Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Thomas Frank just eight months after appointing him, with the north London club languishing in 16th place in the Premier League.
Spurs' disappointing 2-1 defeat at home against Newcastle United on Tuesday proved the final straw for Tottenham's hierarchy, with the Dane having come under significant pressure over the last few weeks with a series of concerning results.
The writing seemed to be on the wall for the former Brentford manager, who was struggling to churn out wins in the Premier League despite successfully qualifying for the Champions League knockout phase.
Frank is also thought to have grated on his players with repeated gushing references to Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal.
'He was constantly going on to the players about Arsenal and they quickly got sick of it,' a dressing room source told The Telegraph. 'Even before and after the game at the Emirates, he was telling them how good Arsenal were. The feeling among some was very much "just shut up about Arsenal".'
This did not help Frank then, when he was pictured drinking out of an Arsenal branded cup before Tottenham's 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth. Players and staff are believed to have shared the images of their boss around and made light of it.
Frank won just seven and lost 11 of his 26 league games in charge to leave Tottenham a mere five points clear of the relegation zone on Tuesday.
A statement on Wednesday morning confirming the news read: 'The club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today.
'Thomas was appointed in June 2025, and we have been determined to give him the time and support needed to build for the future together. However, results and performances have led the board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary.
'Throughout his time at the club, Thomas has conducted himself with unwavering commitment, giving everything in his efforts to move the club forward.
'We would like to thank him for his contribution and wish him every success in the future.'
Daily Mail Sport understands that the decision to sack Frank was taken reluctantly by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange, but it was based on recent results and Spurs' position in the table.
Their verdict was relayed to the club's board who consulted with the Lewis family before it was finalised.
They retain significant respect for Frank and what he was trying to achieve, realising that another managerial sacking does not create the stability they are looking for at the club.
It is more likely that an interim replacement, rather than a permanent appointment, will be named, although Roberto De Zerbi's exit from Marseille on Wednesday could throw a spanner in the works given the Italian is now available if he is looking to immediately return to work.
Meanwhile, under Frank, Spurs were also knocked out of the FA Cup in the third round by Aston Villa, and the last-16 of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle, although they did finish fourth in the Champions League League phase.
However, Frank's team were unable to convert their promising European form into the Premier League, a competition in which Spurs haven't won since December 28, a run of eight games.
They have picked up just two points in their past six league matches and Frank and the players were heavily booed during and after the 2-1 defeat by Newcastle, while the 52-year-old was again subjected to chants of 'sacked in the morning' by his own fans.
Nevertheless, the Dane came out fighting afterwards and told Tottenham’s board it would be a mistake to sack him now, before adding that he expected to be in charge for next Sunday's North London derby against Arsenal.
When asked if he still believed he was the right man for the job, Frank said: ‘I am 1,000 per cent sure. But I’m also 1,000 per cent sure I never expected us to be in a situation like this with 11 or 12 injuries.
'I know when you need to build something and get through something you need to show unbelievably strong resilience. It’s fair to say there’s sat a few before me up here, not only for Tottenham but many clubs, who have lost their head.
'You need to have a calm head and carry on, keep fighting and make sure we stick together. You can only get through this together - that’s the board, the leaders, the players, the staff, that’s me, the fans.
‘I understand the mechanism in football (that a manager is the easiest thing to change). But there are also a lot of studies that it’s not the right thing to do.
'The only thing I focus on is fighting to do the right thing with everyone else. Of course, we are not in good situation, but with everything in life you need to stay calm and keep going.’
When pressed on whether he would still be in charge for the visit of Arsenal, Frank added: ‘Yes, I am convinced I will be. I understand the question. It’s easy to point on me. But it’s never only the head coach or ownership or staff or players or directors, it’s everyone. Everyone knows the position we’re in and what we need to improve.
‘I understand the fans’ frustration. But this situation the club has been in for two years. There is clearly a pattern where we struggle to manage Europe and the Premier League. We need to learn to deal with that better.
'Injuries and suspension do not help. Then we face a Newcastle team struggling lately, but if you look at the team they put on the pitch, it’s quite different to us.
'Injuries need to be massively taken into consideration. I haven’t said it too much, everyone can see it’s impacting things.’
Frank had also been involved in an awkward final interview with TNT Sports when he was repeatedly pressed on his future, the relationship he has with the Spurs hierarchy and a message for those fans that wanted him out.
As the interview went on, the Dane's answers became increasingly short and he gave the interviewer a firm stare as it came to an end.
In the build-up to the Newcastle game, Frank had danced around the 'R' word and did his utmost to avoid saying it. Only once did he utter ‘relegation’ during a 30-minute press conference dominated by questions on the subject.
That moment came in response to a parallel drawn to Tuesday night's opponents Newcastle and their team featuring Michael Owen, Shay Given and Damien Duff, relegated in 2009 after being dubbed as too good to go down.
Frank’s point was that if Spurs were ‘a little bit higher’ the questions would be about reaching the ‘top four’, but because they were ‘not as high’ the questions were about ‘relegation’ and either way, his answer would be the same, that he was only focused on the next game.
‘There’s no doubt we are desperate to win games,’ Frank said and reinforced it for effect. ‘Desperate.’
‘When you haven’t won enough, you need to be desperate, because if you’re not desperate, you don’t understand the situation you’re in.
'In terms of you don’t win enough. You need to turn it and win enough football games. That’s what we want for the fans, that’s what we want for the team, for the club.’
The uncomfortable truth, however, is that Spurs are deep in a trench of relegation form. And Frank has paid the price.
