Hotspur HQ

David Ornstein all but guarantees Tottenham will fire Thomas Frank after latest news

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David Ornstein all but guarantees Tottenham will fire Thomas Frank after latest news - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur fans have been fed up for months with the work of Thomas Frank as manager, and while there was some resistance to wanting to fully declare him out due to the nature of the nearly annual managerial upheaval at the N17, the lack of any sort of progress slowly eroded at the last remaining shreds of hope for improvement.

Spurs are materially worse than they were to start the season when the club still had the remnants of Ange Postecoglou's ideology sticking to them. As Frank has implemented what is nothing short of cowardly, defensive football that is as much of an eye sore as it is ineffective, so, too, have Spurs results gone down the gutter.

Losses to arch rivals Arsenal and Chelsea were bad enough, but the last straw for many was the 2-1 defeat to West Ham United at home, representing a clear down turn in performances since last season under Postecoglou and even earlier this season when Mohammed Kudus spearheaded a vengeful blowout of the Hammers.

Thomas Frank's days are numbered

Thomas Frank may be days away from the sack, and there are many fans who do not want him to even survive the upcoming Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund, as is rumored. And while Spurs supporters are discouraged by how quiet the club has been about Frank - they literally chanted they wanted him fired the next day during Spurs 2-1 loss to West Ham on Saturday - a new report from David Ornstein may reassure angered supporters.

Speaking on the NBC Sports Premier League broadcast to Rebecca Lowe, The Athletic's chief transfer insider stated that "it is a matter of when, not if" Tottenham fire Frank. He even added that not only have the fans and the "hierarchy" turned on Frank, but also "many players" are upset with the direction of the club and "understandably dissatisfied" with the job the manager is doing.

That sentiment is echoed by everyone. Ornstein further states that there is a sense within the club that while Frank is not a bad manager, he was not the right fit for Spurs. And that seems to be something all the fans who want him out can get behind.

Frank's style of football suits a small club like Brentford better than Tottenham, and the laughable way he puts in players just for long throws as an end of game strategy pretty much typifies it. Ornstein's full report to Lowe is well worth listening to and pretty much hammers home all the issues at the club, including the overall leadership. But based on what he is saying, it is only a matter of time Frank is fired; Spurs fans will hope it is sooner than later.

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Tottenham have no choice but to exile Randal Kolo Muani

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Tottenham have no choice but to exile Randal Kolo Muani - Hotspur HQ
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Frank earned more jeers and chants of being fired by Spurs supporters on Saturday afternoon, but there were also several Tottenham players whose displays on the pitch merited cries for them to lose their job status, too.

Striker Randal Kolo Muani began his loan tenure from PSG to Tottenham quite dismally with a dead leg, but he started to heat up when healthy, including a brilliant individual display against his parent club in the Champions League.

Randal Kolo Muani is killing his reputation

However, that match feels like a one off and ancient history at this point. Kolo Muani initially impressed Spurs supporters with his work rate and was tabbed as the solution at striker, but over the past several weeks as results have mounted against Spurs, a dark side to RKM has emerged.

Simply put, Kolo Muani looks like a guy who does not want to be here. His performance against West Ham was lackadaisical in every sense of the word. Kolo Muani was slowly meandering about the pitch, passing sideways, offering genuinely no sort of goal threat, and looking like he wanted nothing to do with Tottenham Hotspur as a club.

Fans are increasingly calling the Frenchman out as a player who appears to be phoning it in, and it is true that he has no need to show Spurs any loyalty since he will be back out of Tottenham and on the next flight to France the moment the season ends.

Tottenham need to phase him out. Kolo Muani has no future value to Spurs, he will not be back next season, and he is treating the club like he is a mercenary. Spurs need to exile him to the bench and start giving all those minutes at the 9 to Mathys Tel, as the younger French forward has outperformed his fellow former Bundesliga man. Tel means something to Tottenham long term, and it is better to start him at striker and appease him against any loan move than to give a player with Kolo Muani's lack of effort a single second more.

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Tottenham are ready to go for the ultimate fans' choice Thomas Frank replacement

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Tottenham are ready to go for the ultimate fans' choice Thomas Frank replacement - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank is on the verge of getting sacked after an abysmal performance over the Premier League weekend against West Ham United, one of the teams toiling away in the relegation zone.

The fact that Spurs were outplayed and outcoached by West Ham was bad enough, but fans were even more incensed after the game seeing the response Frank had to the defeat. Whereas captain Cristian Romero talked about the result being unacceptable, Frank tried to make excuse and explain away that Spurs were close to a positive result, when nothing could be further than the truth.

Frank has not been sacked yet, but it could be a matter of days when the news comes through the grape vine that the ex Brentford manager is offiicially done at the N17. Spurs may merely be waiting until the dust settles after the Borussia Dortmund game in the Champions League on Tuesday night, scrambling for a replacement until then.

Tottenham fans have made their choice

Tottenham Hotspur supporters want former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso above anyone else, and unless Liverpool fire Arne Slot now as opposed to waiting just to hire their former midfielder, he could be theirs for the taking if they can offer the right package.

And as if to answer the prayers of their fans, Liverpool reporter DaveOCKOP reports that Tottenham Hotspur are indeed interested in hiring Alonso as a Thomas Frank replacement, should Spurs fire Frank (and it is looking increasingly likely that this will happen).

DaveOCKOP is the first journalist with a positive track record to directly link Tottenham to Xabi Alonso, and there is a lot about the marriage that would make sense. Alonso needs a young, hungry squad of talented players who will buy into his tactics, and after dealing with Frank's negative ways, Spurs players will buy into anything.

And Alonso will want a less pressurized situation than Real Madrid after dealing with the egos there. Spurs do have a couple of players with unnecessary egos like Pedro Porro and Guglielmo Vicario, but they are very mild and benign; Alonso can whip them up into shape easily, and they used to be leaders before being jaded by how terrible Frank is.

Alonso is the breath of fresh air Tottenham are looking for, and while names like Mauricio Pochettino and Oliver Glasner will be on the table, as well as Alonso's old rival Xavi from his Barcelona days, there is no question to Spurs supporters that Alonso, formerly undefeated in the Bundesliga, is a cut above the rest.

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Oliver Glasner just showed why he would be even worse for Tottenham than Thomas Frank

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Oliver Glasner just showed why he would be even worse for Tottenham than Thomas Frank - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur may only be days away from firing Thomas Frank, who buried himself as deep in the gutter as he has ever been in as coach of this team. Spurs just lost 2-1 to one of the most abysmal teams in the Premier League, 18th placed West Ham United, and Frank's tired old refrain after the game was all about how Spurs were unlucky and were close to a good outcome.

News flash, buddy, you have never been close to doing anything remotely good for Tottenham over the past two months. Each passing week is a new lecture in humilitation written by Frank, and Tottenham fans are counting down the days, hoping he gets canned after the Borussia Dortmund game on Tuesday at the absolute latest. They have been done with Frank for weeks, if not months, as a collective fan base.

Now, the question is about who will replace Frank. There is a clear dream option Tottenham supporters have in mind in recently fired Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso, who only failed at the high pressured Santiago Bernabeu owing to a lack of experience at coaching the massive egos in Madrid. And to be fair to Alonso additionally, those egos have gone completely out of control and never gave Alonso a shake to begin with.

Xabi Alonso is not realistic

Alonso, though, is unrealistic, and if Liverpool fire Arne Slot, there is no way he would pick Tottenham over his former club. Tottenham can not put all their eggs in his basket and have to come up with alternatives, but, unfortunately, all of those alternatives are, like Thomas Frank, of the mid table Premier League ilk.

The most prominent of those mid table Premier League managers is Oliver Glasner, a former Europa League winner at Eintracht Frankfurt and winner of the FA Cup last season for Crystal Palace. Glasner may just be the best coach in the history of the Eagles, and because of his trophy case, he is automatically miles above the other middling middle men in the mid table.

However, Glasner, character wise, may be a worse higher than Frank. While Frank is a coward who clearly does not belong at Tottenham, you have to question Glasner's temperment and ability to deal with a top team, based on how foolishly and childishly he has reacted to Palace selling Marc Guehi out of necessity, having already warned Glasner for months that they would have to sell him.

Glasner threw a temper tantrum, even after already confirming he would be leaving Crystal Palace at the end of the season and not renewing. He told reporters on Saturday, via Fabrizio Romano, “I feel we are being abandoned completely. The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a game. I have kept my mouth shut until now... You get your heart torn out twice this season, both times one day before a game, Eze and Guehi”.

He also said, via Crystal Palace beat writer Bobby Manzi, “Crystal Palace are fine to end the season like this — with Oliver Glasner, with another manager, I don't know, I don't care.”

Wow. Yeah, Tottenham Hotspur need to stay away from Oliver Glasner at all costs. Using the third person is never a good sign, but complaining about sales that were perfectly valid when you are Crystal Palace is an entirely different story. Who does this guy think he is, Antonio Conte at Juventus? Glasner sounds like he is not stable enough to be a leader, and it is no wonder why he cycles jobs so quickly. He is stronger tactically than Frank but maybe even weaker mentally, and Spurs don't need that rubbish again.

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Antonin Kinsky just got a lifeline at Tottenham

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Antonin Kinsky just got a lifeline at Tottenham - Hotspur HQ
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Things just keep going from bad to worse for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2025/26 Premier League season, and the club now has to be worried about a potential relegation fight on the horizon after losing 2-1 to 18th placed West Ham United in a defeat that really should seal Thomas Frank's fate as the club's manager.

Frank was the biggest individual loser of the defeat to the Hammers, but he was not the only individual associated with the Lilywhites to disgrace himself. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was among the players on the pitch to produce a horrid day, negating a brilliant save from West Ham center back Konstantinos Mavropanos with several miscues.

VIcario is one of the best pure shot stoppers in the Premier League, but he is literally the worst goalkeeper in the league at everything else. Tottenham fans were in disbelief at how poorly he commanded his own box, with his flapping at air for the West Ham winner late in the game standing out as yet another hard to forgive gaffe from the Italian international.

Guglielmo Vicario continues to lose points

All season long, the experienced Vicario has looked like a rookie at defending crosses or dealing with the ball at his feet, and this was far from the first time when the ex Empoli man literally cost Tottenham Hotspur points in the table in a winnable game by making an inexplicable basic error.

Young backup Antonin Kinsky is far from the finished product, but he is an immensely talented young shot stopper with more long term upside than Vicario. He could be the ideal replacement for Vic if given the chance, but with Thomas Frank not giving him any chances, the Czech international is now, like forward Mathys Tel, contemplating pushing forcefully for a transfer away from the N17 and the club's horrid head coach.

If there is any justice in the world - and especially if Frank gets his walking papers after this embarrassing rivalry defeat - then Vicario's hapless flailing against West Ham will usher in a few starting opportunities for Antonin Kinsky.

The young backup has played well enough this season to merit more starts, while Vicario has been troublesome enough to earn some demerits of his own. Tottenham need to keep seeing more and more of what Kinsky has in him, and, yes, they do need to do a better job of keeping their top young talents like Tel and Kinsky appeased with minutes.

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Tottenham learned a bitter lesson about Conor Gallagher

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Tottenham learned a bitter lesson about Conor Gallagher - Hotspur HQ
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Eligible to play in his first game after signing with Tottenham Hotspur for 40 million euros from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, Conor Gallagher did not miss his opportunity to immediately settle into the Spurs starting XI on Saturday afternoon against rivals West Ham United.

Well, it ended up being far from a dream debut for either Gallagher or the Lilywhites, as Spurs lost 2-1 to a team that, even after picking up three points on Spurs, still sits 18th in the Premier League and in a relegation fight that could soon also involve Tottenham at this rate.

Gallagher was very much a part of the futility of the display, as he looked totally overmatched and a bit out of sorts in his first game. Now, that can partially be forgiven, since debuts and adjustments can be rough, and it is also true that Gallagher was not exactly in great game shape with Atletico Madrid, given he was mostly riding the pine in the Spanish capital.

Conor Gallagher was on the bench in Madrid for a reason

Then again, you could also just as viably argue that Gallagher was riding the bench for the Rojiblancos for a reason. He simply was not good enough for them, and that is a big reason why Atleti were actively shopping him to wasteful Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for months and months.

Atleti had no interest in keeping Gallagher, much less playing him, and Tottenham may already be seeing the early signs of why. So at best, Tottenham learned a lesson they probably should have already known, and that is the fact that Gallagher is not going to be able to help them substantially for the first few games.

At worst, though, they may have to mull over a more troublesome lesson, and that is the reality that the scraps of two top European clubs in Chelsea and Atletico Madrid will likely be nothing more than overpriced scraps for Tottenham now.

Because Gallagher looked like the player who was in over his head for Atletico Madrid, chasing shadows and neither creating nor producing anything of note for the attacking players. The challenge should now be set from the entire Tottenham coaching staff and upper management brass from Gallagher to step up, because this very early return was totally unacceptable and far beneath what literally every other midfielder employed to the Spurs squad could have provided this team against a midfield as lowly as West Ham's.

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Thomas Frank fooled everyone with Archie Gray, including himself

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Thomas Frank fooled everyone with Archie Gray, including himself - Hotspur HQ
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Coming into the Premier League battle between London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United, many fans assumed that Spurs coach Thomas Frank would go with an all veteran midfield trio in the game with Conor Gallagher eligible to debut upon his signing from Atletico Madrid.

Well, Tottenham did start Gallagher in his first possible game, but instead of starting Joao Palhinha as the defensive midfielder alongside him with Xavi Simons up top as the No. 10, young Archie Gray drew another start over Palhinha at the base of the midfield next to the incoming Englishman.

It was a surprising vote of confidence in a young player, and although Frank has been giving Gray more starts that he deserves in recent weeks, many assumed Frank would go with the more defensive veteran in the Portuguese international.

Archie Gray deserves better

But just as Tottenham's embattled manager brought the fans a brief pleasant surprise, the pleasantries with Gray lasted a meager 45 minutes. Because despite the fact that Gray was excellent and even battling in the tackles one one one as good as Palhinha would have, Frank hooked him off for no legitimate reason.

Instead, he brought in one of his veteran favorites of a different ilk, getting Yves Bissouma, of all people, back in a match upon his return from injury. Bissouma actually was not bad, but the fact that Spurs took Gray, a much better player in the present and future than Biss, is absolutely ridiculous and only further headlines the cluelessness of Frank as a coach.

It was not the only substitution mishap from Frank in the game, as he would later sub off Mathys Tel - his best attacker in the game - instead of the hopelessly useless Randal Kolo Muani at striker. But it was a wild sub to make at the half that further undermines the trust that the young players will have in their manager who should be on the verge of a sacking.

What makes it all even worse is the fact that Gray was probably the best player on Tottenham Hotspur in the first half of the matchup, holding the midfield together with tight ball progression and dogged defensive work to win possession.

Archie Gray has certainly earned more starts for Tottenham, and on this day, it is quite evident that if given the choice, he should be starting over the newcomer Conor Gallagher, too. But as long as Frank is still manager, you cannot trust Spurs to play the best men for the job either.

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Thomas Frank drives Mathys Tel away further with clueless justification for snub

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Thomas Frank drives Mathys Tel away further with clueless justification for snub - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur supporter are far past the point of their patience being worn thin with manager Thomas Frank, whose coaching job this season has been so putrid that he is making the failed Spurs managers of yesteryear look like nostalgic options by comparison.

Spurs latest outright embarrassment came this weekend in the Premier League with a 2-1 loss to London rivals West Ham United, who came into the game in the relegation battle as one of the least competent teams in the Premier League.

Well, just as Spurs gifted Bournemouth their first win in 11 games, so, too, did the Lilywhites manage to make the Hammers look like world beaters on Saturday afternoon in front of their own fans. The boos continually rained down on Frank during and after the game, and there was an inflection point of jeers at around the hour mark when the dreadful Danish coach hooked off left winger Mathys Tel for striker Dominic Solanke.

Tottenham keep screwing over Mathys Tel

Bringing Solanke into the game was not the problem, and most Spurs fans expected the England international to get additional minutes in this one after finally returning from injury last week in the FA Cup vs. Aston Villa.

No, the issue was WHO Frank took off. Because once again, Tel was the biggest attacking threat in the front three, and it was not even close. Tel was delivering real attacking threat and intent on a team lacking any bit of that outside of him, and the minute he left the game, Spurs, to nobody's surprise, were totally doomed to lose with zero attacking output.

The Tel snub came at an even worse time, too, as the Frenchman is outright begging for a transfer out so that he does not have to deal with Thomas Frank senselessly benching him. Tel needs minutes for his development and knows it.

Meanwhile, Spurs kept on Randal Kolo Muani, a loanee with no future at the club whom fans now despise because his body language, effort, and overall lack of threat are that of a No. 9 who clearly does not want to be there.

Frank, as always, had another laughable excuse and so called justification for his brainless decision making. He told reporters after the latest Tottenham defeat, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, “I need to take decisions, of course. So I had to take one offensive player off. And I feel Wilson is a bit better to the right and wanted two strikers on the pitch. So that was the decision. There was nothing wrong with Mathys' performance."

What on earth is he talking about? Every single Tottenham Hotspurs supporter knows that Mathys Tel can play striker and has actually done so better than every other woeful No. 9 on this football team this season. He could have easily kept Tel in and played Solanke at striker for Kolo Muani, utilizing Tel as a striker himself. It's not even a question, and Frank's quote pretty much seals, yet again, the fact that he has no idea what he is doing - much less what he is talking about.

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Tottenham get the Xavi Simons news that could send them to the relegation zone

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Tottenham get the Xavi Simons news that could send them to the relegation zone - Hotspur HQ
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After losing to one of the teams in the Premier League relegation zone in rivals West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur are inching ever closer to the relegation region of the league table. They were not far off from it last season despite winning the Europa League, finishing 17th in the table ahead of only some of the most historically unprepared sides for a jump to the top flight.

Spurs lost 2-1 to West Ham this weekend, and they also lost two key players to injury. Ben Davies was starting at left back in lieu of Destiny Udogie's latest injury, but he went down injured himself within minutes of the game.

As if losing another left back were not enough, Tottenham quietly lost an even better player to injury that was noticed after the game. According to a report from Tom Barclay of The Sun, Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Xavi Simons was observed limping by reporters in the mixed zone after absorbing a heavy blow from West Ham star right winger Jarrod Bowen during the game.

Tottenham can't lose him

There is no word of any injury to Simons, but the fact that he could be hurt would be a massive blow to Spurs. They are already getting closer and closer to the relegation zone and should honestly be legitimately worried about going down despite the talent in their squad, especially if management does not get its act together and fire Thomas Frank.

Simons, admittedly, has not had much of an impact in terms of goals and assists in his first season at Tottenham, but he is by far their biggest creative threat and with the other No. 10 in the squad, James Maddison, out injured for a while, the Dutchman may honestly be their only central creative threat. And it certainly does not help that their best wide creator, Mohammed Kudus, is out injured himself until later in March.

Tottenham have seen flashes of brilliance from Simons in recent games, including matchups Spurs have been outclassed in like the FA Cup elimination bout at the hands of Aston Villa. Simons being down would force Conor Gallagher into the No. 10 role, and although it was just his first game back from a layoff at Atletico Madrid, his debut against West Ham was not exactly a positive indication of his ability to take the mantle from Simons if necessary. Spurs have to hope the young man is not out for a while.

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Tottenham are about to ask way too much out of Souza

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Tottenham are about to ask way too much out of Souza - Hotspur HQ
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Tottenham Hotspur emerged from their Premier League weekend fixture against West Ham United far from unscathed. Not only did they lose 2-1 to one of the worst teams in the English top flight, but they also lost Ben Davies (and potentially Xavi Simons) to injury.

The Hammers absolutely hammered Spurs in the second half, stealing away all three points and leaving the home side hobbled, reeling badly with fans jeering and booing the disgraced Thomas Frank.

There is no turning back for Spurs and their embattled manager, whom fans were literally crying out to be fired the morning after due to the sheer futility of the display they watched unfold before their very eyes.

Tottenham have big issues at LB

But Spurs have other big worries, too. Destiny Udogie is still out at left back with his latest injury, and if he cannot return for the next game, Tottenham may not be able to call upon the player they just made his top backup, veteran Ben Davies, for the foreseeable future.

Davies had to leave the matchup pretty early with a serious injury, and Spurs had to bring in the one player they really did not want to play in that position, Djed Spence. Remember, Spurs were so dissatisfied with Spence's performances at left back, which have been truly abhorrent this season, that they brought Davies back into the fold as a regular Udogie replacemnt out left because he was such an upgrade.

Tottenham are now short handed to an even bigger degree at left back with both Udogie and Davies injured, and as West Ham exposed to everyone, Spurs cannot keep going into games with Spence playing at left back; he is so bad that it is like playing with 10 men.

So it is huge, then, that Tottenham Hotspur are set to welcome 19 year old Brazilian sensation Souza from Santos. Spurs paid a decent fee of around 15 million euros for Souza even though he is a total unknown to European football, and, therefore, they are going to expect him to bea key part of the rotation at left back immediately.

They are going to be putting a lot on his plate initially - more than maybe they even expected. With Davies injured and Spence the only option until Udogie comes back, which is hopefully soon since he is making good progress from the injury in training, Souza might get a start sooner than expected. He honestly can't be much worse than Spence, and even if he is, Spurs would have probably lost that match anyway. So let's see what Souza can do.

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