Tottenham Hotspur are widely reported to be considering replacing Thomas Frank.
The former Brentford man only moved to the north London outfit in the summer, but has so far failed to inspire any significant improvement from Ange Postecoglou’s reign.
Executives at Spurs are now reportedly raising the question of whether to dispense with the Dane.
Tottenham Hotspur line up Thomas Frank replacement
So far, Spurs have managed just seven Premier League wins in their first 22 games this season under Frank, accruing six draws and nine losses, which leaves them 14th in the table.
They’ve also bowed out of both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, and are outside of the automatic qualification places in the Champions League league phase as things stand.
That has led some decision-makers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to question Frank’s future at the club, and one potential successor has already emerged.
According to Dutch site AD, Spurs’ assistant manager, John Heitinga, is “at the top of the list of candidates” as a potential temporary successor.
The 42-year-old only joined Frank’s backroom team last week, but has senior experience with Ajax, the club that sacked him earlier this season after a run of poor results.
Heitinga has also spent time in the setups at West Ham United and Liverpool, the latter of which he actually took charge of a game, a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, with Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff both suspended.
That experience, and his years with Everton during his playing career, give the former Dutch international a strong knowledge of the Premier League, which makes him such a strong candidate to take the reins from Frank should he be sacked.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Heitinga would undoubtedly be front of the queue to try and steady the ship after any Frank departure.
In fact, the move to bring Heitinga in itself may be cause for concern for Frank, as he has no past relationship with the Dutchman and his Premier League and first-team experience are ominous qualities in the circumstances.
It is, on the face of it, a coaching-team recruit, but it would have escaped the attention of Tottenham’s powerbrokers that he comes with strong senior experience.
Spurs face Borussia Dortmund and Burnley this week, in what could prove to be a crucial few days for Frank’s future.
