The Dane did well in the Champions League but too many other blunders meant the writing was on the wall.
Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur looked to be a good match when the Dane succeeded Ange Postecoglou as manager last summer. But just seven months and 29 days after his appointment, Frank has been fired with Spurs languishingly dangerously close to the relegation zone.
“Thomas was appointed in June 2025, and we have been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together,” Spurs’ parting statement read. “However, results and performances have led the Board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.”
The atmosphere in north London has been turbulent for some time, but breaking point was reached after Spurs wilted to another home Premier League defeat on Tuesday, this time to Newcastle United. With just five points separating the club from 18th-place West Ham, and with Arsenal next up in the north London derby, Frank’s time was up.
Despite working tirelessly to regain control of results and performance levels, Frank never really found the right formula to save his job, The writing has been on the wall for months, despite some surprisingly impressive Champions League outings leading to immediate passage through to the round of 16.
A top-six Premier League finish is completely out of the equation, so Spurs must now ensure they don’t get dragged into the relegation dogfight. The results of Gameweek 26 have left them perilously close to danger, with Leeds United jumping up into 15th after earning a creditable comeback draw at Chelsea.
The concern is Spurs have challenging fixtures coming before the international break. Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace provide three straight London derbies, before Liverpool and Nottingham Forest — who dismissed Sean Dyche a day after Frank’s axing — appear on the menu.
Add to that the fact that no Premier League team has a worst record this calendar year than Spurs and you understand why the club may feel they had no choice to relieve Frank of his duties. Indeed, the Lilywhites’ last Premier League win came on Dec. 28 against Crystal Palace, and they’ve dropped points to Burnley (a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor) and West Ham (a 2-1 home defeat). They were also dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston Villa.
Tottenham seem to be leaning towards hiring an interim manager to finish the season, rather than committing to a new long-term cycle. This line of thinking seems wise at a time of serious instability, mirroring the behaviour of Manchester United when they turned to Michael Carrick after dispensing with Ruben Amorim.
Experience will be key, to help reset and refocus the minds of the players, but the strengths of the players must also be adhered to. Frank was exceptionally conservative in his approach, which didn’t appear to favour a Spurs squad that does carry some serious attacking threat.
The club itself must also do a better job of protecting whoever is appointed. The fact Frank was allowed to brazenly walk around Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium carrying a cup with Arsenal branding on it raises serious questions about who is paying attention to detail — that slip-up, and the appalling communication before and after the event, cannot be repeated.
Spurs must also get a grip on injuries and figure out why Frank and predecessor Postecoglou have been working with a group of players who continually pick up issues — often quite serious ones. The lack of available personnel has undoubtedly influenced results, which is all the more galling given the state-of-the-art facilities provided at the training ground.
Smarter transfer dealings is a conversation for another time, though Cristian Romero may beg to differ after publicly lambasting the actions of the hierarchy in January.
Frank will have time to reflect on what’s gone wrong, but he’ll know this failed spell at Tottenham doesn’t define him as a manager. Yes, the job may proven to have been too big for him to handle on this occasion, but his work at Brentford in the past speaks for itself.
The 52-year-old also proved that he has enough tactical acumen to mix it with the best clubs in Europe. Six wins from eight in the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League is a very handy return, and qualifying automatically for the round of 16 is a feather in his cap — just look at Real Madrid, who have failed to finish inside the top eight in both years since the competition was reformatted.
Taking another Premier League job in the future is possible, particularly with Crystal Palace having a vacancy in the summer once Oliver Glasner departs, but Frank’s short-term involvement in the game is likely to be punditry for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. He’s an articulate speaker who has previously given great insight in front of the cameras — doing so again may even help him in future job interviews further down the line.
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