Thomas Frank was caught on camera sipping from an Arsenal mug ahead of Tottenham’s Premier League game against Bournemouth, which they ended up losing 3-2 on Wednesday night. The Spurs manager inspected the Vitality Stadium pitch before kick-off and was pictured drinking from a cup with the Gunners club badge on it.
The 52-year-old, who was appointed Spurs’ head coach in the summer, has endured a difficult start to his six months in charge, with fans still unconvinced by his tactical approach. He also made some questionable team selections and made strange statements in press conferences, which earned him poor publicity. This started almost instantly after he took over at Spurs, when he went to extraordinary lengths to praise Tottenham’s fiercest rivals ahead of their pre-season meeting.
The player commented as follows: “I think this is a big challenge, as it’s our biggest rival and it’s the first North London derby outside the UK. Unfortunately, we also have one of the best teams in the world at the moment. We also have to be honest.
“It will be a big test in that sense, but it’s more than a test because it’s not just a friendly against Arsenal. Of course it’s a game where we’ll do everything we can to win.”
Although Tottenham secured victory in that game, things have deteriorated considerably since then and his latest gaffe on Wednesday night is unlikely to be welcomed by supporters, especially as his on-field performance remains disappointing. Spurs lost 3-2 to Bournemouth thanks to the performance of Antoine Semenyo.
The Lilywhites have only won two Premier League games since the beginning of November, with heavy defeats to Chelsea and Newcastle before that.
Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool also all beat Spurs before the end of 2025. However, after beating Crystal Palace, Tottenham drew with Brentford and Sunderland and are now on a three-game unbeaten run.
The winning streak looked destined to end on the south coast as the Cherries overturned an early lead established by Matthijs Tell. Evanilson and Eli Junior Crupi scored before half-time, but Lucas Bergvall was sent off with an injury after the interval.
Micky van de Ven won a penalty and Spurs appeared to have a chance of leveling the score, but a VAR review overturned the decision. Joao Parinha then equalized with a brilliant overhead kick.
However, Semenyo scored the winning goal for the Cherries in the second half of the 95th minute, putting Frank under pressure.
