Just last night, Thomas Frank insisted he was “1,000 per cent sure” he could turn things around and he would be in charge of Tottenham Hotspur for the north London derby against Arsenal, but he has just been sacked.
Spurs are now 16th in the Premier League table after a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle United, leaving them without a league win in 2026 and with just one victory in their past 11 matches.
After West Ham‘s draw against Manchester United, the result has them within five points of the relegation zone and prompted chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from sections of the home support.
This time, the Spurs fans were correct.
The contrast with Arsenal’s season could scarcely be sharper. While Tottenham now have nothing to focus on beyond preparing for the derby on February 22, Arsenal face a congested run of fixtures against Brentford, Wigan in the FA Cup and Wolves before travelling across north London, with three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium potentially moving them closer to the Premier League title while pushing Spurs closer to the drop.
Wigan have already dismissed their manager ahead of facing Arsenal, raising questions about whether Spurs might follow suit.
Frank didn’t believe so.
“I’m convinced I will be,” he said when asked if he would still be in post for the Arsenal match.
“I understand the question and I understand it’s easy to point to me but I also think it’s never only the head coach or the ownership or the directors or the players or the staff. It’s everyone.”
Asked by TNT if his job was under threat, Frank replied: “I spoke to them (the owners) yesterday so no.”
However, before 10am on Wednesday, it was reported that he had been sacked.
Tottenham posted on their website, “The Club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today.”
On Tuesday night, Tottenham supporters also sang the name of Mauricio Pochettino, currently in charge of the United States ahead of the World Cup this summer and open about his desire to return to Spurs in the future.
On the pitch, Frank’s side were largely outplayed by Newcastle, who secured the win through goals from Malick Thiaw and Jacob Ramsey, in what was described as a toxic atmosphere inside the stadium. Former Gunner, Joe Willock, also had a goal ruled out because his hair was offside.
Pressed on how certain he was that he could turn the situation around, Frank said: “1,000 per cent sure. I am also 1,000 per cent sure that I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries but I know when you need to build something and need to get through things, you need to show resilience.
“There are a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but in many other clubs, that have lost their head and I think you need to have a calm head, carry on, keep fighting and keep doing the right thing. Make sure we stick together because we can only do this if we stick together. That is the board, the leaders, that is the players, that is the staff, that is me and that is the fans. We’ve got to get through this.”
Since being appointed Arsenal manager at the end of 2019, Mikel Arteta has faced Tottenham 12 times, winning eight, drawing one and losing three. Two of those defeats, however, came in his first two games against Spurs.
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last seven against Spurs, winning six, including the last four.