Tottenham should look to poach their own former player to replace Thomas Frank - Opinion
The managerial merry-go-round could well be swinging in Tottenham’s direction soon enough, but who would replace Thomas Frank?
Results and performances are not going well for Spurs at the moment and Thomas Frank is taking a lot of the blame for that.
Reports suggest Tottenham chiefs are willing to give Frank time to turn things around, but that’s certainly not what the majority of fans want.
There are plenty of options to replace Frank, but a new name has emerged as a potential contender. There is a catch, though, and it all depends on Man United.
Michael Carrick taking over at Tottenham could be a great idea
Hear me out: Michael Carrick would be a good pick for Tottenham. For a start, he knows the club and spent two great years at White Hart Lane between 2004 and 2006.
He made 75 appearances for the club and was popular with the fans. Since then, he’s forged a relatively strong CV as a manager.
Carrick’s latest work with Man United as caretaker manager has been brief but incredibly positive. Beating Man City and Arsenal is no mean feat, but Carrick has achieved it within the space of a week.
He’s a calm, pragmatic, very technical manager who puts a focus on passing, a solid defence, and progressive build-up play. It’s not always pretty, but it’s effective, and at times it’s very slick indeed.
Carrick would not necessarily be much of a drastic change from Thomas Frank in that regard, and he even utilises a 4-2-3-1 formation that would look very familiar. However, his style of play is arguably a little more adventurous without being radical enough to upset the apple cart.
He was consistent at Middlesbrough, if nothing else, having led the Riverside outfit to the precipice of promotion on more than one occasion but falling short. At 44-years-old, Carrick has so much room to grow but already brings a strong level of experience.
However, whether he will be available or not is another matter, as Man United have a big decision to make as to how long they want to keep Carrick at the helm.
There are drawbacks to Carrick appointment
Carrick’s experience in the Premier League is obviously a very small sample size, and that’s something Spurs (and indeed Man United) will be wary about. He did coach Middlesbrough for 136 matches, though, and that’s nothing to be sniffed at.
It is worth noting, however, that Boro fans were increasingly frustrated by Carrick’s football and the fact that he failed to get them promoted.
He registered 63 wins out of 136 games there, to produce a win rate of 46.32% and an average of 1.57 points-per-game. Not bad, but not quite top-level stuff.
One big positive at Middlesbrough is the way Carrick helped young talent develop, particularly the likes of Hayden Hackney. However, it would also be fair to say that he could and should have done more with the squad he was given and the resources at his disposal at Boro.
It would be a risk to hire Carrick, no doubt. But, it could be the kind of fresh start Spurs need.
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