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Joe Lewis will be feeling the cost of sacking Thomas Frank as Tottenham manager for a while longer yet.

Frank was officially given the boot by Spurs on Wednesday, the morning after Tottenham’s 2-1 home loss to Newcastle United.

The Dane lasted just eight months in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hotseat, having replaced Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou in the summer.

Frank is now in line for a big payout given his contract in North London still had another two-and-a-half years to run.

And even not accounting for that, Joe Lewis will be squirming at how much he paid Frank per day just when taking the compensation fee paid to Brentford into account.

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How much did Tottenham pay Brentford in compensation for Thomas Frank?

It goes without saying that Frank’s time was up at Tottenham. Many were saying that a long time before the Newcastle loss, which proved to be the final screw.

As can be seen in the Sofascore graphic above, Frank lost more matches (15) than he won (13) during his time as Spurs manager.

His return of 1.29 points per game has left Tottenham in relegation trouble, with the new manager – whether a caretake or permanent hire – having to hit the ground running.

To make matters worse for Lewis, he had to pay Frank £27,525 a day to release Frank from his Brentford contract.

That is according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire via X on Friday morning, as he provided a full breakdown.

Official documents show Spurs paid Brentford £6,716,000 to buy out Frank’s contract, which split across eight months provides that £27,000-plus figure.

That does not then take into account Frank’s general wages, plus his payoff for being sacked early by the Lewis Family.

How much could Frank sack cost Tottenham in total?

The true figures do not bear thinking about from the Lewis Family’s perspective, with this an incredibly expensive mistake.

It was reported earlier this week that Frank’s deal is worth £24m over the full three years – just eight of which he worked – and ENIC therefore have around £18m of that left to pay.

Add that on top of the aforementioned £6.7m compensation fee and you get a figure of £30.7m in total.

Again, the true figures could go even beyond this as it does not factor in other staff members that joined Frank and have subsequently left.

That perhaps explains why ENIC took so long to sack Frank, but ultimately it is a decision that just had to be made.

Luca Williams-Barnett is now freed from his shackles at Tottenham after Thomas Frank’s sacking.

The youngster featured on the bench in Spurs’ 2-1 loss to Newcastle that ultimately got Frank sacked, as he can now look forward to an improved chance of game time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The attacker has been impressing at Hotspur Way this season, and his performances have earned him a place in multiple senior matchday squads.

However, Williams-Barnett has so far been limited to just one appearance this term, which came in the Lilywhites’ 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Doncaster Rovers in September.

Now with Frank gone, the 17-year-old has more than one reason as to why he will play more games from now until the end of the campaign.

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Tottenham switch is about to open the door for Luca Williams-Barnett

Frank had a rigid playstyle and didn’t seem to be getting the best out of the players that he had at his dispossal.

The ex-Brentford boss started with a 4-3-3 formation against Newcastle, and a switch to an inevitable 4-2-3-1 will surely benefit Williams-Barnett.

Xavi Simons has been playing on the left wing, which is Williams-Barnett’s natural position, and if the Dutchman moves centrally, it will open up space for the Tottenham youth gem to play.

Especially considering that Wilson Odobert is now injured.

Williams-Barnett has netted seven times in all competitions for Tottenham‘s U21s this season.

Not only that, but he has netted an additional seven goals for Spurs’ U19s side in the UEFA Youth League, and a further two in the U18s Premier League, which brings his tally for the season up to 16.

Why Tottenham’s possible interim manager move will benefit Williams-Barnett

Tottenham could be set to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season, where they will then decide on Frank’s permanent successor.

The Lilywhites could turn to Ryan Mason or Johnny Heitinga, but any interim appointment would be good news for Williams-Barnett.

That’s because, historically, youth players can be unearthed more often under short-term head coaches who don’t have as much responsibility on their shoulders as someone like Frank would have.

As far as Williams-Barnett’s case goes, he’s quite simply done everything he can to impress at Hotspur Way, and is demanding a shot at first-team action after recent displays.

Thomas Frank is among the early favourites to replace Sean Dyche at Nottingham Forest.

According to one major bookmaker, Frank currently has odds of 5/1 to succeed Dyche at The City Ground.

Dyche was sacked by Forest just hours after Frank was axed by Tottenham on Wednesday, following Spurs’ 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Tuesday night.

The current favourite for the Forest job with the aforementioned major bookmaker is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who currently commands odds of 6/4.

Other leading contenders are: Roberto De Zerbi (2/1), Vitor Pereira (3/1) and Enzo Maresca (6/1) respectively.

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Thomas Frank would be a gamble worth taking for Forest

Frank’s eight months in N17 have been fairly disastrous to say the least, and his appointment promised so much more than what was delivered.

The 52-year-old couldn’t muster a Premier League win in this calendar year with Tottenham, and his side were booed off when both the half-time and full-time whistles blew against Newcastle on Tuesday.

But, whilst it’s true that Frank should’ve extracted more from his Spurs squad, there were some mitigating factors that helped explain why he wasn’t given the best chance to succeed with the Lilywhites.

Many Spurs fans were unhappy with the transfer business they did, or rather didn’t do this winter, with just Conor Gallagher and Souza being the only two first-team signings made.

Meanwhile, he’s also had to work with a paper thin squad of players to pick from due to Spurs’ massive injury list, with key stars such as Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison unavailable to him throughout his Tottenham tenure.

The job he performed at Brentford over a just under a seven-year period can’t and mustn’t be forgotten either, as he took them from a mid-table Championship side to a top-half Premier League outfit.

That doesn’t happen if you’re not an extremely talented coach, tactician and man-manager, and Forest could strike gold if they were to take a chance on Frank whilst his stock has fallen.

Frank set up for blockbuster Tottenham return if Forest hire him

Football just has a way of creating Hollywood-esque storylines and moments, and the scriptwriters would’ve outdone themselves if Forest appoint Frank soon.

That’s because Tottenham host Forest in the Premier League on 22 March, setting up a headline return to N17 just weeks after his Spurs exit.

That would be quite something wouldn’t it? It looks set to be a fixture not only carrying the weight of potentially huge relegation consequences, so why not spice it up even more with a Frank reunion?

Of course, it’s going to require Forest hiring him first, but if they do, football fans everywhere will be bookmarking 22 March to tune into that clash!

Thomas Frank has been sacked by Tottenham after a terrible spell in charge and it could spark several more exits.

Frank was dismissed on Wednesday morning, just hours after Spurs had been beaten 2-1 by Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

His departure had looked inevitable for some time, with the North London side languishing down in 16th in the Premier League.

Defeat against the Magpies proved to be the final straw, with Tottenham just five points clear of the relegation zone and sliding towards the Championship.

Venkatesham and Lange wanted to keep Thomas Frank

Frank was consistently backed by the board throughout his final few months at Tottenham, despite the fanbase calling for his head.

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The Dane failed to spark any improvement in performances or results though, which was ultimately his downfall.

However, according to Spurs journalist Paul O’Keefe, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange still wanted to keep Frank, even after the Newcastle defeat.

O’Keefe added that the Lewis family had ordered the pair to dismiss the former Brentford boss, stepping in to make the final decision.

There has been a lot of discussion about the leadership structure at Spurs in recent months, following the exit of Daniel Levy last September, and this will do little to quell the rumours of disarray.

Venkatesham and Lange destined for the sack

As Tottenham begin the search for their third manager in just over eight months, it’s clear that the issues at the club run far deeper than just who is in the dugout.

Venkatesham and Lange are meant to be running the Lilywhites day-to-day, but following the news about Frank’s sacking, it’s clear that the Lewis family are still heavily involved.

Tottenham’s 17th-place Premier League finish last season was just about acceptable, given that they won the Europa League.

However, now that they are still in the lower reaches of the table, the Lewis family will surely start looking at the likes of Venkatesham and Lange.

The pair refused to part ways with Frank, even when it became clear that it was best for the club, which won’t help their case either.

With the Lewis family stepping in to dismiss the Dane themselves, it hints that Venkatesham and Lange are on their last legs at Tottenham already.

Roberto De Zerbi has been one of the leading candidates to replace Thomas Frank at Tottenham.

De Zerbi has consistently been linked with Tottenham in recent years, most recently in the summer when Ange Postecoglou was dismissed.

Since Frank was sacked on Wednesday, the Italian manager’s name has resurfaced as his potential successor.

Despite being dismissed by French side Marseille on the same day, De Zerbi would be a great option to succeed Frank, especially after what he achieved with Brighton before moving to France.

Sources close to him have now spoken out on his return to management.

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Roberto De Zerbi set to take a break from management

De Zerbi guided Marseille to a second-placed finish in Ligue 1 in the 2024-25 season.

However, a shocking exit from the Champions League, coupled with poor domestic results, led to his dismissal on 11 February.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has shared an update on X, saying: “De Zerbi, who’s recently left Marseille and often linked with a return to the Premier League, is not looking to take a job right now as it stands and having a break, according to people close to him.”

He is known as one of the most intense coaches in Europe, and it’s not a shock that he is evaluating his options before thinking of a return to management.

De Zerbi is already a proven success in the Premier League after securing European football for Brighton in 2022-23.

The Italian head coach is a maverick, and while he is certainly someone that all Tottenham fans would have gotten behind, ENIC will have to consider other options.

Tottenham need to hire a manager who is similar to De Zerbi

De Zerbi’s man-to-man pressing system is something that he is well known for, and Spurs could do with a manager who plays an aggressive style of football.

Frank has led Tottenham towards relegation due to his uninspiring style of play, and the supporters are demanding football that is easy on the eye at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

De Zerbi has a strong amount of experience and a positive record on his CV, which would have made him a good fit for the job.

However, with him now being unavailable, Spurs may turn their attention to hiring an interim manager before securing a permanent replacement.

Mauricio Pochettino could return to Tottenham in the summer, which means they’d need someone now who can steady the ship until the end of the campaign.

The Argentine is a fan favourite, and he’ll have nothing to prove to the supporters.

If they can’t secure the appointment of Pochettino, then Spurs will struggle to find an energetic manager similar to both him and De Zerbi who would be willing to take the job.

All of the noise at Tottenham is around one manager – Mauricio Pochettino.

Thomas Frank was sacked by Spurs on Wednesday, the morning after Tottenham crashed to another saddening 2-1 defeat against Newcastle.

It leaves the Lilywhites looking for yet another new manager, but 16th in the Premier League and only five points above the relegation zone.

Pochettino is the current favourite to take over, but he would not be available until the summer after the World Cup with the USMNT.

Mauricio Pochettino has ‘got’ Tottenham job already

Covering the latest situation in North London for beIN Sports, Jason McAteer shared the noises he has heard which suggest the job is already Pochettino’s.

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The former Liverpool midfielder did admit that it would require an interim appointment first, but whoever that could be is unknown in this scenario.

“If they wait for Pochettino, because that’s the noise, that he’s got it,” he said.

“What do they do now? Who’s the firefighter that can keep them up?”

https://x.com/beINSPORTS_EN/status/2022036331816181832

Richard Keys immediately responded to the manager claims, saying that Tottenham will not even get close to being relegated despite their struggles.

“Spurs won’t get into trouble, there’s only one place that you’re trying to avoid, and it’s either West Ham or Nottingham Forest,” he said.

What is next for Tottenham?

No matter who is in charge, the task at hand will not change.

Spurs need points quickly, and they need to bat away any concerns of relegation, despite their dreadful form that goes all the way back to the start of last season.

Tottenham somehow finished 17th last season, and Ange Postecoglou was sacked after.

Lessons weren’t learned, though, and Spurs are now 16th, yet closer to the bottom three.

Tottenham have Arsenal next on 22 February, so there is plenty of time for a new manager to be installed, but not much hope of any success in the North London derby.

Pochettino doesn’t have the job yet, obviously, but the noise is all going that way.

Even if he did agree to return to Tottenham, it likely wouldn’t be announced until the summer and after the World Cup, so there are many months before that yet.

ENIC better have a good excuse for their tight-fisted approach at Tottenham, as UEFA have released payouts from last season’s competitions.

As relayed by Kieran Maguire on X this Thursday, UEFA have announced the annual record payouts from last season’s Europa League and Champions League campaigns.

The findings have proved that Spurs banked £35.7million from winning the Europa League, which begs a serious question of Joe Lewis and Co.

Not to mention the fact that Tottenham have gone backwards since breaking their trophy curse, with Thomas Frank’s sack already being announced this week.

Further details can be broken down, which prove just how badly Spurs fans are being treated by ENIC right now.

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ENIC barely lifted a finger in winter transfer window

Lewis was said to have a £150million winter budget to splash on transfers, and after spending less than a third of it, the only excuse is surely over the uncertainty that clouded Frank’s future.

Conor Gallagher was Tottenham’s biggest signing, coming in at £35million, as Souza and James Wilson acted as additions for the future.

Spurs did sign the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons in the summer, but big names were expected to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after such a successful season last campaign.

However, UEFA’s report mentions how much competitions have made through the Champions League, which has now fully exposed ENIC.

Tottenham have nearly doubled UEFA cash boost through Champions League success

The readings state that Manchester City made around £66million from reaching the round of 16 in the Champions League.

Tottenham have progressed through to the knockout phase of the Champions League, and will now benefit from a similar payout that City have seen, if not more.

The Lilywhites have already received £35.7m and could potentially make an additional £66million, or possibly even more if they keep progressing in the competition. It only shows ENIC’s lack of ambition.

A net spend of £12million in the winter window was simply not good enough, and so far, it looks like the stars brought in are here for a relegation battle. That says a lot about where the club is right now.

Ange Postecoglou doesn’t believe Tottenham are a big club, and Jan Vertonghen seems to agree.

Speaking on The Overlap, Postecoglou was heavily critical of the Tottenham board and doesn’t believe they know what kind of football club they want to be.

Whilst he praised the stadium and facilities that the club have, the former Spurs boss made it clear that he doesn’t feel Tottenham are a big club partly due to their inability to compete with others in the transfer market regarding wages.

And, in a video clip of the interview that was shared to The Overlap’s Instagram account, Tottenham hero Vertonghen liked the post, seemingly showing he shares the same opinion as Postecoglou.

Tottenham chiefs will feel hurt by Ange Postecoglou’s comments

The size of Tottenham Football Club is one of the more hotly debated topics in the field of club size in the Premier League.

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Spurs’ stadium, infrastructure and Premier League history would tell you that they are indeed a big club, and that Postecoglou’s comments are harsh.

However, they have only won two major trophies in the 21st century, those being the Europa League win in 2024-25 and the League Cup triumph in 2007-08 respectively.

Indeed, it’s a debate that will continue to rage on until Tottenham put it beyond any doubt, one way or the other, but what Spurs chiefs will feel hurt by is the fact these comments have come from Postecoglou.

He was the manager who was granted the green light to break Tottenham’s transfer fee record when signing Dominic Solanke for £65million in the summer of 2024.

On top of that, he was also given £40m to splash on Archie Gray, £47.5m on Brennan Johnson, £40m on James Maddison, £39.7m on Pedro Porro and £43m on Micky van de Ven respectively, as well as more.

All of that money was spent and further signings made under Postecoglou in a two-year period, giving Spurs chiefs a very solid argument to say that they backed the Australian heavily in the market.

Postecoglou has burned any bridge regarding a Spurs return

Following Thomas Frank’s sacking this week, speculation has naturally been building over a potential return for Postecoglou in N17.

The 60-year-old has been out of work since being axed by Nottingham Forest in October last year, and despite Spurs’ 17th-placed finish under him last season, the Europa League win still sees him thought of fondly by most fans.

However, any chance of him now being reappointed by Tottenham is surely over, as his strong comments aimed at the boardroom will ensure.

Spurs now begin their search for Frank’s successor, with it as of yet unclear whether a caretaker boss will be targeted, or a permanent option be put in place.

Tim Sherwood has backed himself to take on the Tottenham job.

Tottenham are in a relegation battle, and while the same was said towards the latter stages of the previous campaign, those fears are well and truly alive right now.

That is what led to Thomas Frank’s sacking, with the Dane having failed to win any of the last eight games he had in charge of the North Londoners.

Heading into the final 12 games of the season, Spurs sit just five points above the relegation zone and need someone to come in and ensure that the gap is widened sooner rather than later.

And when discussing the situation live on Sky Sports, Sherwood believes he is the man to get them out of their current predicament, but also shared the reasons why he is highly unlikely to be given the role.

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What has Tim Sherwood said about his chances of being Tottenham boss?

Mauricio Pochettino seems likely to be the next permanent Tottenham manager, but the general feeling is that Spurs will look to hire an interim boss until the end of the campaign.

With Pochettino looking to compete at the World Cup with the USMNT, it makes sense.

Ryan Mason has been linked with the Tottenham job in that capacity, but Sherwood is adamant that he has what it takes to turn their fortunes around.

And his reasoning for that is quite fair, though so are his reasons as to why he won’t even be considered.

He said: “It was an honour for me to manage that football club, but it would be an honour for me to manage them again. I can do the job. I’ve proved I can do the job. So, um, what they can’t do is make a mistake with this appointment.

“I’m 50/1 [for the job], and that gives me absolutely zero chance. Here’s a reason for that, because it might not be sexy enough. It might be that I talk too much, and I’ve got too much of a personality for that hierarchy, possibly.

“I’m just summing up because if you look at what I did when I went in there for the job, I did the job. I did the job. What I was asked to do, win more games than you lose.”

The Premier League isn’t the same as it was in 2013

It goes without saying, but since Sherwood‘s last spell in charge of Tottenham almost 13 years ago, the Premier League has changed a lot.

That’s not to say that he wouldn’t be able to achieve safety, but it perhaps shows that it would be a lot harder than he is making it out to be.

Sherwood took charge of 26 games when appointed as manager back in December 2013, and he averaged 1.65 points per game.

If that were to be replicated, it would see Tottenham finish the campaign on 48 points, which is 10 more than they managed last season.

The one thing that he does have going for him is that he understands the club a lot more than many other candidates will, and there’s a case to be made to say that is what Tottenham need more than most right now.

Harry Redknapp has been touted with a return to Tottenham after Thomas Frank was sacked.

Frank was dismissed by Tottenham after the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on 10 February, which left Spurs sitting 16th in the Premier League table.

The board are understood to be looking for an interim manager, to take the reins until they can sort a permanent successor for the Dane in the summer.

Redknapp managed the Lilywhites between 2008 and 2012, guiding them into the Champions League, so he would be a popular solution.

How likely is Harry Redknapp return to Tottenham?

John Wenham does not want Redknapp anywhere near the role, despite the speculation about a potential return.

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He believes that it has been far too long since he last managed for him to step into the role and have the desired effect.

Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, he said: “I don’t agree with people saying Harry Redknapp, that is all very sentimental.

“He has not managed anybody for over a decade since he was last managing the Jordan national team and Birmingham City.

“Football has moved on in that time, you can’t just pick up and go into Tottenham, a team that should be challenging at the top end of the Premier League and is playing in the Champions League.”

What has Redknapp said about Tottenham job?

Redknapp has admitted that he would be willing to return to North London, but he thinks it is unlikely that he is called upon to take over in the coming weeks.

Speaking to Sky Sports News on 11 February, he said: “Would I fancy it? Of course, I would do it, without any shadow of a doubt.

“But I am a realist – I don’t live in cuckoo land. It is very doubtful if I would get the job, but could I do the job? Yeah, of course I could do the job.”

Given the 78-year-old’s lack of experience recently, the calls for him to come back made no sense, the game has changed massively since he managed at the top level or even at any level.

The time it would take him to get back up to speed with the state of the modern game may well condemn Spurs to relegation, so it is not worth the risk just for the sentimental value that it would bring in the short term.

The small boost it could possibly bring to the fanbase would be completely wiped away if they dropped down to the Championship under his management.