Thomas Frank under pressure: Tottenham head coach expected to be in charge against Borussia as the board considers alternatives

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is under ever-increasing pressure in the fight to keep his job. At board level, talks are believed to have taken place regarding Frank’s future after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by West Ham. Tottenham’s hierarchy is exploring alternative options.

Frank to keep job for Champions League match

Thomas Frank is expected to retain his duties as Tottenham head coach for their Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening.

Frank is due to hold a pre-match press conference on Monday as normal ahead of their penultimate group-stage fixture.

Sky Sports News reported on Sunday that Frank is under growing pressure over his position, and Spurs’ bosses are understood to be looking at alternative options after board-level discussions following Saturday’s home disaster against West Ham.

Final decision not yet made

A final decision has not yet been taken, and the long-term plan was always for Frank to lead the team through a difficult transitional period for the club.

Saturday’s defeat reached an unprecedented level of toxicity at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with reports of supporters clashing with each other outside the ground, and a video appearing on social media showing a fan approaching co-owner Vivienne Lewis in a VIP area to voice their view on Frank’s future.

Frank stays positive in a difficult period

Unlike the vast majority of managers who have lost their jobs this season, Frank tried to remain positive, acknowledging that the club is going through a difficult period.

He described his task as trying to turn a “supertanker” around and said the movement had started in the right direction. However, Saturday’s result against relegation-threatened West Ham, who ended a 10-match winless run in the league, did not show that.

Not all the blame lies with the coach

Not all the blame should be placed on Frank. The club is going through a transition phase after the Daniel Levy era, with new captains taking the helm and new staff still adapting across different areas.

Nevertheless, this feels like an important moment for Tottenham, and the hierarchy will carefully consider the next steps before Tuesday’s home Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund.

Booed and heard sack chants – but Frank remains defiant

Under-pressure Frank remained defiant despite loud boos from his own fans, who chanted “you’re getting sacked in the morning” after the 2-1 home defeat by West Ham.

Callum Wilson’s late winner sparked toxic scenes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the South Stand calling for the Dane to be sacked after a run of eight defeats in 14 matches.

On Sunday morning, Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham arrived at the training ground with Frank and the players.

Frank’s reaction to fan criticism

At his post-match press conference, Frank said of the boos and chants: 

“Of course, I’ve probably had better times. I understand – I’m the main one, so the blame will fall on me. That’s fair, no problem with that.

As long as they support the players, do everything possible to back them and inspire them to move forward, we will keep moving forward.”

“Supertanker” turning in the right direction

Frank was surprisingly optimistic at his post-match press conference, comparing his work to turning a “supertanker” around, with Tottenham sitting 14th in the table, 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

Before kick-off, Venkatesham published an open letter in the match programme, touching on several issues, including relations with supporters and transfer policy.

Frank sees positives in the leadership letter

“I saw that letter,” said Frank, “and I took from it six to eight positive points, not negative ones.

What I took from that message is that the club, the executive team led by Vinai, are united and understand that this is a major transition phase, and it’s a supertanker, we are turning in the right direction.

And many positive signs are showing behind the scenes, including some playing metrics.

But, of course, when you lose in the last minute to one of your rivals, in football it’s very emotional and there will be noise.

And that noise we need to leave there, put our heads down and keep going, keep doing the right things.”

Frank also faced questions about team leaks on Friday, but insisted he is not worried.

“We are close to something very good”

The Dane is also convinced his team is “close to something very good” despite a winless start to 2026.

Asked why he deserves more time, Frank replied: 

“If you don’t win enough, we know you don’t get enough support from the fans.

But when we win, it will change, when we start winning again, which will happen. There is no doubt about that. I also think you can look at the performances.

Take the games against Bournemouth, Villa and this game – if the players stopped running or stopped doing anything, didn’t work hard, and we weren’t the team closest to winning, then you could say: OK. But I think the team works very hard.

And I still think, and I know it sounds a bit crazy, that we are closer to something very good than further away from it.”

Coach feels trust from the board

He added: 

“I can promise that I sit here and give everything every day.

I feel trust from everyone, and there is only one way – to keep moving.”

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