Tottenham Hotspur's sacking of Thomas Frank allows them to get one over on rivals Arsenal before the North London Derby with who they appoint as their next head coach.
Matthew Abbott
13:45, 11 Feb 2026
Thomas Frank reaching out with his hand.
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Thomas Frank's sacking came hours after Roberto De Zerbi left Marseille.(Image: PA)
Tottenham Hotspur replacing Thomas Frank with Roberto De Zerbi would rub salt in Arsenal's wounds after they loaned Ethan Nwaneri to Marseille so the 18-year-old could work with their now-departed head coach.
De Zerbi left the Ligue 1 club by mutual consent, hours before Spurs sacked Frank. The former Brighton and Hove Albion boss exits barely four months after Marseille snapped-up Nwaneri on loan for the rest of this season.
At the time of writing, odds are shortening right across the board for De Zerbi to become Spurs' next permanent manager. Next up for Tottenham is the North London Derby.
Nwaneri will not feature in that fixture, but De Zerbi could be on the side-line. The Italian's potential presence on the side-lines at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for that match so soon after agreeing to develop Arsenal's teenage midfielder would surely sting.
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Mikel Arteta said - right after loaning out Nwaneri: "Roberto [De Zerbi] is there and he's an incredible developer of young talent and he's a really courageous manager in the way he plays. The way he plays with young talent as well, and he has a big track record in that.
"I think it fits the way of playing for the qualities that we want to see for Ethan. It's going to be a great experience for him."
Nwaneri similarly spoke highly of De Zerbi. He said after joining the French side on loan: "Roberto De Zerbi is one of the best coaches in the world."
Steven Gerrard also waxed lyrical about the move. He said on TNT Sports: "I think Mikel Arteta is being extremely clever here as he's sending him to De Zerbi, who has a track record for improving players.
The pundit concluded: "The experience he gets from this will make him a better player. Without a doubt, De Zerbi will make him a better player. As a coach, he is box office."
Joe Hart was also in agreement. He said about Nwaneri: "He's going to get a great opportunity to go to a club like Marseille, you know about the atmosphere there, working with a great coach in Roberto De Zerbi."
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Nwaneri played just four times under the Italian coach - all as a starter. The teenager scored on debut against Lens, a goal assisted by former Spurs midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Mason Greenwood replaced the loanee just before the hour-mark in that match. Marseille led 2-0 at that time, in a game they went on to win 3-1.
However, that was the last Ligue 1 match they won. Nwaneri was ineligible to play in their next fixture four days later, when Club Brugge beat them 3-0 to miss out on a place in the Champions League knockout stage.
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Nwaneri came straight back in for their following league game and was withdrawn midway through the second half with the team 2-0 up away against Paris FC. However, they would draw that match 2-2, after a 92nd-minute equaliser from the penalty spot.
The teenager kept his place for their French Cup match against Rennes, which they won 3-0. Nwaneri, however, was substituted at half-time.
He was also hooked at the break last weekend when Marseille were 2-0 down against Paris Saint-Germain. They lost that match 5-0, which turned out to be De Zerbi's last in charge.