Thomas Frank, the Danish coach whose name is synonymous with Brentford’s rise to Premier League prominence, was back in the spotlight this weekend. For the first time since his abrupt sacking by Tottenham Hotspur in February, Frank was seen at a Premier League match, joining Brentford’s owner Matthew Benham and director of football Phil Giles in a hospitality box at the Gtech Community Stadium. The occasion? A tense 0-0 draw between Brentford and Fulham in a west London derby on April 18, 2026. But Frank’s return to familiar territory comes at a time when the football world is buzzing with anxiety and disbelief—Tottenham Hotspur, one of England’s so-called ‘Big Six,’ is teetering dangerously close to relegation.
Frank’s presence at Brentford was more than just a casual visit. After nine years at the club—first as assistant, then as head coach—he’s left a legacy that’s hard to overlook. He masterminded Brentford’s historic first promotion to the Premier League in the 2020-21 season and steered them to two top-10 finishes. As Keith Andrews, Brentford’s current head coach, explained in his post-match press conference, “I spoke to Thomas during the week. I’m hoping to link up with him over the next week or two, be nice to catch up. Really good that he’s come back and watching a game because he’s a huge part of this club’s recent history so Thomas will almost certainly always be welcome back. He has lots of really good relationships with people at the club. I’d like to include myself in that, so Thomas is always welcome.”
Andrews, who succeeded Frank in the summer of 2025 after serving as his set-piece coach, has kept Brentford competitive. The Bees’ draw against Fulham left them seventh in the Premier League, still in the hunt for a European place. Yet the focus of the footballing world is not just on Brentford’s upward trajectory, but on the dramatic struggles of Frank’s most recent employer—Tottenham Hotspur.
Frank’s ill-fated tenure at Tottenham began with promise when he replaced Ange Postecoglou in June 2025. But after just eight months, the wheels came off. His final game in charge—a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United—left Spurs languishing in 16th place, only five points clear of the relegation zone. The club’s board acted swiftly, dismissing Frank on February 11, 2026. Since then, Tottenham’s fortunes have only worsened.
As of April 18, 2026, the situation at Tottenham is nothing short of dire. With just six matches remaining in the Premier League season, Spurs find themselves in 18th place—two points adrift of 17th-place West Ham, who currently occupy the last safe spot to avoid the drop into the EFL Championship. Even more alarming, Tottenham have failed to win a single Premier League game in 2026, mustering a mere five points from their last fourteen fixtures. The pressure is mounting with every passing week.
On Saturday, Spurs hosted Brighton and Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a match loaded with significance. Brighton, led by manager Roberto De Zerbi, arrived in red-hot form, having won four of their last five Premier League outings. For Spurs, every point is precious, but the odds are stacked against them. According to the latest bookmakers’ lines, Tottenham’s relegation odds stood at -110, with other strugglers like West Ham at +175, Nottingham Forest at +500, and Leeds at +1400. The North London club, last relegated from the top flight in 1935, is now staring at the unthinkable.
The football community is in disbelief. “The fact we are mentioning Spurs going down is unbelievable. It’s absolutely ridiculous, really,” former Spurs player Danny Murphy told BBC Sport back in February. “Whether you blame recruitment or the owners, it would be catastrophic for that club.” Such sentiments echo through the stands and social media, as fans and pundits alike struggle to comprehend the possibility of Tottenham—winners of European silverware and a mainstay in the Premier League—dropping down a division.
But as history has shown, no club is truly ‘too big’ to go down. Tottenham’s current plight has brought to mind some of football’s most shocking relegations. In 2011, River Plate, Argentina’s most storied club, suffered a traumatic relegation, sparking riots and a nationwide sense of mourning. “There’s a state of mourning,” Marcelo Roffe, president of the Argentine Association of Sports Psychology, told La Nacion at the time. River Plate bounced back immediately, but the scars lingered.
Elsewhere in Europe, Atletico Madrid’s 2000 relegation came just four years after a domestic double, driven by financial turmoil and a criminal investigation into their chairman. “It was a season so full of paradoxes,” DAZN commentator Fran Guillen recalled. “It was a perfect storm caused by what happened with Gil, and it ended up pushing the project to the abyss.” Atletico spent two years in the second division before returning to La Liga.
Manchester United’s dramatic fall in 1974 remains one of English football’s most memorable moments. The Red Devils, European champions just six years prior, were relegated after a goal from club legend Denis Law—playing for Manchester City—sealed their fate. United, however, rebounded at the first attempt.
German football has its own tales of heartbreak. Hamburger SV, proud of their unbroken run in the Bundesliga since 1963, finally succumbed to relegation in 2018 after years of narrow escapes. The club’s iconic stadium clock, counting their top-flight years, froze as “Die Rothosen” dropped into the second division, where they languished for seven years before finally earning promotion last May. Schalke, another German giant, endured a humiliating drop in 2021, with angry fans chasing players around the stadium after relegation was confirmed. Despite winning promotion immediately, Schalke’s struggles continued, and they now lead the second division once more, hoping for a return to the Bundesliga.
For Tottenham supporters, the thought of joining this infamous list is almost too much to bear. The club’s last relegation, in 1935, is a distant memory. Yet the Premier League’s relentless competitiveness means that even the biggest names are never immune from the drop. As the final six games approach, every match is a cup final for Spurs. The fixture against Brighton was billed as a must-win, but with their recent form, survival is anything but certain.
Meanwhile, Brentford’s steady progress under Keith Andrews stands in sharp contrast to the chaos at Tottenham. The Bees’ seventh-place standing is a testament to the foundations laid by Thomas Frank—a man who, despite recent setbacks, remains a respected figure in English football. As Andrews put it, Frank “will almost certainly always be welcome back.”
With the season’s end looming, all eyes are on Tottenham. Can they defy the odds and preserve their Premier League status, or will they become the latest ‘giant’ to suffer the agony of relegation? The drama is far from over, and the footballing world waits with bated breath.