Thomas Frank faces the most important game of his Tottenham tenure on Saturday.
A home defeat against relegation-threatened London rivals West Ham, 18th in the table and on a 10-game winless run in the Premier League, would be completely unthinkable for Frank.
And while West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is also under enormous pressure, Sky Sports’ Tim Sherwood labeled it ‘El Sackico’.
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Tim Sherwood discusses whether Thomas Frank could be at risk if Tottenham lose to West Ham on Saturday.
But Frank’s press conference on Thursday gave no impression that his job would be at risk if Spurs lose to the Hammers.
In fact, the last few days seemed to have brought some good news to the Dane.
And I got the impression he’d been told he’d at least have an upcoming game to turn this around. Even until the end of the season.
This felt like a press conference in August or September, when things were rosy for Frank. His answer on Thursday was long, he smiled throughout, and had an air of defiance.
And why hasn’t Frank had a positive week ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash?
On Wednesday he received a “best signing” from Conor Gallagher following his £34m move from Atletico Madrid.
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Thomas Frank has reacted to Tottenham’s signing of Conor Gallagher, praising his character and leadership abilities, saying this is exactly what the club needs.
And two announcements came a day later. Frank has hired John Heitinga as his new first-team assistant coach, while at board level Carlos Raphael ‘Rafi’ Moersen has been appointed Director of Football Operations in a newly created role.
My understanding is that Raffi is not Fabio Paratici’s replacement after the joint sporting director’s departure was confirmed on Wednesday at the end of the January transfer window.
Raffi will work closely with sporting director Johan Lange in what Tottenham believe is a modern, high-performance football structure and will be monitored to see if Paratici can be replaced.
Can Frank win the hearts of his fans?
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The Sunday Supplement panel discusses Frank’s future at Spurs.
So there was another change at Spurs. Frank will be hoping for more change on Saturday – the mood of the fans.
The Boos were whistled for full-time once again after last Saturday’s FA Cup third round home defeat to Aston Villa.
The defeat was Tottenham’s seventh in their last 13 games and Frank’s side were winless in 2026.
This is why most fans don’t accept Frank. Some fans were frustrated with his defensive style, while others were angry at what he said in his press conference. Arsenal Cup mistakes at Bournemouth didn’t help either.
Thomas Frank was seen drinking from the Arsenal Cup before the defeat to Bournemouth.
But even before a ball is kicked on Saturday, there may be frustration over the planned protests. Of course, it would be interesting to see Gallagher attend these protests following his signing.
What is certain is that if things go wrong against their relegation-threatened London rivals, the toxic Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be a huge headache for Frank.
The Lewis family and CEO Vinai Venkatesham will be in attendance, and if they notice the crowd’s unhappiness, there could be real trouble.
Frank knows that only an offensive victory will appease his detractors.
Does Frank deserve the pressure?
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Paul Merson believes it’s Spurs’ players who are underperforming, not Frank.
After the Villa defeat, Frank looked like a man under pressure.
But I have sympathy for the 52-year-old because this squad isn’t good enough.
If Tottenham were to sell all their players right now, perhaps only Mickey van der Ven and Christian Romero would go to bigger clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona.
However, some fans believe the team is better than 14th in the Premier League.
The problem for Frank is that key members of this squad – James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke – are all missing, with only Solanke having just returned from injury.
There are a lot of changes happening around Frank at the club, including the shock exit of Daniel Levy in September.
This week has been evidence of a new era at Tottenham and perhaps Frank needs to pick up some slack following the dramatic revolution.
But what Frank can control is the style of football, which has naturally served to put pressure on him.
A better, free-flowing Spurs with the shackles removed will help the former Brentford manager turn things around.
But ultimately, Frank will want to win what many would call a make-or-break game on Saturday.
