Thomas Frank has departed Tottenham Hotspur.placeholder image
Thomas Frank has departed Tottenham Hotspur. | Getty Images
A Tottenham managerial candidate has now become available amid the sacking of Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank has been sacked by Tottenham Hotspur after a dismal run of form left the Lilywhites 16th in the Premier League table, just five points above the bottom three.
Spurs have not won a domestic fixture in 2026 and the last straw for the Dane was a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United on Tuesday night, which saw boos ring around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at full-time, not for the first time.
Despite a previous desire to stand by Frank and give him an opportunity to turn things around, the Spurs board are believed to have decided his position had become untenable. Frank claimed post-match on Tuesday night that he was “convinced” he would remain in the role for their next match, at home to Arsenal in 11 days’ time.
Amidst the vacancy in north London, a previous managerial target has now become available and has seen links with Spurs come to the fore once again.
Roberto De Zerbi departs Marseille by mutual agreement
Roberto De Zerbi departed Marseille by ‘mutual agreement’ on Tuesday night, following a latest poor result in a 5-0 defeat at PSG. The French giants are sat fourth in Ligue 1 after 21 matches played, 12 points off the top, and were eliminated from the Champions League after a 3-0 thumping at Club Brugge saw them finish 25th in the league table.
Relayed by The Standard, a club statement by Marseille read: “Olympique de Marseille and Roberto De Zerbi, coach of the first team, have announced the end of their collaboration by mutual agreement.
“Following discussions between all stakeholders in the club's management-the owner, president, director of football, and coach - it was decided to make a change at the helm of the first team. Olympique de Marseille would like to thank Roberto De Zerbi for his dedication, commitment, professionalism, and seriousness, which were particularly evident in the team's second-place finish in the 2024-25 season. The club wishes him all the best for the rest of his career.”
Will De Zerbi take over as next Spurs head coach?
The links between De Zerbi and the Tottenham job are only natural, given the Italian’s previous success with Brighton, and had emerged prior to the publicising of Frank’s sacking at around 10am on Wednesday morning.
Tottenham’s dream successor to Frank is believed to be Mauricio Pochettino, but the Argentine is currently in work with the USA men’s national team and is set to lead them into a home World Cup this summer. It is, therefore, unlikely to envisage him being available until August at the earliest. Short-term options such as Robbie Keane have also been linked.
De Zerbi led Brighton to sixth place in the Premier League in 2022/23 and was reportedly interviewed by Spurs before they opted for Ange Postecoglou. The 46-year-old had a mixed time at Marseille but will only have seen his standing within the game increase after a role at one of Europe’s biggest clubs. De Zerbi would undoubtedly demand a long-term contract, and is unlikely to accept being a short-term fix ahead of the return of Pochettino – so the Spurs hierarchy have a decision to make over whether to make a play for the Italian this time around.
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