^ ^ Next Tottenham manager odds as Thomas Frank insists his job is safe

Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side are floundering in 16th in the Premier League (Picture: Getty Images)

As Tottenham slide further towards a relegation battle, the pressure is mounting on Thomas Frank and attention turning to who could replace him as Spurs boss.

A 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle on Tuesday night was the latest disappointment on the lilywhite half of north London.

It was the 11th Premier League defeat of the season for Frank’s side and they sit 16th in the table after 26 games.

West Ham remain in the relegation zone after their draw with Manchester United on Tuesday, 18th in the able and five points behind Spurs.

With Wolves and Burnley both cut adrift at the bottom and Nottingham Forest also mired in a relegation scrap, Tottenham remain unlikely to go down, but it is not out of the question.

The situation is remarkable given they won the Europa League last season and have eased through the Champions League group stage this campaign, heading into the last 16 of the competition.

Although, perhaps less remarkable when considered they won the Europa League while finishing 17th in the top flight under Ange Postecoglou.

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Defeat to Newcastle on Tuesday was the latest blow for Frank (Picture: Getty Images)

With Spurs already out of the FA Cup, their next game comes against Arsenal on February 22 and there are question marks over whether Frank will still be in charge then.

After being booed off by his own fans on Tuesday, he was asked by TNT Sports if his job is under threat and Frank said: ‘I spoke to them [the owners] yesterday, so no.

‘I understand the frustration and the easiest thing is to point at me. That’s part of the job unfortunately.

‘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.’

Who is favourite to be next Tottenham manager?

It is a familiar face who the bookmakers expect to be the next permanent manager of Tottenham, with Mauricio Pochettino the favourite for the role.

Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to leave USA before the summer (Picture: Getty Images)

Currently in charge of USA, the 53-year-old was Spurs boss from 2014-19, reaching the Champions League final in his final year at the club.

The Argentine has regularly been linked with a return since his departure, going on to manage PSG, Chelsea and now internationally since he left.

Pochettino is not expected to leave his job with USA before the summer’s World Cup, which could mean Frank holds on till then, or a caretaker gets the role till the end of the season.

Next permanent Tottenham manager odds

• Mauricio Pochettino 6/4
• Roberto De Zerbi 7/4
• Xavi Hernandez 6/1
• Robbie Keane 6/1
• Ruben Amorim 10/1
• Xabi Alonso 12/1
• Oliver Glasner 12/1
• Enzo Maresca 20/1
• Michael Carrick 25/1
• Marco Silva 25/1

Also believed to be in contention for the job at Tottenham is former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, who has just left his job at Marseille.

The Italian left the Ligue 1 side after exiting the Champions League at the group stage and recently being walloped 5-0 by PSG.

The 46-year-old is highly regarded, though, and has also been linked with the Manchester United job.

Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros are top of the Hungarian top flight (Picture: Getty Images)

Tottenham hero Robbie Keane, who is currently in charge of Hungarian side Ferencvaros, is also considered a possibility, as is former Barcelona boss Xavi.

Sacked Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is also among the favourites, followed by Xabi Alonso and Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner.

The gap between defeat to Newcastle and the visit of Arsenal could prove fatal for Frank, with the Spurs board having time to act.

Tottenham's next five Premier League fixtures

Sun Feb 22: Arsenal (h)
Sun Mar 01: Fulham (a)
Thu Mar 05: Crystal Palace (h)
Sun 15 Mar: Liverpool (a)
Sun 22 Mar: Nottingham Forest (h)

Frank told BBC Radio 5 Live on Tuesday night: ‘I understand the frustration. It has been building up a little bit – last season it was similar playing in Europe and the Premier League.

‘We need to be resilient, mentally and physically. I am 100 per cent sure that it is a team effort, and it is not only one person. We are all aligned and we know what needs to be done.’

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^ ^ Paul Merson makes worrying Chelsea prediction after Leeds United collapse

Chelsea blew a two-goal lead against Leeds United (Picture: TNT Sports)

Paul Merson fears Chelsea face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League after Liam Rosenior’s side threw away a two-goal lead against Leeds United.

The Blues looked on course to make up ground in the race to cement a top five position in the Premier League when Cole Palmer’s penalty doubled their lead at Stamford Bridge.

In-form Joao Pedro had set Rosenior’s side on their in the opening period but Chelsea undid all their good work in a crazy six minute spell after the break.

Lukas Nmecha’s spot kick drew Leeds back into the contest, before an almighty defensive mix-up saw Noah Okafor bundle home an equaliser that could well prove crucial in Leeds’ fight to beat the drop.

Chelsea did manage to fashion one gilt-edged chance to snatch victory but Cole Palmer, unbelievably, fired over from almost underneath the crossbar.

That setback, coupled with Manchester United’s last-gasp equaliser against West Ham, represented a missed opportunity for Chelsea who now face a daunting run of fixtures.

Just as worryingly for Merson, the former England international believes that for all the sparking attacking play under Maresca, this current Chelsea side are still far too inexperienced and brittle when put under any semblance of pressure.

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Stamford Bridge in disbelief 😲Cole Palmer misses from point blank range in stoppage time…@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/R31B8LKnsR

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 10, 2026

He told Sky Sports: ‘Chelsea haven’t changed from when Maresca was there. They can’t put a 90 minute performance together. They were brilliant first half, they were like the Harlem Globe Trotters. Palmer, Santos, Ezno Fernandez, Perdro, the movement with Estevao.

‘Second half out again brilliant then all of a sudden that happened. They haven’t got that experience when it goes 2-1 and then 2-2 the next 15 minutes were wasted.

‘They haven’t got anyone to grab the game or tell the players to calm down and we’ll get another chance. They got one and it fell to Palmer and side footed it over the bar it happens to the best.

‘Chelsea have got some very, very difficult fixutres after the next one. It’s going to be a real big fight for them. If Chelsea can get in the Champions League positions after the run-in they’ve got I’ll hold by hands up and say fair play.’

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Rosenior, meanwhile, admitted it was a ‘bitter pill to swallow’ having been so in control of what had been a one-sided contest.

‘Two key moments in the game that we don’t take care of,’ said Rosenior. ‘We don’t stay calm. How the play gets there, we make a few poor decisions in the way we press and we give away a penalty.

‘I can’t remember Leeds having a shot or a moment in the game. Some of our football in possession, our press and our energy was everything I wanted to see. That makes it even more of a bitter pill to swallow that we haven’t won the game.’

Leeds’ equaliser owed as much to Bogle’s tenacity in outmuscling Chelsea’s defence as it did to the Blues’ own hesitancy in dealing with the danger, though Rosenior believed his team should have had a free-kick.

Chelsea's upcoming fixtures

Hull City (A) – FA Cup – Friday, February 13

Burnley (H) – Premier League – Saturday, February 21

Arsenal (A) – Premier League – Sunday, March 1

Aston Villa (A) – Premier League – Wednesday, March 4

Newcastle United (H) – Premier League – Saturday, March 14

‘The lad handballs it,’ he said. ‘It affects my players in that moment, they think it’s a handball, they switch off, we don’t clear the ball and they score. Then for 25 minutes it was wave after wave of attack.’

Under Rosenior there have been encouraging signals of a more dynamic approach to possession that has made Chelsea more threatening, and here again the ball moved with urgency, particularly through midfield where his side constantly seemed to outnumber Leeds.

In the end, it counted for little as old frailties were once more brought to the fore.

‘We have to make sure we take care of moments and be professional,’ said Rosenior. ‘It’s not about reacting to setbacks. You’re always going to have a spell in they game when you’re not on top.

‘The ridiculous thing for us is that they’ve managed to score two goals in a five-minute period when for the other 90 minute we were by far the better team.’

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^ ^ Nicky Butt makes Man Utd title prediction as Paul Scholes questions Arsenal

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt (Picture: YouTube)

Nicky Butt has backed Manchester United to challenge for the Premier League next season following their resurgence under caretaker boss Michael Carrick.

United have won four games in a row under former midfielder Carrick to climb into the Champions League spots.

Butt says qualifying for the Champions League can propel his former club to even greater heights next season, claiming a Premier League title challenge might not be far away.

One of the reasons Butt is bullish about United’s title prospects is the fact he cannot see any of their rivals ‘dominating’ over the next few years.

Arsenal are on course to lift the Premier League trophy for the first time in 22 years under Mikel Arteta, currently sitting six points ahead of second-placed Manchester City, but Butt says the Gunners do not possess the same fear factor as some former champions.

Asked by fellow Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes if he believed Manchester United could challenge for the title next season, Butt said on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast: ‘Yeah, if they get the right players in I think they could, yeah.

‘But that’s more a reflection on the other teams that are around. It’s not two amazing teams fighting for the title and United are right underneath them.

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Man Utd are enjoying a resurgence under Michael Carrick (Picture: Getty)

‘I said a few months ago that we’re five or six years off winning the league because it’s a plan you need to go through. So I sound like a d*** saying we can challenge next season but I just can’t see any of the other teams running away with it.

‘We’ve spoken about Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool – there’s no team there that you can guarantee are going to dominate the Premier League now.

‘There’s no team that look like dominating for the next ten years. Arsenal don’t scare me… they are a great team and have a great squad but they don’t put the fear into other teams like Man City did or Arsenal and United did back in the day.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are favourites for the title (Picture: Getty)

‘If you asked me this question two months ago I would have said no but now it looks like we’re going to get back into the Champions League.

‘That means your target audiences for players is a lot bigger and you’re going to get better players with more quality.

‘If they get back into the Champions League and then get their recruitment right, I think United will have a chance, yeah.’

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Scholes cannot see Arsenal ‘dominating’ in the Premier League either despite looking likely to lift the trophy for the first time since 2004.

‘You’ve got to do it over a season but if you look at the last few weeks, Man United have beat the two teams who are challenging for the title,’ he said.

‘I don’t see Arsenal dominating. You don’t see mind-blowing performances from them, do you?

Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes (Picture: Getty)

‘You know when a team is special – you looked at Man City under Pep Guardiola and thought, “how do we beat them?”

‘I’m not looking at Arsenal and thinking they’re miles ahead of everyone and they’re going to win the league for the next few years. I just don’t see that dominance from Arsenal.

‘We saw Liverpool win the league last year with that team and then they go and spend £450m and you think, “f****** hell, Liverpool could win the league for the next five years, they’re going to be dominant.”

‘And look what’s happened to them. Football is funny like that, things can change quite quickly.’

Arsenal beat Sunderland 3-0 last time out and return to Premier League action on Thursday night against London rivals Brentford.

The Gunners’ lead at the top of the table could be cut to just three points by the time they make the trip to west London as Manchester City play host to Fulham the previous evening.

The Premier League trophy will be changing hands this season as defending champions Liverpool have endured a shocking title defence, slipping to sixth in the table.

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^ ^ Eni Aluko says Ian Wright should ‘sacrifice’ his job on TV for her

Eni Aluko reveals she called on Ian Wright to help her get more punditry work with ITV (90s Baby Show)

Eni Aluko has called on Ian Wright to give up his job as a pundit in women’s football in order for her to get more opportunities on TV.

Speaking on the 90s Baby Show podcast last week, Aluko doubled down on her criticism of Wright’s involvement in the women’s game and hit out at ITV for not including her as a pundit for England’s win over Spain in the Euro 2025 final last summer.

Aluko had initially criticised Wright during an interview on BBC’s Woman’s Hour last April when she accused the former Arsenal and England striker of ‘blocking’ opportunities for female broadcasters on television and said that he is ‘dominating’ women’s football.

The 38-year-old subsequently issued an apology to Wright, which he did not accept.

In the second part of her appearance on the 90s Baby Show podcast which was released on Monday, Aluko accused Wright of not being an ‘ally’ and claims he ignored her plea to scale back his work for ITV in women’s football.

‘ITV, at the end of the men’s Euros, came to me and said we can’t extend your contract,’ Aluko said.

Eni Aluko has accused Ian Wright of ‘dominating’ the women’s game (Getty)

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‘I met with Ian’s agent, I had a face-to-face coffee with him. I met with him and said: ‘Listen, this is the situation, I can’t believe this is happening.’ I said: ‘They’ve told me that Ian is the priority, they’ve told me that his contract is the priority for them, and they’ve also said to me when Ian is not available, you might get a call-up.’

‘So I said, ‘how can we work together so I can stay in the game? How can we work together when Ian is not available, you give me a call or what can we do?’.

‘This is what I think black people should do, at the highest levels we need to strategise, we need to really help each other. We can get sidelined very quickly. I went to him and I was vulnerable, I said: ‘Listen, I need your help, I need Ian’s influence.’

‘I had that meeting with his agent, a month went by and I was like ‘what’s going on?’ so I messaged him and said: ‘Did you manage to have a chat with ITV?’ He was very dismissive, didn’t really want to help me, was a bit like: ‘Listen, it’s not going to work.’

‘I fully expected Ian to use his influence to keep me in the game. I’ve seen him do it with others, he did it with Gary Lineker at the BBC.

Eni Aluko has accused Ian Wright of not being an ‘ally’ (Getty)

‘There’s nothing that would make me think he wouldn’t do that for me, because you’re the ally, you’re ‘Uncle’. So the question to you is, why didn’t he do that for me? I say all this to say, you don’t want to help me, you don’t want to use your influence, you don’t want to be an ally for me in the most difficult time in my career and that’s fine, that’s cool.

‘But nine months later, when I’ve been off screen and I’ve seen that you’re doing the games and you’ve cracked on, the fact of the matter is you have the level of influence to say: ‘I don’t need to do every game, what Eni means to women’s football is much more important than me doing all of these games. Eni is one of the main characters of women’s football, I know that this is bigger for her. It’s going to be harder for her to get this opportunity in men’s football.’

‘That’s what I expect from an ally – sacrifice. You can’t have it both ways, you can’t have this brand that says ally, that’s not my experience of you. When it comes down to it, you never really tried.’

Laura Woods described Eni Aluko’s views as ‘damaging’ (Getty)

Aluko has also issued a response to ITV presenter Laura Woods, who described Aluko’s suggestion that women’s football should only hire female broadcasters as ‘one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard’.

‘I respect Laura’s opinion as I have always done,’ Aluko said in a statement to Daily Mail Sport.

‘For 11 years I have worked alongside the likes of Laura and all those considered the best pundits in the game. It’s therefore clear I was considered one of the best too if I was part of the same punditry team.

‘No one who has ever hired me as a pundit has said I wasn’t good enough or did not have all the attributes Laura referred to. Quite the contrary. I believe that women’s football should prioritise women as the faces of the sport – it’s as simple as that.

‘I think women should be the dominant force in the women’s game in the same way that men are the dominant force in the men’s game. That means men should play more of a supporting role.

‘No one is saying any man should be excluded but the roles do need to be defined. That’s all I’m saying – and people are quite free to disagree whilst respecting my right to an opinion too.’

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^ ^ John Terry sends blunt message to Arsenal after Man City comeback against Liverpool

Erling Haaland scored Man City’s dramatic late winner against Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

John Terry believes we will find out imminently if Arsenal have the stomach for a Premier League title race following Manchester City’s dramatic comeback against Liverpool.

The Gunners looked set to take a nine-point lead into the next round of fixtures after Dominik Szoboszlai blasted Arne Slot’s side in front with a blistering second half free-kick.

Arsenal wouldn’t even have minded too much when, against the run of play, Bernardo Silva equalised with seven minutes remaining but Erling Haaland’s injury-time penalty dramatically changed the dynamic of the title race.

With momentum in their favour and a renewed sense of hope, City will almost certainly cut the gap to three points when they host Fulham on Wednesday, 24 hours before the Gunners face a tricky game at in-form Brentford.

‘Wow the title race is officially on,’ said former Chelsea skipper Terry with a healthy degree of relish. ‘What a comeback that was, 78 minutes looking dead and buried in the game.

‘Trust me, I’ve been there many times at Chelsea with Man United breathing down our necks. You look at the fixtures ahead, who they’re playing, are they playing early? Do they close the gap on us?

‘As an Arsenal player you’re sitting there yesterday going okay, we’ll take a draw here worst case, let Man City pick up a draw with Bernardo Silva’s late goal. Then, all of a sudden, it’s reduced to six points.

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‘Also a big thing, Man City play on Wednesday night. The race could be reduced to three points before Arsenal go away and play Brentford on Thursday night.

‘Great opportunity for Man Ciyy to go and close the gap and put a bit of pressure on.’

‘The title race is on with the big man Haaland stepping up with all the pressure on his shoulders delivering a great penalty.

‘Exciting times in the Premier League, let’s see what Arsenal are made of.’

Bernardo Silva’s goal brought Man City level at Anfield (Picture: Getty)

While City now appear intent on making a fist of it, the precarious nature of their situation was summed up by Silva who confessed he was ready to concede defeat after going behind at Anfield.

The City skipper told Sky Sports: ‘For the distance that we have to Arsenal, coming here – it is the toughest place in the Premier League by far – but we needed to go for another goal.

‘When I scored, I was happy but we needed another and Erling got it. I feel the whole team knew before the game if we lost it then the title race was probably over. We felt like we needed to win.

‘The hope is there and we are going to fight until the end. We need to keep doing our job that we haven’t lately.’

Man City’s players knew the significance of winning against Liverpool (Picture: Getty)

It was only City’s second win in seven games and manager Pep Guardiola was not getting carried away.

Guardiola said: ‘Six points is better than nine, but it’s still a lot considering how strong Arsenal are in all departments.

‘But 13 games is a lot in the Premier League. The FA Cup is coming, the final of the Carabao Cup, the Champions League is here. There are many games, injuries, every team playing for something.

‘The last 10 games, from my experience, are not a drama but so difficult. The important thing is to be there and improve.’

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