Tottenham has sacked Thomas Frank, after he failed to improve the side’s Premier League performance following Ange Postecoglou’s European trophy-winning stint.
Home fans chanted for the Spurs boss to be “sacked in the morning” after a 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday (UK time) and they got their wish.
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Frank has been axed with the club 16th in the Premier League and facing a genuine threat of relegation, after winning just two of their last 17 matches.
“The club has taken the decision to make a change in the Men’s Head Coach position and Thomas Frank will leave today,” Tottenham said on social media.
“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.”
Roberto De Zerbi, who left Marseille on Wednesday, is the favourite to replace Frank.
Frank replaced Postecoglou in June signing a three-year contract.
He was previously Brentford’s head coach for seven years, leading them to promotion and then stability in the top flight.
The Aussie’s final season in charge saw Tottenham score 38 points and finish 17th, but 13 points safe of relegation, while they also won the Europa League.
The decision to sack Frank is not a cheap one.
Tottenha were forced to pay £6.7million in compensation to Brentford after appointing Frank in the summer. His arrival saw him sign a yearly deal of £8m-a-year.
The ex-Brentford manager has already received £6m from the club and could mean Spurs may need to pay the £18m ($34 million AUD) still left on his contract.
However, there may have been a clause in the 52-year-old’s contract for a smaller pay-off fee.
Incredibly, Postecoglou was scheduled for a recording of Gary Neville’s Stick to Football podcast on The Overlap YouTuibe channel when news of Frank’s sacking broke.
The Overlap shared a teaser clip of Postecoglou’s reaction.
“Some timing eh,” he said.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, described Frank as “extraordinary” after the Dane’s dismissal, but said football managers are all vulnerable to the sack.
“It is always very sad news when you have a colleague that doesn’t continue doing his job because Thomas is an excellent coach, he’s an extraordinary man, and he’s proven that in the league,” said Arteta.
“But we know where we are. We know that our responsibility is beyond just performance. And results dictate what happens with us.”
Asked if Premier League clubs are now too impatient for success, Arteta replied: “In the context of every club it is very different, but it’s always a possibility.
“But at the end as well, this league is so competitive. We are all vulnerable because anybody can beat you on the day, you know that. And that’s really tough to manage.”
Through 26 matches under Frank the club has 29 points, just three above 17th-placed Nottingham Forest (where Postecoglou briefly coached after his sacking), and five above the relegation zone (West Ham, 24 pts).
“I understand the fans’ frustration,” Frank responded when asked about the fan booing following the defeat to Newcastle.
“It’s a position they don’t want to be in. We are working day and night to try and change. It’s a position the club have been in the last two years. The pattern is the club are struggling to compete in Europe and the Premier League.”
Frank’s Spurs cops chorus of boos AGAIN | 00:41
Injuries cruelled both Postecoglou and Frank though the English press was far more critical of the Australian coach.
“I didn’t expect us to be in the position we are in with 11-12 injuries,” Frank said.
“There are a few before me up here at Tottenham and many other clubs that have lost their head. I have to stay calm. We have to get through this together.
“I also think there is a lot of studies that show it is not the right thing to do.
“The only thing I am focused on is fighting. We of course understand we are not in a good situation. But with everything in life, you need to stay calm and keep going.”
Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, said he would be delighted to return to Spurs amid suggestions he could act as a caretaker boss, but the 78-year-old Englishman won’t be expecting a call.
Redknapp was Tottenham manager from 2008-2012, taking the club into the Champions League.
“Would I fancy it? Of course I would do it, without any shadow of a doubt,” he told Sky Sports News.
“But I am a realist – I don’t live in (cloud) cuckoo land. It is very doubtful if I would get the job. But could I do the job? Yeah, of course I could do the job.”