"When Thomas Frank glances along the touchline at Nuno Espirito Santo on Saturday afternoon, he will see more than the ghost of Tottenham managers past. Because during his darkest hours and there have been a few of those during a fraught first season at the club he may also see a vision of his own future. The parallels between the two are clear and they are difficult to ignore as Nuno makes his return to Spurs with West Ham,"
"When Nuno went to Spurs in 2021, he did so as a manager who had made his name in English football with Wolves, getting them promoted from the Championship and going on to enjoy success with them in the top division. Ditto Frank with Brentford before his move to Spurs last summer. Nuno started brightly, recording a win against Manchester City. But then, as with Frank, there were dismal defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal, the booing of some of his substitutions"
Thomas Frank's first season at Tottenham has shown parallels with Nuno Espirito Santo's earlier, short tenure. Nuno arrived after success with Wolves, began with a notable win over Manchester City, but suffered heavy defeats and fan discontent, and was sacked after 10 league games with 15 points. Frank arrived from Brentford with a longer-term mandate, a three-year contract, and ongoing club restructuring, but has faced injuries to key players including Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison and only recently regained Dominic Solanke. Nuno had Harry Kane and Son Heung-min available and took over a club familiar with European qualification, unlike Frank.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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