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Thomas Frank has admitted that he is not enjoying his managerial reign at Tottenham so far but is looking forward to being able to look back on his difficult start positively.

Frank has fallen under increasing pressure from supporters following a string of poor performances, with travelling away fans chanting 'boring, boring Tottenham Hotspur' during their 0-0 draw with Brentford on New Year's Day.

The former Bees boss has said he understands their frustrations and has admitted he is not happy with where the club is at but insists the short-term suffering will be worth it in the long run.

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"So the short answer is no [I'm not enjoying my time]," Frank said when asked about whether he was enjoying his tenure so far.

"When I pull myself out of it and look down, I think what a privilege to be in charge of this fantastic club in a period where it's a big transition. I think someone told me that we have changed eight leadership guys in the top of the club.

"The transition, there has never been as much in 140 years. There's a lot of changes, but the potential is huge.

"That's part of it. I'm looking forward to looking back at it and thinking, what a big learning [experience]. Now I'm enjoying it."

Frank added: "When you need to put in a big, big shift and it's not smooth and it's tough, it's probably difficult to enjoy it.

"I'll give you an example. If I run hard, I don't enjoy that moment. But I know I need to keep my head down and run hard to get through it, to get my fitness up or to win a race, whatever it is.

"We're in a situation where you need to run hard, to stay in it, to get through it. And then on the other side, when you look back on this spell we think 'what a learning experience', that made it so much better for the future.

"It's definitely a marathon. It definitely seems like it's one of the little bit more heavy miles I'm on now. But head down and keep going."

Frank admits Tottenham are 'boring' as they search to find right balance

Fans have become critical of Frank's system as Tottenham struggle to implement an attacking style the supporters are clamouring for.

That was further highlighted when it took until the 93rd minute for Spurs to muster a shot on target against Brentford, and Frank has admitted his side have much to improve on offensively.

"It's not perfect. We want to be a free flowing team. I think a couple of things I want to reinforce positively is the last two away performances," he said.

"The foundation we are building was very strong against Crystal Palace and Brentford. I think we were very good defensively. I think we understood how to close down their transitions.

"We're working very hard and understand frustration. I share them too.

"There's a few things that we need to do our best to improve. One of them is, for example, against Brentford we lost the ball with unforced errors 25 times.

"I showed those 25 clips to the players today. All that can be adjusted. Of course, football is a game of mistakes. You lose the ball, so that can happen because of bad decision, bad touch or concentration.

"So, that's the one level we need to do. And the next bit is the patterns and the structure and getting in the right positions. We didn't get that right last night. I showed that again to the players today. That is my responsibility together with the coaches.

"And then the third thing. I think it's also okay to mention that we still lack some very important offensive players. It's been out for a while. I don't want to mention it again.

"It's unfortunately very boring. But that's the fact. We need to do everything we can to put an attacking, intense, front-foot performance out against Sunderland in two days' time.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure we do that. And if we do that and get three points, it's seven from three, which is very good."

Crystal Palace have completed the £35m club-record signing of Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson, with the Wales international available for Sunday's trip to Newcastle, live on Sky Sports.

Johnson has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Selhurst Park and will wear the No 11 shirt.

The 24-year-old becomes Palace's record signing, surpassing the £32m the Eagles paid Liverpool for Christian Benteke in the summer of 2016.

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Johnson has been at Spurs since the summer of 2023, when he signed for £47.5m from Nottingham Forest. He finished as the club's top scorer last season with 18 goals in all competitions, including the winner in the Europa League final in May.

However, he has made only six starts in the Premier League this term under new boss Thomas Frank, featuring on both flanks after his position was taken by Mohammed Kudus, who joined in a £55m deal this summer from West Ham.

In total, Johnson has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, having scored 27 goals in 107 games for Spurs.

Johnson: Great time to be at Palace

Johnson believes he has joined the Eagles at the right time, with the club competing on three fronts in 2026.

"I'm really excited and I'm really happy," said Johnson. "Crystal Palace are such a great club, one that I've always admired.

"It's a great time for me to be here and join the journey that this club is on."

Palace manager Oliver Glasner said: "I'm really delighted that Brennan has joined the club.

"He arrives very early in the window, so credit to the club for making this happen so quickly.

"Brennan will give us options in our attacking play with his pace and goalscoring ability and with all the upcoming games he will be a valuable addition to the squad."

Johnson's arrival will sprinkle some stardust on the south Londoners, and is Palace's first major investment since they sold Eberechi Eze to Arsenal for £67.5m in August.

Palace chairman Steve Parish said: "I'm delighted that Brennan has joined us - an exciting young talent with an excellent recent record in domestic, continental and international football.

"We feel we are the perfect place for Brennan to continue his already impressive journey, and his arrival bolsters our attacking options in what is proving our busiest season to date, competing on numerous fronts including, for the first time, in Europe."

Why Johnson deal makes sense for Palace

Sky Sports' Peter Smith:

Johnson's signing looks like good business for Crystal Palace.

Glasner has been crying out for reinforcements, and the Wales winger adds depth to an area the south Londoners are short in - and should be a good fit to Palace's style with his pace and directness.

Johnson left his mark at Spurs with his Europa League final winner over Manchester United, and that close-range finish was typical of his developing nous for darting into dangerous positions in the box.

In fact, all 54 of his shots in the Premier League last season came from inside the penalty area. It was an approach which paid off, with Johnson top-scoring for Spurs in both the league and across all competitions. Five of his 11 goals in the Premier League were from inside the six-yard box, only strikers Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa scored more in that zone.

Whether cutting in from the right to look for shooting positions or dashing for the byline before arrowing the ball across the face of goal, Johnson's attacking approach can excite at Selhurst, especially while Ismaila Sarr is away at AFCON. He also has the flexibility of being able to play from both flanks, while, aged 24, there is hope there is plenty more to come from him, too.

He has had only a bit-part to play at Spurs this term, since Kudus' arrival. But while Tottenham wave goodbye to their top scorer from the previous campaign for a third season at a row - and sell Johnson at a £12m loss on what they paid for him two-and-a-half years ago - Palace welcome a much-needed addition.

For Johnson, the chance to play regularly in what could turn out to be a World Cup year for Wales, should their play-off go to plan, is valuable, while the prospect of winning more trophies - and perhaps another in Europe - is not out of the question under Glasner's guidance.

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