Thomas Frank Reportedly Considered Just One Spurs Player Capable of Playing for a Top-Level Side
Thomas Frank was dismissed on Wednesday after just eight months at the helm of Tottenham Hotspur.
According to fresh reports emerging in the aftermath of his departure, Frank privately felt that only one Spurs player — Pedro Porro — was capable of playing for a “truly elite European side.”
The decision to sack the 52-year-old came after a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle, extending Tottenham’s winless Premier League streak to eight matches. Frank, who arrived last July following an impressive spell at Brentford, had managed just two victories in his last 17 league games when the club opted to make a change.
In an official statement, Spurs insisted they were “determined” to give Frank time and backing to shape the team long-term, but declining results and performances ultimately forced what they described as a “necessary” decision.
Since his exit, more details about his tenure have surfaced. One report claimed sections of the squad grew frustrated with his repeated focus on Arsenal, the league leaders.
“He kept bringing up Arsenal to the players and they quickly grew tired of it,” a source told The Telegraph. “Even around the Emirates fixture, before and after, he went on about how strong Arsenal were. Some players were basically thinking, ‘enough about Arsenal.’”
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Frank did not hold an especially high opinion of his squad’s overall level. It’s claimed he believed only right-back Pedro Porro had the quality to feature for a genuinely elite European club. The report also referenced Spurs’ failure to secure key transfer targets such as Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze as a source of frustration.
Interestingly, before taking over at Spurs, Frank had openly praised Porro while still Brentford manager. After a 2-0 loss to Tottenham in February last year, he compared the Spaniard to former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“I know they haven’t had their best season, but look at their team,” Frank said at the time. “Just their front three — plenty of clubs would take them without hesitation.
“The midfield of Kulusevski, Bentancur and Bissouma is very, very, very strong at Premier League level.
“And even though they’ve had issues at centre-back, Gray and Ben Davies were excellent against us.”
He added: “Porro is outstanding at right-back. He has Trent-like qualities going forward. And Spence has also done very well.”
