Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez in the fray to succeed Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur.
Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez in the fray to succeed Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur.
Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez in the fray to succeed Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur
TTottenham Hotspur’s patience with Thomas Frank is wearing increasingly thin, and Saturday’s 2–1 defeat at home to Fulham may have pushed the situation closer to breaking point. What was supposed to be a revitalised, front-foot era under the Dane has instead slipped into predictable patterns: slow starts, stale attacking sequences, and a level of creativity that falls well short of what a club of Spurs’ stature demands. The mood around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has shifted from optimism to anxiety, and internally the board is no longer brushing concerns aside. Now, an “incredible” manager admired by Pep Guardiola is being seriously discussed as a potential replacement.
Tottenham’s issues under Frank were already well documented, but the numbers from recent weeks underline just how concerning the decline has been. Spurs posted an xG of just 0.07 in the North London derby, a record low for any Premier League side this season, and the first half against Fulham wasn’t much better. The team looked blunt, slow, and worryingly lacking in confidence. Even more alarming is the home form: Frank has managed only one Premier League home win all season, a statistic that simply isn’t acceptable for a club with one of the most passionate home crowds in the country. The atmosphere has shifted accordingly, with frustration now the dominant emotion inside the ground.
Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez in the fray to succeed Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur.
Thomas Frank is under pressure a lot.
These performances have triggered discussions at the boardroom level. ENIC, while not yet making a formal move, have begun outlining their contingency plans. There is an acceptance that if results don’t improve in the coming weeks, they will have to make a decisive change. The growing sense is that Frank may be running out of time, and the club must at least be prepared for what comes next.
According to reports from Spain via FootballFancast, Tottenham are seriously evaluating Xavi Hernández as a potential successor. While no formal contact has been made, plans to initiate discussions are already being drawn up. Xavi, who left Barcelona in May 2024, is now ready to return to management, and the Premier League has long appealed to him. Manchester United are also monitoring the situation, but Tottenham believe they could move faster if a vacancy opens in N17.
From Tottenham’s perspective, Xavi fits the profile perfectly. He is an elite-level thinker, a manager who demands technical precision, attacking courage, and clarity of purpose. Pep Guardiola has described him as “incredible, someone who understands the game in ways few people ever will,” and that endorsement carries weight. Xavi’s CV adds further validity, a La Liga title in 2022–23, eight trophies across his managerial career, and a commitment to a fluid 4-3-3 system that presses, dominates possession, and encourages expressive attacking football. For a Spurs side currently lacking identity, those qualities would be transformative.
Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez in the fray to succeed Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur.
Xavi has a proven degree with Barcelona.
Frank, in contrast, has struggled to stamp his ideas with conviction. His game model lacks the sharpness and fluency that defined his Brentford teams, and the squad appears uncertain about its attacking patterns. While Frank has worked hard and attempted to reshape the squad, he has never lifted silverware, and there is now a genuine fear that this project may not progress under his stewardship.
For Spurs, the temptation to pursue a manager like Xavi is obvious. He would immediately raise standards, bring clarity to a disjointed attacking unit, and re-energise a fanbase that has grown tired of seeing sterile, error-prone football. While Tottenham do not enjoy making managerial changes, the club cannot afford to let the season drift. If Frank cannot turn the tide soon, the Guardiola-approved Catalan may well become the next man trusted to carry Spurs forward with a manager who demands high standards could be precisely what this drifting Spurs side needs.
Tottenham are not a club that enjoys sacking managers, but at some point, results force hands and unless Frank engineers a turnaround fast, the Guardiola-approved Catalan might soon be on a flight to North London.