Thomas Frank: Under-pressure Tottenham boss faces pivotal home clash against West Ham on Saturday
Under-pressure Tottenham boss Thomas Frank faces pivotal home clash against relegation-threatened West Ham on Saturday - kick-off 3pm; Sky Sports' Tim Sherwood has labelled London derby 'El Sackico'; Spurs have suffered seven defeats in their last 13 games and are winless in 2026
Friday 16 January 2026 08:36, UK
Thomas Frank faces the most pivotal game of his Tottenham tenure on Saturday.
A home defeat against relegation-threatened London rivals West Ham, who are 18th and are on a 10-game Premier League winless run, would be simply unthinkable for Frank.
And with West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo also under huge pressure, it is a game which Sky Sports' Tim Sherwood has labelled as 'El Sackico'.
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But Frank's press conference on Thursday did not give the impression that his job would be under threat if Spurs were to lose to the Hammers.
In fact, it felt like the Dane had been given some good news over the last few days.
And I get the impression that he has probably been told that he will have at least the coming matches to turn this around, and even possibly until the end of the season.
This felt like a press conference from August or September, when things were rosy for Frank. His answers on Thursday were long, he smiled throughout, and there was an air of defiance.
And why wouldn't there be after a positive week of change for Frank ahead of Saturday's crunch clash.
On Wednesday, he was handed a "top signing" in Conor Gallagher following his £34m arrival from Atletico Madrid.
Then a day later, two announcements came - Frank had hired John Heitinga as his new assistant first-team coach, while at boardroom level, Carlos Raphael 'Rafi' Moersen was appointed director of football operations in a newly created role.
My understanding is that Rafi is not Fabio Paratici's replacement after the co-sporting director's exit at the end of the January transfer window was confirmed on Wednesday.
Rafi will work closely with sporting director Johan Lange in what Tottenham believe is a modern, high-performance football structure, as we wait and see whether Paratici will be replaced.
Can Frank win fans over?
So it has been another week of change at Spurs - and Frank will be hoping for more change on Saturday: the mood of the fans.
Boos once again greeted the full-time whistle after last Saturday's FA Cup third-round home defeat to Aston Villa.
That loss was Tottenham's seventh in their last 13 games, while Frank's side are winless in 2026.
It is why most fans have just not taken to Frank, with some frustrated at his defensive style, while others are upset at things he says in press conferences. The Arsenal cup blunder at Bournemouth has not helped either.
But even before a ball is kicked on Saturday, there could be an air of frustration with protests planned - although it will be intriguing to see the attendance at these protests following the signing of Gallagher.
What is for certain is that if things go wrong against a relegation-threatened London rival, then a toxic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be hugely troublesome for Frank.
The Lewis family and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham will be there, and if they notice the crowd's unhappiness, then there could be a real issue.
Frank knows that only a win laced with attacking intent will appease his detractors.
Does Frank deserve to be under pressure?
After the Villa defeat, Frank looked like a man under pressure.
But I do have sympathy for the 52-year-old because this squad is not good enough.
If Tottenham were to sell all of their players right now, then arguably only Micky van de Ven and maybe Cristian Romero would go to a bigger club, like Real Madrid or Barcelona.
But then some fans believe that the squad is better than 14th in the Premier League.
The problem for Frank has been that key members of this squad - James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke - have all been missing, with only Solanke just returning from injury.
There has also been so much change going on around Frank at the club, including Daniel Levy's shock exit in September.
This week has been evidence of the new era at Tottenham, and perhaps Frank needs to be given a bit more leeway following the dramatic revolution.
What Frank can control, though, is the style of football, which has rightly contributed to the pressure on him.
A better free-flowing Spurs with the shackles off will help the ex-Brentford boss turn things around.
But ultimately, for Frank, he will just want the victory on Saturday in what many feel is a win-or-bust game.
