Tuesday evening’s 2-1 home defeat against Newcastle United turned out to be the final straw. Less than 12 hours after saying he was “confident” he would still be in charge for the north London derby against Arsenal on February 22, Frank was informed of the club’s decision.
In a statement, Tottenham said: “Throughout his time at the club, Thomas has behaved with unwavering commitment and given everything in his efforts to move the club forward. We would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him every success in the future.”
The club added that while they were “committed to giving him time” to succeed, “the results and performances have led the board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.”
The figures leave little room for debate as Spurs have won just two of their last seventeen league games. The heavy defeat to Arsenal in November set the tone for a difficult winter, which also saw Aston Villa in the FA Cup and further losses to West Ham and Bournemouth.
Draws against Burnley and Manchester City provided a brief respite for Frank, but the momentum that would have saved his job simply never materialized.
Frank’s record in Europe was much stronger. Tottenham finished fourth in the Champions League stage, ahead of Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid, automatically progressing to the last 16. Domestically, however, performance remained inconsistent.
Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou in June after Spurs finished 17th last season, albeit with the consolation of a Europa League win. That silverware brought significant investment last summer, including the £114.1m signings of Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, alongside loan deals for Joao Palhinha and Randal Kolo Muani.
Long-term injuries to James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski – arguably the two best Spurs players of last season – disrupted Frank’s plans early on. January signings Conor Gallagher and Souza have not yet changed the direction of the team in a meaningful way.
Frank’s departure comes eight months after Tottenham paid Brentford £6.7 million in compensation to secure his services and those of his staff – as shown in Brentford’s accounts helpfully published this morning.
Tottenham must now look for Frank’s successor. The debate centers on whether a permanent manager should be appointed as soon as possible – with the prospect of leading a team in the Champions League knockouts – or whether an interim should be found until the end of the season, after which the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel or Julian Nagelsmann could be available after the World Cup.
Contact the author of this story, Harry Ewing, at force.l1770810364laboratory1770810364ofdlr1770810364are1770810364sni@g1770810364it’s him.1770810364year1770810364
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