping ability, but his dodgy goalkeeping soon became clear for all to see.

READ: Spurs must make most obvious upgrade in the Premier League after latest blunder at Leeds

He costs Spurs more than he saves them.

His ball-playing ability isn’t good enough, he is awful at defending set-pieces, and he doesn’t appear to be a particularly strong leader on the pitch.

Most weeks, there is an example of Vicario unnecessarily berating his teammates or flapping his arms after conceding a goal, even when the blame lies with him.

He threw Archie Gray under the bus with a hospital pass for Forest’s opening goal on Sunday and clearly felt the young midfielder was entirely at fault.

Gray certainly should have done better and appeared to want the ball in a dangerous position without realising Ibrahim Sangare was breathing down his neck. He was ultimately credited with an error leading to a goal by Opta – a decision that is hard to argue against – but it was a stitch-up from his goalkeeper.

It summed up another awful day for Frank and Spurs, who sit 11th in the Premier League having won just one of their last seven top-flight matches.

Carragher points finger at Spurs liability Vicario

Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher was unimpressed with Vicario on several fronts.

He criticised the 29-year-old for his “typical” arm-throwing and habit of “blaming someone else”, pinning the blame squarely on the goalkeeper for Callum Hudson-Odoi’s opening goal.

“It’s not just a keeper playing out,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Extra Time show. “It’s a keeper on his weak foot. Typical Vicario, he is always blaming someone else.

“Every time I see a goal go in, he throws his arms at someone else. He seems to do it a lot, and he did it again today.”

He continued: “We can talk about young Archie Gray in midfield, but I’m putting this on the goalkeeper.

“Archie Gray could do a lot better, of course, he could, but what the lad does initially is he is trying to help someone who doesn’t actually need help.

“The goalkeeper doesn’t actually need any help because the ball should go out wide to his player. I don’t know what the problem is. There is no real pressure on it.

“But what Vicario does instead of passing with his right foot to Van de Ven on his left foot, he then takes the ball on his left foot and tries to play a little dinky pass here.

“The point I am trying to make about being on your weak foot as a goalkeeper is, there is a reason you’re in goal for one – you are probably not going to be amazing with your feet – but on your weak foot you are trying to be intricate and trying to pass it to a certain player’s foot.

“Archie Gray can play with both feet, but he is predominantly right-footed – he plays it to his left foot.

“Could his (Gray’s) control be slightly better? Of course it could, but for me that is on the goalkeeper. It’s a horrible ball to deal with. Credit for the pressing, you think of Sean Dyche, you think of Nottingham Forest getting after the opposition players, and they do really well.

“But talking about the left foot pass. It’s not a great pass, it’s bobbled in because it’s on his weak foot, so that bobbling bouncing pass into Gray, on his weak foot as well – yes, control should be a little bit tighter – but even if his control was right, Sangare would still be on top of him.

“I’m laying all the blame on the goalkeeper, I am.”

Replacing Vicario could save Frank’s job

Frank may feel he has bigger issues to address than Vicario, but it is clear the goalkeeper position needs upgrading – perhaps as early as January.

Antonín Kinsky has shown he is capable of deputising in Vicario’s absence, but he is unlikely to be the immediate solution.

With pressure mounting, Frank may need to ring the changes to save his job.

Most Spurs fans have already lost patience with their new head coach, and making bold calls such as dropping or replacing Vicario could be the first step in attempting to turn the tide.

It felt as though Spurs were turning a corner under Frank after Tuesday’s impressive Champions League win over Slavia Prague, but that mini-revival came to an abrupt end at the City Ground.

They were second-best all over the pitch and comfortably beaten by a side that had ground out a hard-fought victory in the Netherlands on Thursday night.

One team looked knackered and like it didn’t want to be there, and it was the side with two extra days of rest and the significantly more expensive squad.

Frank has to make significant changes. Starting with the goalkeeper would not be a bad place to begin.

Oh, and Vicario got lobbed by a cross against Forest as well.

“I haven’t seen it. Thank you for the information,” Thomas Frank said when a reporter revealed Djed Spence hadn’t reacted all that well to being substituted in Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, in a clash which if anything hides the real story of caution, which is far more the reason to doubt the Tottenham manager’s future at the club.

A mini-revival which had seen Spurs draw away at Newcastle and beat Brentford and Slavia Prague at home was comprehensively brought to an end by Forest, as mistakes from Archie Gray and Guglielmo Vicario helped Sean Dyche’s side to victory over a familiarly toothless, weak and laboured Spurs.

“It was hugely disappointing,” Frank said. “It’s burning, annoying. That was a bad performance. Especially first half, overall we looked disjointed. We didn’t win enough duels. And then we couldn’t hit each other, it seems like we gave the ball away every time we won it back.

“Of course the first two goals are two mistakes, that happens. We need to work to be more consistent. It’s two steps forward and a step back today.

“That’s down to individuals. We are in it together, we win together and lose together. It’s hugely irritating that we perform like this today. Simple passing, I think we lose the ball 20 times, simple passes.”

Spence was taken off on the hour mark. Few watching the game would have been surprised, albeit at a point when any one of the 11 Spurs players on the pitch could have been hooked without complaint.

Complain he did though, throwing his jacket to the ground as he took his place on the bench.

“You’re the third one that said that to me today. I didn’t see it,” Frank later confirmed. “Of course I will look back to be aware of it.

“I think there can be three reasons. He can be disappointed with his own performance, the team’s performance, he can be disappointed with being subbed off. I’ll ask him about that.”

A more burning question that perhaps should have been asked about that moment is why Frank thought the best way back into the game at 2-0 down was to put Ben Davies on for Spence as part of a triple substitution which also saw Joao Palhinha replace Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall come on for Rodrigo Bentancur.

The attacking cavalry eventually arrived in the 80th minute in the form of Mathys Tel and Ben Johnson, but they were again like-for-like changes, with Frank’s in-game management strengthening the claims of Spurs fans that their new manager is the anti-Ange Postecoglou, obsessed with caution rather than throwing it to the wind.

A team which would have featured as many attacking players on the pitch for as long as possible when behind under his predecessor had almost the exact same structure and balance as it did at 0-0 as when chasing the game in the second half, meaning Spurs fans – and quite possibly the players – will have left the City Ground thinking they hadn’t really given it a go.