Thomas Frank sacked: Tottenham count cost of £6.7m compensation payout
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Thomas Frank less than eight months after paying £6.7m in compensation to poach him from Premier League rivals Brentford.
Frank’s departure comes after Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Newcastle on Tuesday night, a result that left them just two places and five points above the relegation zone.
The compensation paid to Brentford was revealed in the west London club’s annual accounts, which were published on Companies House this week.
The Danish coach was less than a year into a three-year contract reported to be worth £8m a year, meaning Tottenham will have to pay Frank further compensation for his dismissal.
It comes hours after he told media following the Newcastle defeat that he expected to stay in his post.
“Everyone knows – directors, ownership, myself – what position we are in, what we need to improve and what we need to do better. That is what we are working very hard on,” he said.
Tottenham relegation fears cost Frank
Boos have become commonplace at recent Tottenham home matches, while Frank had become a target for fans’ discontent following a woeful run of form.
“I understand the frustration and the easiest thing is to point at me. That’s part of the job, unfortunately,” he said.
“I will work day and night to turn this around but it is not just one person. There is no doubt we need to improve and I need to be part of that.”
Asked if he felt like his job was under threat, Frank said he had been reassured by the club’s ownership. “I spoke to them yesterday, so no,” he told TNT Sports.
Frank had survived thanks in part to Tottenham’s good performances in the Champions League, where they finished fourth of 36 teams in the league phase.
But worries about their slide down the Premier League table amid a winless run in the top flight stretching back to last year ultimately proved too much to bear.
Predecessor Ange Postecoglou also found that European performances were not enough to mitigate occupying the table’s lower reaches when he was sacked last summer.