Thomas Frank was fired by Tottenham on Wednesday after only eight months in charge and with his team just five points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.
Despite leading Spurs to the round of 16 in the Champions League, Frank has overseen a desperate domestic campaign. A 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday was greeted by boos from the home fans and left Spurs still without a league win in 2026.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Frank failed to build on Brentford success
Frank’s exit means Spurs are on the lookout for a sixth head coach in less than seven years since Mauricio Pochettino departed in 2019.
The Dane was appointed at the end of last season when Ange Postecoglou was fired despite leading Tottenham to its first trophy in 17 years by winning the Europa League and securing Champions League qualification.
Frank had built up an impressive reputation for his work during a nine-year spell at Brentford when he established the modest London club as a Premier League force. But he was unable to repeat that success at Tottenham, where he won just seven of 26 games in the league.
Spurs’ last league win was Dec. 28 and defeat at home to Newcastle extended a ruinous run to one win in 11 in England’s top flight.
Spurs dropped to 16th in the standings on Tuesday and two places above the relegation zone.
Injuries proved costly
Frank was not helped by an extensive injury list that included star players James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Bergvall.
Captain Cristian Romero was also absent against Newcastle after being sent off in the previous game against Manchester United.
Frank said after defeat to Newcastle that he was “convinced” he would still be in charge for the next match against Arsenal later this month.
“If you do something right, you build something that can last,” he said. “Of course, we are not in a top position now. Everyone knows — directors, ownership, myself — what position we are in, what we need to improve and what we need to do better. That is what we are working very hard on.”
Back to the drawing board
Frank is not alone in failing to revive Tottenham. He followed in the footsteps of some of soccer’s top coaches, including Antonio Conte and José Mourinho, who could not bring success to the North London club.
And even when Postecoglou managed to deliver major silverware and a place in the money-spinning Champions League, it wasn’t enough to save his job.
Postecoglou paid the price for a woeful domestic campaign that saw Spurs finish in 17th-place — their lowest since the Premier League was founded in 1992.
League form has also proved costly for Frank, whose team was on fewer points than Postecoglou’s at this stage last year.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
