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Thomas Frank surely cannot afford any more negative cup headlines. The fallout of Tottenham's head coach unwittingly drinking from an Arsenal-branded cup before the midweek league defeat at Bournemouth has, rightly or wrongly, intensified the pressure on him.

A storm is brewing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The boss was booed as he approached travelling supporters to applaud after Wednesday's stoppage-time defeat, while players Micky van de Ven, Pedro Porro and Joao Palhinha had frank exchanges with fans.

Since then, captain Cristian Romero appeared to accuse the club's hierarchy of telling "lies" in a since-edited Instagram post.

It has been three wins and six defeats in 13 games for Spurs. They did at least show some attacking intent against Bournemouth, a welcome change from the pragmatic and uninspired fare more typical of their season.

Tottenham rank in the Premier League's bottom five this season for the amount of shots and touches in the opposition box, and have incredibly only attempted 11 through balls. There are nine players alone in the league with a higher figure.

Addressing Tottenham's attacking shortcomings, Frank said: "I share the frustration, it's in the ethos of the club. It is something we are working very hard on. We are lacking some of the free-flowing offensive players that we had last season and that is part of the challenge."

Did you know?

Tottenham's home league form in 2025 was their worst on record, with 11 league defeats in the calendar year. However, they won eight of their nine home games in other competitions, drawing the other, scoring 22 goals and only conceding three.

Spurs won the last of their eight FA Cups in 1991. They have since reached eight semi-finals but lost them all. Their first win came 125 years ago, in April 1901, as a non-league club.

Tottenham have lost 12 of 18 penalty shootouts in all competitions, including their last two in the FA Cup. On both of those occasions, Spurs missed three penalties as they suffered fifth-round exits at home to Norwich in 2020 and Nottingham Forest in 1996.

Key Villa players - Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins

Rogers, a powerful ball carrier, has rapidly developed into Villa's biggest asset, encapsulated by three contracts in two years at the club. Signed for an initial £8m after Unai Emery became aware of Rogers' ability while analysing FA Cup opponents Middlesbrough. A poor start to this season reached a nadir with ironic cheers after he finally made a successful pass against Bologna in September. He and Declan Rice are the only players to feature in all 10 England games under Thomas Tuchel (six starts).

Meanwhile, Watkins has six Premier League goals since 1 December, which has only been bettered by Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He has been nursing a knee issue since Euro 2024, but has looked sharper of late, and he believes he can reach 20 goals this season despite "a slow start" of one goal in 19 games.

Team news

Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus has been ruled out until April with the thigh injury he sustained last weekend. Rodrigo Bentancur is facing a spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during Wednesday's defeat by Bournemouth, while Lucas Bergvall was also injured and will be assessed. Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke are back in training but not expected to feature.

For Aston Villa, goalkeeper Emi Martinez is a doubt because of the calf injury that forced him off at halftime in midweek. Pau Torres returned to the matchday squad against Crystal Palace and fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings could be fit.

Tottenham forward Mathys Tel is open to a loan in January in an attempt to make France's World Cup squad.

The 20-year-old made his loan move from Bayern Munich permanent in the summer for £30m but has since struggled under Thomas Frank.

Having been signed after an initial six-month spell under former manager Ange Postecoglou, Tel has started just five matches this season, scoring on three occasions.

Tel was also left out of Spurs' Champions League squad in September but was re-added to replace the injured Dominic Solanke in December.

It remains unclear whether Spurs will sanction a move having seen fellow attacker Brennan Johnson join Crystal Palace for £35m last week.

Tel has yet to make his debut for the national team but has 12 goals in 20 games in the Under-21s and recently became captain.

Tottenham Hotspur's main supporters' group has accused the club of a "dramatic fall in ambition" after meeting with senior club figures.

Spurs have won just one of their last six Premier League games and find themselves 14th in the table with 27 points, just three more than at this stage last season.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust (THST) says members of its board met with "representatives of the Club at a senior level" on Friday to discuss supporter concerns.

Several players were pulled away from angry fans following their 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Sections of the travelling support booed under-fire manager Thomas Frank, who also drew criticism for drinking out of a coffee cup emblazoned with the logo of rivals Arsenal before kick-off.

A THST statement cited the club's lack of transfer activity this month as evidence of reduced ambition, as well as recent comments made by Frank.

"[He reminded] supporters that the club finished 17th in the Premier League last season, that the club is only participating in the Champions League through winning the Europa League, and that Bournemouth (a side without a win in 11 games) are 'always a difficult team' and that he is 'not enjoying the job'," read the statement.

THST accused players of "directly confronting" fans who were "exercising their right to express themselves", and referred to the "embarrassment" of club captain Cristian Romero's social media activity.

After the Bournemouth loss, Argentine Romero stated on Instagram "other people" should be coming out to speak and adding they "only show up when things are going well, to tell a few lies".

The post was deleted and reposted with an altered caption.

"While these incidents may have explanations that we could understand and even sympathise with, they demonstrate a lack of understanding and a lack of care about the perception of the football club," said THST.

"We reiterated to the club that we believe the club leadership should address these issues publicly and through direct communication with fans.

"We stressed that fans need to hear directly from the club leadership [of] the ambition for the football club for this season, for next season, and for the foreseeable future.

"That begins, but is certainly not restricted to, the coming transfer window, in which all the stops need to be pulled out in order to demonstrate that Tottenham Hotspur are a serious football club and that we really do want to 'win more, more often'."

During his media conference on Thursday, Frank said: "I think it's very important to stress that even though there's noise, the club is very aligned.

"[Sporting director] Johan [Lange], [chief executive] Vinai [Venkatesham] and I are very aligned. The ownership is very aligned. We know it's a tough spell that we need to get through."

Tottenham are close to agreeing a £13m deal for Santos defender Souza.

The 19-year-old left-back is expected to sign a five-year contract and travel to London for a medical in the coming days.

Souza had previously been linked with moves to Newcastle and AC Milan.

Recently part of Brazil's Under-20s squad, Souza has played 38 times for Brazilian giants Santos, scoring one goal and registering four assists.

Tottenham captain Cristian Romero has been given an additional one-match suspension and fined £50,000 for his behaviour during his side's defeat by Liverpool last month.

Romero admitted to a Football Association charge of "acting improperly by failing to leave the field of play promptly" after he was sent off in the 93rd minute of Tottenham's 2-1 loss on 20 December.

The Argentine defender was shown a second yellow card for kicking out at Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate after being fouled. His first booking came in the 66th minute for dissent.

Romero was also alleged to have behaved in a "confrontational and/or aggressive manner towards the referee".

Following a hearing, an independent regulatory commission has now imposed a one-match suspension and a £50,000 fine.

Romero has already served the automatic one-game suspension that was triggered by his dismissal, missing Spurs' 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on 28 December.

He was suspended for his side's 2-1 defeat by Fulham on 29 November because of yellow card accumulation.

An FA spokesperson said the written reasons for the latest sanctions will be published in due course.

The sight of Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank drinking from an Arsenal-branded cup was a meaningless mishap – but only added to the sense his tenure is turning into an unhappy accident.

Frank was correct to dismiss the nonsensical notion it was done knowingly, except that the incident was revealed after another damaging defeat at Bournemouth that ended in more toxicity involving Spurs fans and players, prompting more questions about the Dane's perceived lack of authority.

In his current position, Frank could do without the predictable mockery that followed from Arsenal fans, who deluged social media with photoshopped images of the Dane lounging in Gunners pyjamas on a red and white duvet.

The Bournemouth loss was then followed by an Instagram outburst from captain Cristian Romero in which he appeared to accuse the club's hierarchy of telling "lies" in a post that was later edited.

Spurs head into Saturday's FA Cup third round tie at home to Aston Villa with clouds of discontent hanging over the club, hardly respite from a run of only one win in six Premier League games that has left them 14th in the table.

Not yet – but Frank is struggling desperately on several fronts to prove he can cope with the huge expectations and high-profile at Spurs after operating so successfully in the more calm and organised conditions of Brentford.

Frank was surrounded by stability at Brentford, a structure formed by owner Matthew Benham and director of football Phil Giles. He has stepped into a high-stakes environment at Spurs, where even winning the Europa League, the club's first trophy in 17 years, did not spare predecessor Ange Postecoglou the sack.

It has left him vulnerable to a combination of poor results, a deteriorating relationship with many supporters unconvinced he has the pedigree or playing style to manage Spurs, and a lack of discipline from his players that has publicly undermined his authority.

Frank started with two wins at home to Burnley then away at Manchester City, but since then his reign has turned sour to leave him under growing pressure going into the Villa game.

Trouble started on and off the pitch after the 1-0 home defeat against Chelsea in November, when Spurs generated just 0.1 xG (expected goals) in a turgid display.

Frank was publicly ignored by defensive duo Djed Spence and Micky van de Ven when he wanted them to acknowledge supporters after the game. They brushed past the head coach, refusing to join in, walking straight off.

The pair later apologised, but even if their frustration was directed at fans, it still sent out poor signals about the control Frank had over his players.

Spence may have been contrite, but Frank was then left facing more questions about the defender's reaction to being substituted in the 3-0 loss at Nottingham Forest in December.

The club hierarchy is aware of the current disconnect between Frank and Spurs fans, arguably exacerbated by his high-risk strategy of going public with criticism after keeper Gugliemo Vicario was booed, then cheered ironically, after making an error in the home reverse against Fulham at the end of November.

Frank described Vicario's treatment as "unacceptable" and not the actions of "true Spurs supporters". Bold – but an approach that rarely goes down well, or ends well.

The fact that the discontent was so public brought Frank's turmoil into sharper relief, with travelling supporters making their feelings known loudly in Monaco after a goalless draw in the Champions League, in a fierce reaction to another 0-0 stalemate at his former club Brentford, then again when Spurs went down at Bournemouth.

Van de Ven and other players appeared to confront supporters at The Vitality Stadium following Antoine Semenyo's late winner, with Romero later launching his public broadside at the club.

Frank defended Romero, saying he is "a young leader", when in fact the Argentine - too often a disciplinary and playing liability - is 27 and a World Cup winner for his country.

He appeared to treat Romero with kid gloves when a heavier punishment could easily have been in order, only increasing the impression, publicly at least, that Frank struggles to impose himself on his players.

And at the heart of it all is a stodgy playing style which has not won enough matches, or favour with Spurs fans.

The timid five-man defence Frank employed in the 4-1 hammering in the north London derby at Arsenal on 23 November was another point of heavy contention, while Spurs still show no signs of true identity.

Spurs - as a club and fanbase - is currently a joyless place.

They are reasonably placed at 11th in the Champions League table, with a chance of reaching the top eight to automatically qualify for the knockout phase, but there has been no improvement in the Premier League.

They are currently 14th on 27 points, while after 21 games last season they were 13th with 24 points under Postecoglou.

Frank's Brentford played long and quick to put opponents under pressure with the quality of forwards Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yohan Wissa to carry out the game plan successfully. Frank's communication and strategy was clear.

None of this has happened at Spurs, leading Frank to crisis point before the FA Cup meeting with Villa.

The pain Spurs felt at being beaten to the punch by Arsenal only worsened when Eze scored a hat-trick in the north London derby.

Spurs have lacked a game-changing threat this season. Eze could have been that player.

In response to questions about Romero's statements, Frank said: "I have been here for seven months and I see a very aligned club. It is just up to us to prove that."

He needs to prove it quickly.

It may help Frank, for now, that chief executive Vinai Venkatesham is a renowned cool head, who offered crucial support to Mikel Arteta during his early struggles at Arsenal.

Frank, however, must show swiftly he can get a handle on a club that too often appears out of his control.

Tottenham have launched a campaign to pay homage to their 1901 FA Cup-winning team to mark the 125th anniversary of the historic achievement.

The club played in the Southern League Division One at the time, but against the odds, on 27 April 1901, they overcame top-flight Sheffield United 3-1 in the FA Cup final replay at Burnden Park in Bolton.

On Friday, Spurs launched a campaign to celebrate what is described as a "ground-breaking" historic achievement and hope to educate younger generations on the "significance" of that win.

As part of this, the team will take to the pitch wearing a limited edition retro kit that pays homage to the heroes of 1901 for the first time against Aston Villa in their third-round FA Cup tie on Saturday (17:45 GMT).

The shirt will feature a heritage crest and will have no player surnames on the back with just the number visible - as would have been the case in 1901.

The club have also said there will be a range of activities to mark the anniversary between now and April, including taking the 1901 trophy on a tour of local schools and the launch of The Spurs Legacy Cup later this year.

Tottenham's 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth on Wednesday added to the air of frustration surrounding Thomas Frank's team.

The result left Tottenham languishing in 14th position in the Premier League table with just seven wins from 21 league matches.

The latest loss came against a Bournemouth side on a club-record run of 11 top-flight games without a win. But with the scores level heading into stoppage time, Antoine Semenyo netted a late winner for the hosts.

While losing games late on is bound to attract criticism, Spurs' labouring attack appears to be causing the most angst.

Frank's approach can be seen as unnecessarily risk-averse and, while Tottenham's manager may point to the ongoing absence of key threats like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke, the data supports the suspicion that Spurs simply are not clicking in attack.

Tottenham have played by far the fewest through balls of any Premier League side this season, while they rank in the competition's bottom five sides for shots, expected goals and touches in the opposition box.

Spurs may yet replenish their squad in the January transfer window, but one win in the past six matches in all competitions represents a bleak winter for them so far.

We asked for your views on Cristian Romero's comments after he appeared to take aim at the Tottenham hierarchy on Thursday.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Anon: Romero is saying what he thinks and understands, and to be honest, is probably right. He's the only player showing any grit and determination in games and Iwish we had 10 more of him. Thomas Frank and the rest of his contingent need to have the courage to own up to their shortcomings in running the club.

Brian: No problem with his rather throwaway comments. Something has to happen, and it's not all down to a decision about Frank's future. I thought we were entering a new era of leadership. Well, let's have it.

Clare: I don't think there's anything wrong with Romero coming out and saying this. He's obviously so fed up with the hierarchy (as all Spurs fans are too).

However, not all fans were on board with Romero's need to air out the club's dirty laundry.

Richard: Saying these things in public is not his place nor helpful to the plight of the club; it just drives division and generates more negative media coverage. However, his point is spot on and a positive demonstration of support from the board in words and transfer of intent is sorely lacking. The vacuum raises questions about whether they're really behind Frank.

Ricky: If I mess up at work, I put my hands up, I don't post on social media that my boss is telling lies. Romero and the other players should look very hard at themselves and their own performances rather than point fingers at the owners and directors when we play badly.

Jeffrey: He needs to take a close look at himself, first a captain who never shows leadership on the field and can be a liability.

Tottenham have agreed personal terms with 19-year-old Brazil and Santos left-back Souza before a potential move to the Premier League. (Fabrizio Romano), external

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