Tottenham Hotspur have had no shortage of managers over the years, especially under ENIC and the Lewis family’s ownership. Since 2019 alone, they have had six permanent coaches in seven years and numerous interim managers.
Spurs are on their third coach this season with Thomas Frank, interim manager Igor Tudor, and now Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian is tasked with saving them from relegation from the Premier League. He has started with one loss and one draw, but has already shown major signs of improvement.
However, not many were able to make a similarly quick impact, or any whatsoever, at Tottenham. They struggled to understand the ethos of the club, or just weren’t able to execute it. Some managers also had to deal with tough situations, which perhaps led to their failure in North London.
Regardless, some managers have failed miserably at Spurs. Let’s take a look at some of them.
The 5 worst managers in Tottenham history
Note: These are only permanent managers, and no interim or caretaker managers have been included.
5. Jose Mourinho
It is perhaps a bit harsh to put Mourinho in this list, as he was massively hard done by the board. However, his tenure included some of the worst football this club has seen, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min doing most of the heavy lifting.
Mourinho was appointed in November 2019, just after Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking, showing a complete shift in strategy. Under the legendary Portuguese manager, Spurs finished sixth in the 2019-20 season.
In one of the most tragic moments in the club folklore, they led 2-0 against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League Round of 16 in the 2020-21 season. However, they lost 3-0 in the second leg, while Zagreb’s manager was in prison.
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That was perhaps the nail in Mourinho’s coffin, who was shockingly sacked just a week before Spurs’ EFL Cup final clash against Manchester City.
4. Juande Ramos
He is one of the only two managers to have won a major trophy under ENIC. However, it wasn’t a pretty watch under him. Ramos was appointed in October 2007 after the sacking of Martin Jol.
The Spaniard led Tottenham to the EFL Cup, as they beat Arsenal in the semi-finals and Chelsea in the final. However, the following season, they managed just two points from eight games in the Premier League as they sat at the bottom of the table.
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Ramos was then sacked in October 2008 and replaced by Harry Redknapp.
3. Jacques Santini
The Frenchman was appointed Spurs’ manager in 2004, just after the Euros. However, he later admitted that he regretted taking the job in the first place.
Santini managed just 13 games at Tottenham, winning five, losing four, and drawing four.
He then resigned, claiming he had some personal issues. However, reports later suggested he had a falling out with the hierarchy, which played a big role in his exit from the club.
2. Nuno Espirito Santo
After an embarrassing managerial search where Tottenham went through over five options, they appointed Nuno Espirito Santo in 2021. However, they ended up being in the market again just 17 games later.
To be fair, Nuno faced a really tough situation that summer, with Harry Kane pushing to join Manchester City. The club’s best player wasn’t available for the first three games, and even when he returned, he was in terrible form.
However, other than that, Nuno’s team was less than inspiring. They managed three 1-0 wins on the trot, but the football was boring and lacked any intensity, even in defence.
He infamously faced the chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” from Tottenham fans during their 3-0 defeat against Manchester United. He was sacked right after the game and replaced by Antonio Conte.
1. Thomas Frank
This is a subjective list, and the positions and names of other managers might be argued. However, almost all Tottenham fans will universally accept Thomas Frank as the worst manager in the club’s history. He was awful in every way possible.
Spurs’ board sacked Ange Postecoglou, who won them the Europa League, and replaced him with Frank. A serial winner replaced by someone who had won nothing. Naturally, in his first press conference, he said, “I can promise you we will lose many games”, and so he did.
Spurs lost 15, drew 10, and won 13 of their 38 games under Frank. Even the wins and draws were largely lucky, with the likes of Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha scoring late overhead kicks to earn some points.
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Aside from the terrible football, Frank was also a known Arsenal admirer. He was also seen holding a cup during Spurs’ clash against Brentford. He consistently took digs at the fans and Postecoglou, and often labeled terrible performances “good”.
Under Frank, Tottenham registered the lowest ever xG ever recorded in the Premier League in their game against Chelsea. They then broke their own record against Arsenal.
The Spurs board should have sacked Frank in November 2025, but they waited until 2026. This saw them getting pushed into the relegation battle for the first time in Premier League history. Truly an awful appointment.
