‘Backward step’ – Tottenham Hotspur’s pick for interim manager slammed as Steve McClaren comparison made

Jan 23, 2026 - 19:00

Tottenham fans have been told that they should feel worried if their reported top choice for an interim manager is appointed.

Thomas Frank earned valuable breathing space following Spurs’ 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, but remains under threat.

Frank silenced a few critics against Dortmund, but Spurs have won just two of their last 13 league games

talkSPORT previously revealed that there was a realistic chance that the Dane could part ways with Spurs if they lost in the Champions League.

However, a much-needed victory over Dortmund alleviated some of the pressure on Frank, who will take charge of the trip to Burnley on Saturday.

The ex-Brentford boss will know that anything less than three points against the Clarets, who are on a 13-game winless league run, will reignite talk of the sack.

Tottenham have already ended Bournemouth’s 11-game winless run with a 3-2 away defeat.

While West Ham also snapped their double-digit drought with a 2-1 victory last weekend.

Of the 18 Spurs managers who have overseen more than 22 Premier League games, only Juande Ramos and Ossie Ardiles have a lower win percentage than Frank’s seven top-flight victories.

Heitinga ‘top-choice for Spurs interim job’

If Frank is sacked, Tottenham would likely appoint an interim manager until the end of the season, talkSPORT understands.

John Heitinga is ‘at the top of the list of candidates’ to be the 52-year-old’s temporary successor, according to Dutch outlet AD.

The Dutchman only arrived in north London last week, two months after he was sacked by Ajax, with his agent confirming his future is not related to Frank’s.

The former Everton player left his role as Arne Slot’s assistant last summer, following Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph, to take charge of Ajax, but lasted just 15 games.

Heitinga’s agent has claimed the Dutchman’s future is not directly linked to Frank

Worry for Spurs fans

Heitinga only won five matches in his five months as the main man in the dugout, all of which were in the Eredivisie, with four straight Champions League defeats.

Towards the end of his reign, former Ajax star Ronald de Boer labelled the Dutch giants as a club in ‘crisis’ during a live talkSPORT appearance in October.

European football expert Andy Brassell admitted Heitinga was a ‘real backward step’ for ‘de Godenzonen’ during a withering assessment of his prospects as Spurs interim manager.

He told talkSPORT.com: “Look, he did great as a coach at Liverpool last season and he had a big influence on what they did.

“You could argue that Liverpool missed him this season, although I would argue probably more about personnel.

“Having said that, as a number one at Ajax, he did terribly this season.

Heitinga’s spell at Ajax was nothing short of disastrous

He was sacked following the club’s 3–0 home defeat to Galatasaray

“Ajax are still a bit fragile; they lost 6-0 in the cup last week and then lost a two-goal lead at home to Go Ahead Eagles.

“Heitinga was a real backward step for them. It went really badly.

“Given that he’s a former player, he had really poor relations with the fans as well, and they were really not happy with him by the end.

“So, they’re the kind of guys that you look at, a little bit like Steve McClaren, and Steve McClaren’s best work is a number two.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. There’s no shame in that. And maybe Heitinga is one of those guys.

“He’s relatively young, so maybe it’s too early to say.

McClaren was appointed Jamaica manager in July 2024, lasting 16 months in the role

Only Wolves have lost more than the 31 league defeats Spurs have suffered since the start of last season

“But with everything that happened this season at Ajax, him being even an interim at choice at Spurs would be unprecedented.

“I wouldn’t feel great about that if I were a Spurs fan, put it that way.”

In terms of a permanent appointment, Brassell has already approved the choice made by talkSPORT’s Inside Spurs panel to target Sebastian Hoeness at Stuttgart.

On the latest episode, Sonny Snelling said: “If something bad happens this weekend, the knives are going to be out again.”

Asked for her verdict on Frank, Jess Iszatt added: “I hate this. But if you’d have asked me a few days ago, I think I would have just been like, ‘Oh, I’m off the bus. I’m done.’

“But I think this [win over Dortmund] showed finally what we can get behind and that he hasn’t lost the changing room, which I think for me is the most important thing.”