Thomas Frank: Tottenham manager under pressure faces crucial home clash with West Ham on Saturday | Football news
Thomas Frank faces the most important game of his Tottenham tenure on Saturday.
A home defeat against relegation-threatened London rivals West Ham, who are 18th and on a 10-game Premier League winless run, would be unthinkable for Frank.
And with West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo also under a lot of pressure, it’s a game Sky Sports’ Tim Sherwood labeled ‘El Sackico’.
But Frank’s press conference on Thursday did not give the impression that his career would be in jeopardy if Spurs lose to the Hammers.
In fact, it was as if the Dane had been given good news a few days ago.
And I get the impression that maybe he’s been told that he’ll at least have games coming up to turn this around, and maybe until the end of the season.
This sounded like a press conference from August or September, when things were going well for Frank. His answers on Thursday were long, smiling throughout, with a hint of disdain.
And why wouldn’t there be after a good week of change for Frank before Saturday’s clash.
On Wednesday, he was given a “top signing” in Conor Gallagher following his £34m arrival from Atletico Madrid.
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Thomas Frank has hit out at Spurs signing Conor Gallagher and praised his character and leadership skills, saying he was exactly what the club needed.
Then a day later, two announcements came – Frank had hired John Heitinga as his new assistant coach of the first team, while at board level, Carlos Raphael ‘Rafi’ Moersen was appointed director of football operations in a newly created role.
My understanding that Rafi is not Fabio Paratici’s replacement after the sporting director’s exit at the end of the January window was confirmed on Wednesday.
Rafi will work closely with sporting director Johan Lange in what Tottenham believe is a modern, high-quality football structure, as we wait and see if Paratici is replaced.
Can Frank win over the fans?
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The Sunday Supplement team discuss Frank’s future at Spurs
So it’s been another week of change at Spurs – and Frank will be hoping for more change on Saturday: the attitude of the fans.
Boos also greeted the full whistle after last Saturday’s FA Cup third round home defeat against Aston Villa.
That loss was Tottenham’s seventh in their last 13 games, and Frank’s side are winless in 2026.
That’s why many fans have not taken to Frank, some are frustrated with his defensive style, while others are offended by the things he says in press conferences. Arsenal’s cup failure at Bournemouth didn’t help either.
Thomas Frank was spotted drinking from Arsenal’s trophy before the loss at Bournemouth
But even before the ball is kicked on Saturday, there could be an air of frustration with the planned protests – although it will be interesting to see the turnout following Gallagher’s signing.
What is certain is that if things go wrong against the relegation-threatened London rivals, then the toxic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be very difficult for Frank.
The Lewis family and CEO Vinai Venkatesham will be there, and if they see the crowd’s displeasure, there could be real trouble.
Frank knows that only a victory accompanied by an attacking intent will please his opponents.
Does Frank deserve to be under pressure?
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Paul Merson believes Spurs’ players are the reason for their poor performance, not Frank
After the Villa defeat, Frank looked like a man under pressure.
But I sympathize with the 52-year-old because this squad is not good enough.
If Tottenham were to sell all their players right now, it would be only Micky van de Ven and maybe Cristian Romero who would go to a big club, like Real Madrid or Barcelona.
However, some fans believe the squad is better than 14th in the Premier League.
Frank’s problem was that the key members of this team – James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke – were all absent, only Solanke has recently returned from injury.
There have also been major changes for Frank at the club, including the shock exit of Daniel Levy in September.
This week has been a testament to a new era at Tottenham, and perhaps Frank needs to be given more freedom following a stunning turnaround.
He can control Frank, the style of football, which has contributed appropriately to the pressure on him.
A better free-flowing Spurs and off-chains will help the former Brentford boss turn things around.
But in the end, for Frank, he will just want to win on Saturday in what many feel is a make or break game.
