Signed his own successor? CL coach and top club in chaos | OneFootball

Niko Kovac doesn't even want to look. "We have to ignore it," demanded the Dortmund coach ahead of today's encounter with Tottenham Hotspur. The statement is initially surprising. After all, the Champions League duel is crucial for both teams. But things are going so poorly for the Spurs at the moment that BVB must force themselves not to underestimate the opponent.

The statistical horror cabinet of the Londoners is vast: in 2026, they haven't won a game in five attempts. In the Premier League, the Spurs are in 14th place, even though the club is financially competitive. Over the last five seasons, the reigning Europa League champion has spent the fifth most on new players in league comparison, and only five teams pay higher salaries.

But money doesn't score goals - at least not when investments are on hold. Tottenham is currently plagued by a rampant wave of injuries. Up to 14 players are out. Coach Thomas Frank sees it pragmatically: "We basically have eleven of our field players from the first team available for the game," he gave an unintentionally clear insight into his expected starting lineup.

It fits the unlucky image that Frank currently presents. Just last summer, the Dane was pried away from Brentford, where he had built a reputation as a coach who makes a lot out of little with clever decisions. In the capital, the opposite is happening to him right now.

Amid the sporting crisis, a simple cup of coffee finally shook his coaching position. Before the game against AFC Bournemouth on January 7, which was also lost, Frank consumed the caffeinated hot beverage from a container printed with the logo of rival FC Arsenal.

The result was a shitstorm on social media, leaving parts of the fanbase believing that fresh wind was needed on the coaching bench. Paradoxically, the criticized coach shared this view.

With John Heitinga, the Spurs appointed a new assistant coach last Thursday. The former defender was recently the head coach at Ajax Amsterdam. "It was a process we went through together. Of course, I was significantly involved," assured the beleaguered Frank upon the appointment of his assistant. Has he appointed his own successor?

Club boss Vinai Venkatesham did not contradict this view at least. A day after Heitinga's appointment, the experienced businessman published a public letter with an "update" for the fans. That alone doesn't sound like "we're continuing as before." However, Venkatesham did not fail to mention that the coaching team had been "strengthened" with Heitinga to maximize performance.

This fits with the reporting of insider David Ornstein, who claims to have learned that Frank is only a placeholder on the Spurs' coaching bench and that it's not a question of if he will be dismissed, but when. Even a victory against Dortmund will not save his job.

Frank has long realized that the wind in the northeast of the English capital is currently blowing against him. "I am full of energy, I fight," the 52-year-old recently resorted to rallying cries. But he might be standing alone with his fighting spirit.

Because Ornstein also reports that "many players" are dissatisfied with the work of their superior, and the fans unmistakably expressed their displeasure after the recent last-minute defeat against West Ham. Somehow, a makeshift team is supposed to turn things around tonight, with Frank voluntarily leaving out a hopeful player.

📸 Luke Walker - 2026 Getty Images

In the squad nomination, he chose Dominic Solanke instead of former Bayern player Mathys Tel. As in Munich, the Frenchman has already proven this season that he can be valuable to his team. With three PL goals so far, he is the second most reliable scorer on the team. Solanke has not yet scored this season, partly because he was recently sidelined with an ankle injury.

Nevertheless, his starting role tonight is virtually unavoidable. Perhaps the strong home record in European competitions gives the Spurs and Frank some courage. They have been unbeaten there for 23 games, and in the last three of these matches, they even kept a clean sheet. If this series ends, Frank will run out of arguments - and for the Spurs, the chaos could then really escalate.

Advancement in the Champions League would be acutely threatened, and the next opponents in the Premier League are Burnley, Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Arsenal. It is highly questionable whether Thomas Frank will still be allowed to watch from close up or if he, like BVB coach Kovac, will prefer to ignore the acutely relegation-threatened situation at the Spurs.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 ADRIAN DENNIS - AFP or Licensors