The Sun

BEN DAVIES is to undergo surgery on his fractured ankle.

The Wales defender, 32, suffered the injury in Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to West Ham.

It came as he hurt himself making a rash challenge on Jarrod Bowen in the build-up to the Hammers’ opener.

As a result, he was stretchered off after 19 minutes and Djed Spence came on in his place.

He becomes the latest casualty for Spurs which includes a number of stars including Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha.

In an official statement via their club website, Spurs wrote: “We can confirm that Ben Davies will undergo surgery today (Monday 19 January) for a fracture of his left ankle.

“The Wales international defender suffered the injury during Saturday’s Premier League fixture against West Ham United.

“Following the surgery, Ben will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff.”

It’s bad news for Thomas Frank, who is a man under intense scrutiny with Spurs 14th in the table, winless in their last four Premier League games, and out of the FA Cup.

It’s also bad news for Wales boss Craig Bellamy as his side have to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina over two legs in March – games it looks as though Davies will miss.

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Davies, who has been capped 100 times for his country, would have been crucial to Bellamy’s plans for these games in an attempt to deal with the goal threat of Edin Dzeko.

Even though the former Manchester City striker turns 40 in March, he is still his country’s talisman.

Should Wales qualify, a decider against Italy or Northern Ireland for a place at the World Cup will follow.

Wales will be hoping he can return in time for late March, but at this stage it remains touch and go.

Davies’ return date will depend on how successful his surgery and rehab go.

TOTTENHAM have axed Mathys Tel from their Champions League squad for a second time.

The striker signed on a permanent basis in the summer but his fortunes have dipped ever since, and he has just three goals this season.

Tel, 20, first arrived in January last year on loan from Bayern Munich, and there is speculation he could make another loan switch this month.

His exclusion will likely add fuel to that fire, with manager Thomas Frank leaving him out of the Champions League squad for a second time.

Like he did in the summer, Frank has picked Dominic Solanke over Tel.

And but for Solanke’s continued injury woes, Tel would have not played a minute in Europe this term.

The Frenchman played 32 minutes in the 3-0 win over Slavia Prague but failed to feature Spurs’ five other league phase fixtures.

Tel will not be available for selection against Borussia Dortmund this week, but Solanke could feature after coming off the bench against West Ham on Saturday.

Asked about Tel’s omission, Frank said: “I made the decision. It was not a nice decision to have to make. Unfortunately that’s football, you have to make a decision.

“With the way the rules are, the only option was either Dom or Mathy in the squad.

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“I chose Dom because… I think Mathy has done very well in the last couple of games and that’s the crazy thing, if I could pick from all the players that are fit, then he would start tomorrow.

“But I can only pick between the two of them and now he is out of the squad.

“That’s of course a tough one to take for Mathy.”

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THOMAS FRANK is on the brink of being sacked at Tottenham.

Club chiefs are now weighing up whether to axe him before Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund in a major U-turn.

It comes after the hierarchy, previously steadfast in their support of the Dane, registered the scale of the furious fan reaction to Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat to relegation-threatened West Ham.

That loss left Spurs languishing in 14th in the Premier League, eight points off the top five and ten from the relegation zone.

Senior figures are understood to be keen to take the temperature of Frank’s squad to assess if there is still internal support for the former Brentford boss.

But there is a growing sense that the Dane cannot restore any authority and that the best move for all parties could be to bring his miserable seven-month reign to an end swiftly.

Should Frank go before the Dortmund game, recently-appointed assistant coach John Heitinga would be an obvious caretaker candidate.

That is given the former Netherlands defender, 42, has experience as a No1 at Ajax from earlier this season – albeit he only lasted five months in the job.

Ironically, Frank was a big driver of the recruitment of Heitinga, who also worked under Arne Slot at Liverpool when they won the Premier League title last term.

Former fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino would be among the candidates to take over on a permanent basis after the World Cup when he finishes his duties with the US national team.

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Another name in the frame is free agent Xavi, the Barcelona legend who bossed the Catalans to the La Liga title in 2023.

Frank oversaw Sunday’s training and recovery session, as usual, with no clarity given to the players from the club over their manager’s future.

The Dane is due to take training on Monday ahead of the Dortmund game, which will be open to the media for 15 minutes from 2.15pm.

He is then due to conduct a press conference previewing the match at 3.30pm.

But club sources would not confirm last night whether Frank would be fulfilling either duty at their Hotspur Way training ground.

Frank, 52, was only appointed in June but has presided over a dismal domestic campaign, winning just seven of his 22 Premier League games and going out of both cups.

Fan anger has reached unprecedented levels with supporters singing “You’re getting sacked in the morning” to Frank and booing him off the pitch after Saturday’s defeat.

Spurs’ board, and in particular chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, have been supportive of Frank amid his struggles.

But they are now weighing up whether to persevere with the Dane just seven months into his reign given the poor results and how toxic the situation has become with the fanbase.

Frank’s Premier League average points per game record of 1.23 is the worst of Spurs’ last eight managers, including next-worst Ange Postecoglou (1.52) who was replaced by Frank in the summer after losing 22 Prem games in a single season.

Tottenham are down to the bare bones to face Dortmund, with midfielder Joao Palhinha among a growing list of crocked players, playmaker Xavi Simons an injury doubt, new signing Conor Gallagher ineligible and defender Micky van de Ven suspended.

Yves Bissouma, who featured for the first time all season against the Hammers, is not registered.

Speaking on Match of the Day, pundit Wayne Rooney said: “I felt for Thomas Frank at the end of the game, it’s not a nice place to be. He will feel a change is coming.

“The Tottenham fans have spoken, we have seen it before with the Tottenham fans, they aren’t happy with what’s going on. It looks like he will lose his job.”

But defeat to the Germans – particularly if the fans react in a similar manner to how they did for the West Ham game – could ramp up the pressure to untenable levels.

Defeat to West Ham has left Spurs eight points off fifth place, meaning the prospect of qualifying for Europe is diminishing.

Spurs travel to relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday and then face a horror fixture run of Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and arch-rivals Arsenal.

Pochettino, 53, retains hero status among the Spurs fanbase after an impressive spell managing the club between 2014-19 where he turned them into genuine Premier League contenders and reached the Champions League final – though they never won anything.

He has since bossed rivals Chelsea yet plenty of supporters would be fully behind his return to N17 after the World Cup this summer.

TOTTENHAM’S under-fire manager Thomas Frank has the worst home win record out of all of his predecessors in the Premier League era.

Frank, 52, oversaw Spurs’ latest disaster class at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday as they lost 2-1 to London rivals and relegation scrappers West Ham.

The struggling Hammers got the big Premier League win thanks to Crysencio Summerville’s opener and Callum Wilson’s late winner, which were sandwiched between Cristian Romero’s temporary equaliser.

Fourteenth-placed Tottenham endured their ninth defeat in 22 Prem matches under the Danish tactician this season, and that was courtesy of one of their many former managers since 1992 in Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nuno lasted less than five months at Spurs back in 2021, but he still holds a better home record than Frank, who has been at the wheel for almost seven months.

In fact, the Dane currently holds the worst record at home since the Premier League was created 33 years ago.

The ex-Brentford boss holds a win percentage of a mere 18 per cent since his arrival in June when he replaced Ange Postecoglou who landed the team’s first trophy in 17 years following their Europa League triumph.

That is below all 19 of his predecessors that sat in the dugout for at least five home matches before him.

Tim Sherwood leads the way with 73 per cent from his five-month tenure until his dismissal in May 2014.

Antonio Conte follows with 71 per cent with Mauricio Pochettino and Harry Redknapp at 64 per cent.

Nuno, who has put Frank’s future under immense scrutiny, completes the top five with 60 per cent.

Martin Jol follows with 59 per cent, while Jose Mourinho and Ryan Mason are tied at 57 per cent despite the former coaching for two years and the latter counting about five months in total across two stints.

The duo of Doug Livermore and Ray Clemence enjoyed a 52 per cent winning ratio during their brief stint as joint-caretaker managers in the Premier League’s maiden campaign.

And Andre Villas-Boas completes the top 10 with the same return.

George Graham, Postecoglou and David Pleat follow with 50 per cent each.

Glenn Hoddle is just behind with 49 per cent, while Gerry Francis is at 47 per cent.

Juande Ramos, who was the last Tottenham manager to win silverware before Postecoglou in 2008 when he lifted the League Cup, counts 39 per cent.

Christian Gross (33 per cent), Osvaldo Ardiles (22 per cent) and Jacques Santini (20 per cent) complete the list.

THOMAS FRANK was seen arriving at Tottenham’s training ground early this morning amid intense uncertainty over his future.

Things went from bad to worse for the Dane on Saturday afternoon as Spurs suffered a last-gasp 2-1 defeat to West Ham.

Fans called for Frank to be “sacked in the morning” during their NINTH league defeat of the season.

And SunSport understands the Tottenham brass are weighing up relieving the 52-year-old of his duties.

The Spurs’ hierarchy, and in particular chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, have previously been steadfast in their support of Frank amid his struggles.

But they are now weighing up whether to persevere with the Dane just seven months into his reign given the poor results and how toxic the situation has become with the fanbase.

It is understood the support for Frank among the board is not as unanimous as it once was.

It was, however, business as usual for the former Brentford boss on Sunday morning as he reported to the club’s Hotspur Training Ground.

Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently in charge of the USA, is reportedly interested in a return to the club if Frank is given his P45.

That’s according to talkSPORT, who claim the Argentine would be “open” to a second stint in charge of the north Londoners after this summer‘s World Cup.

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Pochettino spent five seasons with Spurs and guided them to the 2018/19 Champions League final.

He was sacked by the club the following November, but is still a beloved figure among Spurs fans.

The same can’t be said of current boss Frank, who was BOOED and JEERED by fans after the final whistle.

Frank said of the boos: “That’s not a nice feeling to go out with, but I understand [their] frustration. I completely understand [their] frustration.

“We are losing to a big London rival, there’s nothing worse, and to do it in the last minute.

“We couldn’t win at home, which we have worked very, very hard to try to do that.

“I hope they can see they effort from the boys, they are working very hard.

I completely understand [their] frustration.”

Thomas Frank on Spurs fans booing after defeat to West Ham

“They did everything right in the second half.

“Right now we are in that spell where everything — we put one foot right and it should have been left, and the other.”

When pressed on the ‘sacked in the morning chants’, Frank said: “I am feeling the absolute backing from everyone here at the club.

Everyone wants the same thing — long-term success. We are doing a lot of things right behind the scenes.

“We just don’t get the results, which is super crucial and important, so we just keep going.”

Spurs will be in Champions League action on Tuesday night, welcoming Borussia Dortmund to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It remains to be seen if Frank will be in the dugout for the visit of the German giants.

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FURIOUS Tottenham fans SLAMMED Thomas Frank after a late defeat to fierce rivals West Ham – and Spurs icon Tim Sherwood piled in by slating the players.

The North Londoners suffered a dire 2-1 loss to West Ham to increase the pressure on their chief.

Callum Wilson came off the bench to bag a stoppage time winner for the Hammers in a toxic atmosphere.

And, after referee Jarred Gillett blew the final whistle, Tottenham fans booed Frank down the tunnel.

The Dane is now facing a serious battle to keep his job after a ninth Premier League defeat of the season.

And former Spurs midfielder and boss Sherwood, 56, warned that Frank could be out of a job before the Champions League showdown with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

He told Sky Sports: “It doesn’t look good. Spurs cannot win a game at home and they have lost to their local rivals, who appear doomed at the bottom of the Premier League.

“The pressure is on Frank. But the only thing that might save his job is who could come in?

“They won a trophy last year and finished 17th. They aren’t going to win a trophy this year. They are out of both cups and towards the bottom of the league.

“They are still in the Champions League but it is highly unlikely they win that. Where do Spurs go from here?”

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Ex-Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock reckons that Tottenham fans are desperate for Frank to be sacked – just SEVEN MONTHS after he was plucked from Brentford.

He told BBC: “They’ve had enough. They’ve been supporting their team today, flags, banners, they want a change.

“I don’t think it’s just in the hierarchy of the club but also in the managerial position of Thomas Frank.

“There was huge, huge pressure on both of these managers today. It looks like Nuno [Espirito Santo] has come out on top.”

But Frank, 52, pleaded for Spurs’ irate fans to back him as he bids to turn the North Londoners’ season around.

In his post-match press conference, he said: “I’ve probably had better times.

“I understand, I’m the man in charge. As long as they back the players to drive them forward. And we will keep going forward.

“It is the perfect storm at the moment. A last-minute defeat and you get a sucker punch, it is unbelievably tough to take.

“Football is emotional. There’s only one way, to keep going forward.”

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BEN DAVIES needed oxygen and had his leg in a brace after a horror injury.

The Tottenham defender slid into a tackle on Jarrod Bowen with a quarter of an hour gone against West Ham.

The Hammers captain came away unscathed.

But Spurs man Davies, 32, stayed down and was in serious pain.

He needed specialist emergency treatment.

The doctors gave him oxygen and then wrapped the injured leg in a brace before carrying him off on a stretcher.

Welshman Davies was replaced by Djed Spence at left-back on 19 minutes.

The full-back is out of contract at the end of the season and a lengthy spell on the sidelines could mean he does not play for Tottenham again.

It also throws his potential involvement in helping Wales qualify for the World Cup – and featuring in North America in the summer – into doubt.

And plenty of fans sent their best wishes with messages of support on social media.

One said: “Absolutely gutted for Ben Davies. Looks like a really bad injury.”

Another wrote: “Devastated for Ben Davies. Could be his last ever game for Spurs, and potentially missing a World Cup. It’s a cruel world.”

A third added: “Really sad to see Ben davies get stretchered off, probably his last game for the club. Wishing him the best recovery.”

And a final user replied: “This is shocking. Ben Davies’ World Cup now in danger. Criminal given the effort that man puts in.”

Tottenham were 1-0 down at the time after Crysencio Summerville’s deflected strike moments before the shocking injury.