Tottenham Hotspur's hopes for stability - let alone success - have come a cropper this season, with dreadful form in the Premier League leading to a relegation scrap.
Out of both domestic cups, Thomas Frank will take a small sliver of solace from his side's strong Champions League form; it is probably the only reason he is still in a job.
Tottenham - First 25 PL Games (24/25 vs 25/26)
24/25
10
2
13
49
37
12th
Data via Transfermarkt
Ange Postecoglou met more than his share of criticism last season, and he was sacked at the end of the title-winning campaign. That decision was probably just, but things haven't improved, and Frank's future is becoming untenable.
Where Spurs are at after Newcastle defeat
Frank's frosty post-match interview offered a glimpse into the staggering pressure on the manager's back. Tottenham are in deep bother, 16th in the Premier League and only five points ahead of West Ham in the relegation zone.
Tottenham were far too passive throughout the game, especially during the first 45. In the duel, they were weak, slower than the Magpies. The away side's opener emphasised this.
Frank's side were outdone in regard to attacking intent, but they also won 17 tackles to Newcastle's 23; they lost 54% of the duels they contested.
As usual, numerous stars flattered to deceive, with Yves Bissouma at the epicentre of the woes once again - until the 29-year-old was taken off at half-time.
Bissouma stands as an encapsulation of Tottenham's struggles in the centre of the park, but he's certainly not the only one whose future cannot align with a successful upcoming period at Tottenham.
Bissouma-Spurs
But with Bissouma out of contract this summer, his departure feels inevitable. There's another member of Frank's first team who still has plenty of gas in the tank, but needs to be sold all the same.
The Spurs star who needs to be sold this summer
Bissouma is an untrustworthy centre-midfielder, but he's not the only one, with Radu Dragusin unable to inspire confidence in the suspended Cristian Romero's place, and perhaps showing shades of one-time servant Serge Aurier against Newcastle.
Radu Dragusin for Tottenham
The Ivory Coast international, now in the autumn of his career, ebbed and flowed across his career in north London, technically gifted and athletic but prone to lapses in discipline and rash moments that let his team down.
Indeed, Aurier was often in the headlines during his days as a Lilywhite, a talented and combative right-back who lacked composure and discipline and intuitiveness in key moments.
Dragusin is a centre-back, and perhaps not so erratic, but the 24-year-old isn't performing to the expected standard at Tottenham, and with five yellow cards and one red across only 42 appearances, he's got much to improve.
Injured for most of 2025 with a knee injury, Dragusin is fit once again but unable to produce the goods, as his recent effort against Newcastle showed.
Given that he was touted for a return to Italy during the January transfer window, kept at Spurs due to a lack of depth, it's unlikely that he will continue to forge his career at the club if he puts in further performances such as this one against United.
Radu Dragusin vs Newcastle
Match Stats
Minutes played
Goals conceded
Touches
Accurate passes
Possession lost
Tackles
Interceptions
Clearances
Ground duels won
Aerial duels won
Fouls
Data via Sofascore
To have won only four of 11 contested duels is simply not good enough, and his persistent drawing of fouls stifled Spurs in their build-up play that was non-existent anyway.
It was for these reasons that football.london were so critical of his error-strewn display and gave him a 4/10 match rating, carelessly conceding the free-kick that led to Newcastle's opener and lacking the mobility and instinctive defending of Micky van de Ven and Romero.
Dragusin-Spurs
Romero might come across as a hot-headed liability at times, but he's a terrific footballer and his presence at the back makes such a difference.
Dragusin is neither of them, and with Spurs in such dire need of major surgery, it's looking more and more unlikely that Dragusin will be given a long-term shot at forging a career down N17. There are too many mistakes in him, much like Aurier.
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Thomas Frank is being let down by one of his most important players at Spurs.