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Tottenham have earned over £42.6m in Champions League prize money after beating Eintracht Frankfurt to reach the last 16 of the competition, having finished

Tottenham concluded their Champions League league phase campaign with a commanding triumph over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening to secure their spot in the last-16. Second-half strikes from Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke ensured under-pressure Thomas Frank's side sidestepped a two-legged play-off encounter.

Spurs join four other Premier League clubs in finishing amongst the competition's top eight, alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Sporting Clube de Portugal complete the confirmed last-16 lineup.

This campaign sees £2.14billion available in the Champions League - with the substantial sums on offer providing a significant financial uplift for Tottenham compared to their Europa League earnings.

All 36 participants collect a basic payment of £16.18million, whilst sides finishing in the top eight and advancing to the last-16 pocket an additional £9.56m.

League phase victories also deliver £1.82m apiece, with Spurs banking £9.1m from defeating Villarreal, Copenhagen, Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Draws yield £606,000 each, meaning Spurs collected over £1.2m from stalemates against Monaco and Bodo/Glimt.

Teams additionally earn £239,000 per league position. Kazakhstani minnows Kairat will claim that amount having finished rock bottom.

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Tottenham's fourth-place finish delivers £7.8m on top of their other rewards, bringing their total prize money from the tournament so far to just over £43m.

The prize money escalates as the tournament progresses, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, runners-up and winners receiving £10.7m, £12.9m, £15.9m and £21.5m respectively.

To date, Spurs have accumulated £42.6m from their Champions League campaign alone.

The disparity in prize money compared to the Europa League is substantial.

When they clinched the competition in May under former boss Ange Postecoglou, Spurs received £5m after defeating Manchester United.

In total, winning the competition generated £69.7m through participation fees, prize money and the value pillar that distributes funds based on league market size and coefficients.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will be determined to dent Arsenal's hopes of winning the Premier League

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been given a huge boost to their chances of defeating Arsenal in the Premier League later this season. The Lilywhites will host the North London Derby at the end of February before the Blues lock horns with Mikel Arteta's side at the Emirates Stadium a week later.

Fortunately for Chelsea and Spurs, having each secured automatic qualification to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, they both will have at least a week of rest before taking on the Gunners. The Lilywhites are currently set to have 11 days to prepare for the North London Derby.

Tottenham will face Newcastle United in the English top-flight on Tuesday, February 10, before playing Arsenal on Sunday, February 22. Meanwhile, Chelsea are currently set to have seven days to prepare for their meeting with the Gunners.

The Club World Cup winners will welcome Burnley to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, February 21, before taking on the Premier League leaders at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, March 1.

Had Chelsea and Spurs failed to finish in the top eight of the 'league phase', and placed between ninth and 24th, they would have been enrolled into the knockout phase play-offs. This preliminary round gives teams another chance to qualify for the last 16.

The first and second legs of the tie would have been played on either February 17 or February 18, and on either February 24 or February 25, respectively. Once the eight winners are confirmed, the round of 16 draw will take place on Friday, February 27.

So, had Chelsea failed to secure automatic qualification to the last 16, they would have played the second leg of the knockout phase play-off just days before facing Arsenal. Meanwhile, Spurs would have likely had to play the first and second leg of the knockout phase play-off either side of the North London Derby.

When quizzed on the importance of avoiding the play-offs following Wednesday night's win over Napoli, Liam Rosenior said: "Yeah, firstly, I think to get through in this competition is the most important thing, so I'm delighted to do it.

"In this way, in terms of our season, in terms of my time on the pitch with the players, that's going to help us so much. I had no time. It's not an excuse, it's a fact.

"And I'm asking the players, and I'm so proud of them, even in the first half, I'm asking them to press in a completely different way that they've never done before and hardly had any practice at.

"So that time over the next few weeks will help us get better and improve, but we still need to win games in this moment."

Tottenham will also be looking to exact their revenge on Arsenal following their humiliating defeat in the North London Derby in November. Speaking to reporters in Germany following Spurs' win over Eintracht Frankfurt, Thomas Frank echoed Rosenior's thoughts.

"I think, of course, we need to look forward to the round of 16, which is hugely important that you are qualified for everything," said the Dane. "But [it] also gives us some time between games to train."

It's been a busy month in north London as Thomas Frank looks to bolster his Tottenham Hotspur squad for the second-half of the season, with speculation over a number of incoming and outgoing stars

Tottenham Hotspur have been taking full advantage of the January transfer window, welcoming Conor Gallagher in a £34million deal with Atletico Madrid and securing Santos left-back Souza for a reported £13m.

And while the Lilywhites appear to have hit a stumbling block in their pursuit of Liverpool's Andy Robertson as of recent, it hasn't slowed down Thomas Frank's ambitions of getting further deals over the line ahead of the February 2 deadline.

With a wealth of players linked with arrivals and exits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the next week or so, football.london explores all of the latest claims that the rumour mill has churned out...

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Ambitious Bayern Munich bid

As per Matteo Moretto, Spurs representatives have been in touch with Leon Goretzka, as the Premier League giants consider making a move for the Bayern Munich midfielder. The German is out of contract this summer and faces an uncertain future outside of 2025/26.

That's despite the 30-year-old racking up 18 appearances in the Bundesliga and a further six in the Champions League with the club this season thus far. A move may not be straightforward for Spurs, considering Goretzka hasn't publicly commented on his intentions, while Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are thought to also be interested in the talent.

It is also claimed that AC Milan have already made contact with Goretzka's representatives, given sporting director Igli Tare is said to be an admirer of the Bochum-born player.

Bissouma interest amped up by Galatasaray

Galatasaray are said to have increased their interest in Yves Bissouma this month, with TEAMtalk sources reporting that the club's vice president has travelled to north London to hold direct talks with the midfielder ahead of the close of the transfer window. The 29-year-old has struggled for game-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season, making just two Premier League appearances overall.

Bissouma is also out of contract this summer, with Spurs reportedly telling the star that he is free to leave this month. Galatasaray are thought to be the main club pursuing the Mali international, but expect competition from other clubs.

Talks between Galatasaray and Spurs over Bissouma also took place over the summer, but a deal ultimately collapsed. It will be interesting to see if Spurs can recoup a part of the £25m they paid Brighton for the talent in 2022, or whether he will walk on a free in a matter of months.

Potentially problematic pursuit

On the attacking front, the Lilywhites are thought to be admirers of Osasuna winger, Victor Munoz. The 22-year-old only joined the Spanish club in the summer in a £4.3m transfer from Real Madrid.

However, after impressing in 21 games with three goals and an assist, Spurs are said to be paying attention. While other clubs are thought to be monitoring Munoz at present, Spurs are thought to be the frontrunners with regards to cracking a potential deal.

While a reported £34.6m release clause should on paper make a potential move a touch easier on the face of things, the acquisition of Munoz could be far more complex beneath the surface. It is reported that Los Blancos have a buyback clause for the forward to the tune of around £6.9m, which would give them a major advantage should they choose to welcome him back to the Bernabeu.

Osasuna are also in no great deal to cash in on the star, considering he is under contract until 2030, and may choose not to negotiate on their valuation of Munoz.

Here's every single word the Tottenham Hotspur head coach said in his press conference after the Champions League victory at Eintracht Frankfurt

Thomas Frank was a very happy man at his press conference after Tottenham's 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night secured their place in the Champions League last 16.

The German side had conceded three goals in each of their previous five matches and their defence showed that vulnerability throughout. The returning Joao Palhinha, playing on the right of a back three, and Pape Matar Sarr both had early efforts at goal before Wilson Odobert struck the right-hand post.

Xavi Simons was then gifted the ball by Eintracht goalkeeper Kaua Santos in the Frankfurt box before the break but the stopper got a toe to the Dutchman's strike. The hosts had a late chance before the break when Hugo Larsson's strike bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Spurs finally scored the goal they had been threatening just two minutes into the second half when Xavi's deep cross was headed into the six-yard box by the unmarked Cristian Romero and Randal Kolo Muani flicked the ball into the net with his heel.

The visitors had plenty more efforts. Sarr's low shot was saved by Santos before Xavi's deflected effort rolled wide of the Frankfurt goal with the goalkeeper wrong-footed. the impressive 19-year-old Archie Gray had a strike blocked in the box before Romero sent a header at the keeper.

It was left to Dominic Solanke to come off the bench to seal the win in the 77th minute with a low assured finish after running on to Mahmoud Dahoud's poor header back, sending Spurs into the last 16 and a fourth place finish in the big Champions League table.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank after the game. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Deutsche Bank Park.

Job done, what was the most pleasing aspect of it for you?

I think, first of all, very happy for the performance. I think the players showed great character, their mentality. We basically had 12 available players for Dortmund and in this game and in both games the players stepped up.

And I think this game we were more or less in control from the beginning to the end of the game. I think that's a big thing. I need to say, we've seen some of the results in the Champions League tonight. We've seen some of the results throughout the league phase. There's no easy games. So we're sitting here with 17 points, ending, finishing fourth in the group stage, sixth sheet.

I think it's very impressive, but throughout the game today I think we were good in the high pressure. I think we looked strong when we defended low. I'm very happy how we progressed with the ball and how we got quick up the pitch. And then, of course, still working on creating, but I think we created quite a lot today, which I'm very pleased with. So, yeah, very, very happy with that.

And then, of course, the fans I think were fantastic. Very happy, so many of them travelling in numbers and the support throughout the game.

On a personal note, this is your first time ever managing the Champions League, you've taken a side through in fourth place, the likes of Real Madrid and Inter and PSG have to go and play a play-off now. Can you take some personal pride in that?

Yeah, of course I'm happy, but it's not about me. I think I'm very happy that the staff, the players, everyone, how we prepared the team for these games in general, I think is very positive. And I think, of course, we need to look forward to the round of 16, which is hugely important that you are qualified for everything, but also gives us some time between games to train. And I also think, let's say, the 3-4-3 also looked good in the last three games.

Randal Kolo Muani, another goal against a former club. How do you get him playing like that week in, week out in the Premier League?

First of all, I was very happy that he scored the goal. I think, actually, he looked like a threat. He almost got an assist with the first one that was disallowed. He was very involved in that. Great action. I think he has had great actions throughout the game. So I'm very happy that he got the goal and I said to him, please start scoring against others than your former clubs, that would be nice.

But we know when you come to a new club, a new country, it's never straightforward and never in the Premier League. I hope this will give him some confidence.

And the second goal, Dominic Solanke coming on, how much does that back up your decision to bring him back into the squad?

Yeah, I'm so happy not only to have him in the Champions League squad, but also it was a tough decision. It was a big game tonight and I wanted to start Dom, but we need to take clever decisions like we've done throughout, because we have been pushing him to the limit.

So we know every sign, every experience says that it was the right thing not to start him. So I'm happy that it turned out to be a very good decision.

Given the context and what it means, where do you rate that performance in terms of the season? It must be one of the best?

Yeah, you say the context, everything, I think it was overall a good performance. I think it was actually, as you say, a quite complete performance. I think how we defended in high pressure, how we defended in low pressure, how you controlled the ball, the chances we created, all that I think looked very good, yeah.

With Kolo Muani and what happened yesterday, was there any chance of him not coming in? Had circumstances been different, if you had more players, might you have not brought him out here because of the accident?

No, no, he was ready. Of course, if there was any doubt that he couldn't play, then we wouldn't have done it. But he was fine and no physical aspect or mental aspect from the accident.

There's five English teams in the top eight of the Champions League, what does that say about the Premier League?

I haven't checked that, but that is dominant. I think we've all said for a few years that the Premier League is the best league in the world, and I think that's another sign of it, no doubt about that.

Yeah, I'm so happy not only to have him in the Champions League squad, but also it was a tough decision. It was a big game tonight and I wanted to start Dom, but we need to take clever decisions like we've done throughout, because we have been pushing him to the limit.

So we know every sign, every experience says that it was the right thing not to start him. So I'm happy that it turned out to be a very good decision.

First of all, I was very happy that he scored the goal. I think, actually, he looked like a threat. He almost got an assist with the first one that was disallowed. He was very involved in that. Great action. I think he has had great actions throughout the game. So I'm very happy that he got the goal and I said to him, please start scoring against others than your former clubs, that would be nice.

But we know when you come to a new club, a new country, it's never straightforward and never in the Premier League. I hope this will give him some confidence.

I think, first of all, very happy for the performance. I think the players showed great character, their mentality. We basically had 12 available players for Dortmund in this game and in both games the players stepped up.

And I think this game we were more or less in control from the beginning to the end of the game. I think that's a big thing. I need to say, we've seen some of the results in the Champions League tonight. We've seen some of the results throughout the league phase. There's no easy games. So we're sitting here with 17 points, ending, finishing fourth in the group stage, sixth sheet.

I think it's very impressive, but throughout the game today I think we were good in the high pressure. I think we looked strong when we defended low. I'm very happy how we progressed with the ball and how we got quick up the pitch. And then, of course, still working on creating, but I think we created quite a lot today, which I'm very pleased with. So, yeah, very, very happy with that.

And then, of course, the fans I think were fantastic. Very happy, so many of them travelling in numbers and the support throughout the game.

Tottenham Hotspur have qualified for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League following Wednesday night's victory against Eintracht Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur will play either Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Juventus or Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Dominic Solanke fired Thomas Frank's side to victory at the Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday night to secure automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

Spurs leapt out of the gates, with Xavi Simons breaking the deadlock inside the opening minutes. Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, the midfielder's strike was chalked off by the Video Assistant Referee, who adjudged Destiny Udogie to have interfered with play from an offside position.

Before the break, the Bundesliga outfit hit the woodwork while Tottenham squandered a couple of good opportunities. Frank's side leapt out of the gates, again, this time in the second half, with Randal Kolo Muani firing Spurs into the lead.

Solanke doubled the Lilywhites' lead inside the final quarter of an hour to bank three crucial points. Tottenham finished the 'league phase' in fourth place, and they'll face either Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Juventus or Atletico Madrid in the last 16 in March.

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The draw for the knockout phase play-off will take place in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday, January 30, at 11am (GMT), pulling together teams that finished between ninth and 24th in the 'league phase' table.

The two-legged tie will be played on either February 16 or February 18, and on either February 23 or February 25. The eight teams that advance from the knockout phase play-offs will be thrown into the hat for the last 16 draw, which will take place on Friday, February 27.

Meanwhile, those who finished in the top eight of the 'league phase' table, including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, automatically qualified for the last 16, and won't return to action in the competition until March.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the clash in Germany, Frank commented on how proud is he of his side. The Dane said: "Again, it's not about me. It's about us.

"I'm very happy that the team and the club we are in a position where, with a win tomorrow, we can finish top eight in the best club tournament in the world, and it's super, super competitive, as we know. So that we are very, very pleased with.

"Those results and some of those performances are also what we need to take going forward, of course, and build on that. Again, it's me, it's my job to look a little bit in the bigger perspective.

"You know, even that we haven't won as much as we want, it's very, very few things that need to go our way. You know, the small margins - keep doing the right thing, keep improving things you want to do, and getting quality players back, such as Dominic Solanke as I’ve talked about before.

"Dom is a huge for us, he's been out for six months. You know, to have your main striker and top scorer out - I'd like to see some of the other teams being out there as well, so that means something.

"Dom is a physical beast, great mentality, but he pushes to the limit as well, coming from being off the bench playing 50 minutes, then 70 minutes, going over the ground, then 90 minutes. So, he's pushing everything he can, but it's a tough job."

Here are our Tottenham player ratings after their 2-0 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt to send them into the last 16 of the Champions League

Randal Kolo Muani came back to haunt Frankfurt and send Tottenham into the Champions League's last 16 in Germany on Wednesday night and here are our Spurs player ratings.

Decked out in their traditional all-white look for European nights under the lights as light snow fell at the Deutsche Bank Park, Spurs needed a victory to ensure they bypassed the play-off rounds next month and instead jumped into the round of 16 of Europe's top tier competition in March.

In the end it was a goal from Frankfurt old boy Kolo Muani and another from Dominic Solanke that completed the job.

Boss Thomas Frank went into the game without the services of 14 unavailable players, including the injured Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, meaning he had just 11 senior outfield names to choose his starting line-up from. The one senior star who took a place on the bench was Solanke, after his first back-to-back starts since May following his troublesome ankle problem.

That meant Kolo Muani was up front for Spurs against his old team just over 24 hours after his lucky escape when a blown tyre on his Ferrari led to a crash on the M25 as he was driving to Stansted Airport to catch the team flight to Germany.

In the end it would be the Frenchman who was the scourge of his old team and he was booed with every touch.

It looked like Spurs had opened the scoring within three minutes when Xavi Simons slammed home Kolo Muani's low parried cross but Destiny Udogie was offside in the build-up and deemed to be interfering with play.

Frankfurt had conceded three goals in each of their previous five matches and their defence showed throughout. The returning Joao Palhinha, playing on the right of a back three, and Pape Matar Sarr both had early efforts at goal before Wilson Odobert struck the right-hand post.

Xavi was then gifted the ball by Eintracht goalkeeper Kaua Santos in the hosts' box before the break but the stopper got a toe to the Dutchman's strike. Frankfurt had a late chance before the interval when Hugo Larsson's shot bounced off the top of the crossbar.

Spurs finally scored two minutes into the second half when Xavi's deep cross was headed into the six-yard box by the unmarked Cristian Romero and Kolo Muani flicked the ball into the net with his heel.

The visitors queued up the efforts at the Eintracht goal in the aftermath of the goal. Sarr saw his low shot saved by Santos before Xavi's deflected effort rolled wide of the Frankfurt goal with the goalkeeper wrong-footed. Nineteen-year-old Archie Gray had a strike blocked in the box before Romero sent a header at the keeper.

It was left to Solanke to come off the bench to seal the victory in the 77th minute with a low assured finish after running on to Mahmoud Dahoud's poor header back, sending Spurs into the last 16 as the fourth best team in the big Champions League table.

Here are our Spurs player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Didn't have a save to make as the defence kept Frankfurt mostly at bay. 6

Joao Palhinha

Played on the right of the back three and did an effective job. Had a header pushed wide by the keeper from a corner early on. 7

Kevin Danso

Looked to pick up an injury in a collision with Romero from a Spurs corner that left him limping for the remainder of the first half. Kept battling on though and did well in the second period. 7

Cristian Romero

Defended well in the first half and grabbed an assist with his unmarked header to Kolo Muani. Led by example with his composure at the back and had a chance of his own with a header sent at the keeper. 8

Djed Spence

Got into plenty of good positions down the right. Wasn't always effective with his final product but worked very hard down that flank. 7

Archie Gray

Big game from the teenager as he covered most of the pitch in a blockbuster performance. His strength and passing was top notch. Teed up Sarr for a chance in the first half and had a shot blocked himself in the second period. 8

Pape Matar Sarr

Back in the team and the AFCON winner fired over the crossbar 25 minutes in. Had a low shot saved by Santos after the hour mark. Did well considering he's had so little game time in the past month and was ill. 7

Destiny Udogie

Adjudged offside early on when he blocked off a defender before Xavi's ruled out effort. Made a crucial tackle on the half hour mark to stop a Frankfurt attack. Really good display down the left with some important interventions. 8

Wilson Odobert

Sent a low strike against the base of the right-hand post and was a livewire throughout. The final ball wasn't always right but he was a constant threat. 7

Xavi Simons

Looked like he'd opened the scoring but Udogie was offside in the build-up. Denied by the keeper after being gifted the ball in the box. Some smart touches and turns and some less smart ones, but he's gradually getting used to those around him. He's great to watch on the ball even if his passes aren't always perfect. Never hides. 8

Randal Kolo Muani

Booed by his former fans, he thought he'd set up a goal within three minutes only for the flag to be raised. He then continued his record of so far only scoring against his old clubs for Spurs with a backheeled goal early in the second half. His link-up play throughout was very good. 8

Subs

Dominic Solanke

Put the seal on the victory with a composed low finish and showed why Frank put him back into the Champions League squad. 7

Dane Scarlett

Came on for the final moments of the game. N/A

Jun'ai Byfield

Glenn Hoddle has given an explanation as to why Xavi Simons' early would-be goal for Tottenham Hotspur against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League was ruled out on Wednesday night.

The Dutchman fired home from close range just two minutes into play at the Deutsche Bank Park, connecting with a parried rebound from Destiny Udogie's initial shot.

However, celebrations were short-lived in the visitors' end, as VAR intervened to carefully scrutinise the build-up.

In the end, Udogie was ruled to be in an offside position after he made the initial run in behind Frankfurt's backline, with Jesus Gil Manzano awarding a free-kick to the home side as a result.

It didn't take Hoddle, on co-commentary duties for TNT Sports on the evening, long to give his verdict on the call, despite the official ruling.

He said: "I think they are saying it was a foul.

"He was in an offside position, but just there he has pulled his arm back.

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"He [Thomas Frank] hasn't seen the foul, but it was a foul. He was interfering with play."

It comes as Frank faces increasing pressure to turn the tide at Spurs in the coming weeks, as fans grow discontent with diminishing domestic performances.

While Spurs headed into their Champions League showdown with Frankfurt fifth place in the Champions League standings, the state of play in the Premier League starkly contrasts - the north London outfit languishing in 14th in the English top-flight.

However, speaking on TNT Sports ahead of Wednesday evening's match, Joe Cole insisted that Frank should not take sole responsibility for an incredibly testing period for Tottenham.

The former West Ham, Chelsea and England star said: "We were talking off-air there, and I really feel for Thomas Frank. Daniel Levy's left, who knew everything at that club, everything went through him; he chose the spoons in the kitchen.

"So it's a real mess at the moment, and the fans are still calling for change, but where do you want to change it to? They won't win trophies, think it's one or two in 30, 40 years.

"They want to play like this, then they don't want to play like that, and Thomas Frank is just the front man. Just give him time, let him do his thing; he did it at Brentford.

"He did it at his previous club, where he built something, and he's in the middle of a firestorm at the moment. Everything is coming on Thomas Frank, but I think the dressing room at Spurs really needs addressing.

"Some of the behaviour from the players towards Thomas Frank and their own fans and some of the stuff online and all that nonsense, I just think that's the problem at Tottenham, it's not Thomas Frank."

Joe Cole has slammed Tottenham Hotspur stars and insisted the dressing room's behaviour towards Thomas Frank needs to be looked at amid increasing pressure on the boss.

The Dane has failed to turn the tide at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since being appointed as Ange Postecoglou's successor in the summer, with Spurs currently sitting 14th in the Premier League standings after seven wins, as many draws and nine losses to show for the season.

As a result, Frank has seen fans turn on him recently, with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" ringing out from Tottenham supporters home and away this month. However, former West Ham and Chelsea star Cole has urged fans to take a look at the wider state of play, instead of pointing the finger at the squad for a disastrous run of form.

Speaking ahead of Spurs' Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt at Deutsche Bank Park on Wednesday evening, Cole said: "We were talking off air there, and I really feel for Thomas Frank. Daniel Levy's left, who knew everything at that club, everything went through him; he chose the spoons in the kitchen.

"So it's a real mess at the moment, and the fans are still calling for change, but where do you want to change it to? They won't win trophies, think it's one or two in 30, 40 years.

"They want to play like this, then they don't want to play like that, and Thomas Frank is just the front man. Just give him time, let him do his thing; he did it at Brentford.

"He did it at his previous club, where he built something, and he's in the middle of a firestorm at the moment. Everything is coming on Thomas Frank, but I think the dressing room at Spurs really needs addressing.

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"Some of the behaviour from the players towards Thomas Frank and their own fans and some of the stuff online and all that nonsense, I just think that's the problem at Tottenham, it's not Thomas Frank."

Ally McCoist concurred with Cole's thesis on matters in north London at present, explaining how the club look a little lost domestically at present despite a good European run. He explained: "I do agree. I was at that Dortmund match, and for the first 45, they were excellent.

"[Pedro] Porro on the right-hand side, [Dominic] Solanke gets his goal, and they were firing on all cylinders. The sending off helped them, but they were really excellent.

"As a club, I think they look lost. You can even discuss the rights and the wrongs of it, but they got rid of a manager who won them a European trophy.

"If you take it like that and think about that, it's madness. I know the league position is nowhere near good enough, but you could see he [Postecoglou] was not giving up points, but his main aim was to win that European trophy, and he did it.

"But the club for whatever reason decided to get rid of him and then the new manager comes in and it's all great but now suddenly he's getting it. They have had quality, they've had Nuno [Espirito Santo], [Mauricio] Pochettino, Jose [Mourinho]."

Cole then replied: "In the modern area as well. When players, when some players recognise how easy it is to get a manager sacked at the club," before McCoist interrupted to say: "Correct."

TNT Sports pundit Cole then added: "It's a different thing for them (players). I just think not shaking the manager's hand, the stuff online. All of that needs ironing out before they start looking at Thomas Frank."

Here's the Tottenham team Thomas Frank has selected to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday night

Thomas Frank has made five changes to his Tottenham team to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Spurs boss said he had just 11 available senior outfield players to choose from due to injuries and players not registered for the club's European exploits. Randal Kolo Muani starts up front after escaping injury on Tuesday in a car crash on his way from the club's Enfield training ground to Stansted Airport to catch the team flight to Germany.

Wilson Odobert, who was behind him on the motorway and pulled over to check that his team-mate was alright, also starts after Frank made it clear that both Frenchmen were in the right frame of mind to play. Dominic Solanke is on the bench after his recent back-to-back starts after so long out.

With Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven injured, Djed Spence and Destiny Udogie start as the full-backs while Kevin Danso plays alongside Midfielders Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr are back in contention, after injury and illness respectively, and both start with Archie Gray.

Here's the Tottenham Thomas Frank has selected: