Thomas Frank replacement decided as Tottenham told to appoint Man Utd flop | Football | Sport

Thomas Frank has been sacked at Tottenham. Last night’s defeat to Newcastle proved the final straw for the Dane, who lost 15 of his 38 matches in charge of the club after being appointed back in June. Spurs linger just above the Premier League relegation zone following their dire 2026 form, which has not yielded a single victory in eight league matches since the turn of the year.

Spurs must now turn their attention to replacing Frank. Just 12 top-flight matches remain this season, but Spurs are also into the Champions League last 16 as they look to salvage what has been a dismal campaign so far. Express Sport picks who the north Londoners should appoint to succeed Frank…

Charlie Malam – Edin Terzic

Of their final 12 league games, Tottenham need four wins to stay up. That would put them on 43 points – no Premier League team has ever gone down with 43 points. The problem is they’ve only won four of their last 20 in the league. On the flipside, that also means it’s a very low bar for the next manager to beat. Mauricio Pochettino would be the dream given he’d immediately rouse the fanbase, but he’s going nowhere before USA’s home World Cup. Xabi Alonso also feels unlikely. But Pochettino returning in late July feels more plausible, so perhaps a short-term gamble on Edin Terzic while Spurs try to sweet-talk Poch into a second spell? The German took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final and has been unattached for 18 months. Keeping Spurs up would be good for his reputation and remind other Premier League clubs of his talents. Maybe the north Londoners could even promise he’ll be a strong contender for the full-time job if he achieves certain goals. His football at Borussia Dortmund was defensively sound which would be a big help ahead of upcoming games like Arsenal at home, Liverpool away and Sunderland away.

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I really do think this squad is suited to Ruben Amorim. Tottenham need a manager who prefers to progress the ball out wide rather than centrally, because none of their midfielders are comfortable dictating play, and Amorim fits that bill. Yes, his Manchester United tenure ended in disaster, but there are very few managers with his kind of resume on the market right now and would be willing to join Spurs. The 3-4-3 that Thomas Frank has employed in recent weeks, to some degree of success, can be fine-tuned by an expert in the system and Amorim can finally get his hands on players that suit it. A host of impressive centre-backs, the likes of Djed Spence, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie (when fit) as indispensable wing-backs, midfielders not asked to control an entire match, a role that suits Xavi Simons to a tee in the front three. It’s an unlikely pairing that just might work.

Amos Murphy – Roberto De Zerbi

Now, this has every chance of ending in disaster, and let’s face it, given Tottenham’s recent luck with managers, it probably will. But Spurs need a bit of personality in the dressing room, someone who will fire the players up and get them playing for the badge again. While it didn’t exactly go to plan at Marseille for the Italian, there were some clear signs of improvement in his first season at the Ligue 1 outfit, and he could prove the ideal match for Spurs right now.

John Heitinga has been linked with the potential vacancy if Frank is axed, but Spurs need somebody with more experience to keep them out of a relegation dogfight. The dream appointment would be Mauricio Pochettino, but he won’t leave the United States before the World Cup in the summer.

In terms of available managers, Xabi Alonso is far too ambitious while the likes of Ruben Amorim and Gareth Southgate shouldn’t even be considered. That leaves Enzo Maresca as perhaps the best choice to save Tottenham from relegation between now and the end of the season, if he can be persuaded.