DAVID ORNSTEIN CONFIRMS THOMAS FRANK SACK IS "MATTER OF WHEN."
Thomas Frank is on borrowed time at Tottenham. Discover the candidates to replace him, from Francesco Farioli to Xabi Alonso.
Thomas Frank’s days at Tottenham look numbered. People around the club say it’s not a question of if he’ll get sacked, but when. And with two new names suddenly in the mix for the manager’s job, things are moving fast.
Tottenham brought in Frank over the summer, hoping he’d steady the ship after Ange Postecoglou’s chaotic run. Sure, Ange ended their 17-year trophy drought, but finishing 17th in the league was enough for Daniel Levy to show him the door.
Frank hasn’t exactly turned things around. He’s managed just 11 wins in 32 games. Now, after Saturday’s embarrassing 2-1 loss at home to West Ham, the mood around the club is rock bottom. On Sunday night, David Ornstein summed it up: Frank’s getting sacked—it’s just a matter of time.
Fraser Fletcher, our guy on the ground, thinks Frank will get a stay of execution, at least until Tuesday’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund. But nobody expects him to last much longer. After the loss to West Ham, Fabrizio Romano said Frank’s “on borrowed time.”
Tottenham tried to back him up last week—brought in John Heitinga (formerly an assistant at Liverpool) to join the coaching staff. They even staged a feel-good photo with Frank and Heitinga. But then came another defeat, and now Frank’s job hangs by a thread.
Romano didn’t sugarcoat it. Frank’s position isn’t safe, and the club’s already talking about what comes next. Internal meetings are happening, and with Champions League football looming, everyone knows the decision is coming soon.
Fletcher says any real shakeup won’t happen until the summer, with Heitinga likely taking over as interim if Frank goes before then. Meanwhile, Tottenham have started looking at fresh options. One is a rising Premier League manager who’s caught their eye with what some call a “rare skill”. The other is Francesco Farioli, the 36-year-old Italian making waves at FC Porto, where he’s won a staggering 86% of his games.
And that’s not all. Sources say Tottenham have also checked in on Xabi Alonso, recently departed from Real Madrid, though he seems to be holding out for a bigger job. Oliver Glasner’s name is in the mix too, but Crystal Palace aren’t letting him go without a fight. Even Xavi Hernandez—yes, the Barcelona legend—has been approached about the role.
So, with all these names flying around, we’ve ranked nine possible candidates for the Tottenham job, from contenders with real credentials to the long shots.
And it’s not just the manager’s seat that’s shaky. There’s trouble brewing on the transfer front, too, with a marquee summer signing now desperate to leave after being pushed to his limit. The drama at Tottenham just keeps coming.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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