Thomas Frank future: Tottenham board hold talks over head coach with Dane under increasing pressure to keep job
Spurs boss Thomas Frank under increasing pressure to keep his job; Talks are believed to have taken place at board level about whether Frank should continue after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by West Ham; Spurs hierarchy are believed to be looking at all options at this point
Sunday 18 January 2026 16:09, UK
Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank is under increasing pressure to keep his job.
Talks are believed to have taken place at board level about whether Frank should continue after Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by West Ham.
The Spurs hierarchy are believed to be looking at all options at this point - but no final decision has yet been made.
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The Spurs board want to stick to a long-term plan that includes Frank, which has always been the plan, but Saturday's defeat reached new levels of toxicity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
There are reports of fans clashing with each other outside the ground, while a video has surfaced on social media of a fan approaching co-owner Vivienne Lewis in the hospitality section and making their feelings known regarding Frank's future.
Unlike the vast majority of managers who have lost their jobs this season, Frank has tried to remain positive, appreciative of this being a difficult period for the club.
He described it as trying to turn around a "super-tanker" and that it was starting to go in the right direction. But that did not show in Saturday's result to relegation-threatened rivals West Ham, who ended a 10-game winless league run.
Not all of the blame can be levelled at Frank. The club is in a transitional phase following the post-Daniel Levy era in which new captains are steering the ship and new staff are still finding their feet in multiple areas.
Either way, though, this feels like an important moment at Tottenham and they will carefully consider the next steps ahead of Tuesday's Champions League home game against Borussia Dortmund.
Booed off and sacked chants from own fans - but Frank defiant
Under-pressure Frank remained defiant despite being loudly booed off by his own fans, who chanted 'you're getting sacked in the morning' at him following the 2-1 home defeat to West Ham.
Callum Wilson's last-gasp winner sparked toxic scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the South Stand called for the Dane to go after a run of eight defeats in 14 matches.
On Sunday morning, Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham arrived at the training ground along with Frank and the players.
At his post-match press conference, Frank said of the boos and chants: "Of course, I probably have had better times. I understand - I'm the man in charge, so the blame will go to me. That's fair, no problem in that sense.
"As long as they are backing the players, doing everything they can to support them and drive them forward, and we will keep going forward."
Frank was surprisingly upbeat in his post-match press conference, likening his job to turning a "super tanker" around with Spurs sitting 14th in the table, 10 points above the drop zone.
Ahead of kick-off, Venkatesham released an open letter in the matchday programme which addressed several issues, including the relationship with the fans and player trading.
"I've seen the letter," Frank said, "and I took six to eight positive things out of the letter, not the negative things.
"What I take out of that letter is that a club, an executive team with Vinai on top, that are aligned and know that this is a big transition phase and it's a super tanker, we're turning in the right direction.
"And there's a lot of good signs behind the scenes, also in some of the performances.
"But of course, when you lose last minute to one of your rivals, it's very emotional in football, and there'll be noise.
"And that noise we need to keep out there and get [our] head down and keep walking, keep doing the right thing."
Frank also faced questions over team leaks on Friday, but he insisted he was not worried.
The Dane also believes his side are "close to something very good" despite a winless start to 2026.
Asked why he deserved more time, Frank replied: "If you're not winning enough, we know that you're not getting enough support from the fans.
"But when we're winning, it will change when we start winning again, which we will do. Not in doubt of that. I also think you can look a little bit at the performances.
"Let's say Bournemouth and Villa and this game here, if the players stop running or stop doing anything or not working hard, and we were not the team that was closest to winning, then you can say, okay. But I think the team is working very hard.
"And I still think, and I know it sounds a little bit crazy, that we're close to something very good than further away.
He added: "I can promise that I'm sitting here and giving everything every single day.
"I feel the trust from everyone and there's only one way, and it's to keep going."
How Sky Sports reported on the Tottenham fans' response to Frank
Sky Sports' Oliver Yew at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium:
After West Ham scored late on: "The home fans are singing 'sacked in the morning' towards Thomas Frank, those of them that are left in their seats. There's a mass exodus at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the West Ham fans celebrate."
At full time: "The boos die down before restarting again. The fans filing out by the press box are making their feelings known as well.
"Frank then makes his way to the tunnel, applauding as he goes. He's booed again and there's another chorus of 'sacked in the morning'. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before."
Tottenham's games in January and February
Tuesday: Borussia Dortmund (h), Champions League - kick-off 8pm
Saturday: Burnley (a), Premier League - kick-off 3pm
January 28: Eintracht Frankfurt (a), Champions League - kick-off 8pm
February 1: Man City (h), Premier League - kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
February 7: Man Utd (a), Premier League - kick-off 12.30pm
February 10: Newcastle (h), Premier League - kick-off 7.30pm
February 22: Arsenal (h), Premier League - kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
