Thomas Frank is under huge pressure for results as the former Brentford manager faces the sack at Tottenham Hotspur
Thomas Frank joined Spurs in summer 2025(Image: Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
FA Cup football has returned to our screens and Tottenham Hotspur have a tough task in round three against fellow Premier League side Aston Villa on Saturday at 5.45pm. Unai Emery’s side are absolutely flying at the moment so Spurs will have a very difficult task, although they are on home turf.
At the helm for Tottenham is former Brentford manager Thomas Frank. He and his team have really struggled to hit form in the league this season and are 14th in the table with only seven wins from 21 games. The boss is under a lot of pressure despite only taking on the role last summer but he believes he has done enough to deserve more time in charge of the club.
Speaking ahead of the Villa game, Frank was asked about the recent struggles. He replied: “Put it this way, would we love to be higher in the table and have more points? 100 per cent. We work hard every single day to make sure we perform well. We want to land in the best possible position at the end of the season.
“We need to look at the FA Cup game, a good opportunity against Villa, a team who is flying in this moment in time. The tournament is very important for the fans, we won it eight times in our history. This is a tough spell, we will get through this.”
Ahead of the cup clash, Mirror Football take a closer look at the man in charge of Spurs.
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Before kick-off against Bournemouth in mid-week, Frank was snapped holding a cup which was emblazoned with the team emblem of rivals Arsenal. For a man already under immense pressure, this didn’t do the Dane any favours.
“I definitely did not notice it,” said Frank after. “It would be completely stupid of me to take it if I knew. It’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked about it. I would never do something that stupid. I think we’re definitely going in the wrong direction if we need to worry about me having a cup with a logo of another club.”
It was an unfortunate game for Spurs, with Bournemouth winning 3-2 thanks to goals from Evanilson, Eli Junior Kroupi and new Manchester City signing Antoine Semenyo.
Thomas Frank holding the Arsenal cup(Image: 2026 Catherine Ivill – AMA)
Wife
Frank is married to Nanna Theil and she has been with him through thick and thin, according to The Athletic. In the early days of their romance, he juggled coaching duties with a psychology degree and when the couple became parents, a decision had to be made whether full-time coaching was the right option for the family going forward.
Nanna studied to become a psychologist and has also worked for the children’s association. Teddy Hebo, chairman of Hvidovre, where Frank previously coached, says she is responsible for his success and has been his strongest supporter. She challenges him and when he “goes a bit wild”, she brings him back down to earth.
Multi-million pound salary
When he first started coaching, Frank earned just £100 for his first job – now he is on a multi-million-pound deal with Spurs. It’s reported that Frank takes home around £8m per year, which makes him the third-highest paid boss in the Premier League.
Frank, despite enduring a difficult period with Spurs right now, turned Brentford into Premier League regulars having joined in 2018.
Now he faces a tough challenge of digging Tottenham out of their current rut.