Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has admitted he is not enjoying his time at the North London club, following a difficult run of results. The Danish boss, who joined from Brentford in the summer, saw his side draw 0-0 with his former club, leading to boos from some fans. Spurs have won only two of their last ten league matches, leaving them 12th at the halfway point of the season.
When asked if he was enjoying his tenure, Frank replied bluntly: “So the short answer is no.” He added: “When you need to put in a big, big shift and it's not smooth and it's tough, it's probably difficult to enjoy it.” However, he expressed hope that he would look back on this period with pride, comparing it to a hard run that builds fitness.
Spurs face Sunderland on Sunday with several key players unavailable. Xavi Simons is suspended, Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are at the Africa Cup of Nations, and James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are long-term absentees. Lucas Bergvall is a doubt, while Dominic Solanke is nearing a return but Frank declined to give a specific date.
Sunderland are also depleted by AFCON, missing Habib Diarra, Chemsdine Talbi, Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki, Bertrand Traore and Reinildo. Defender Dan Ballard could return from injury. Black Cats boss Regis Le Bris said: “The standards within our team are high. We want to get better… We must be ambitious.”
