{"id":33197,"date":"2025-12-15T20:43:30","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T01:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T20:43:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T01:43:30","slug":"spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Spurs&#8217; failure led to &#8216;one of the worst contracts in PL history&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history\/#Vicario_pretends_to_have_quit_his_job\" >Vicario pretends to have quit his job.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history\/#Spurs_bigger_problem_than_Vicario\" >Spurs&#8217; bigger problem than Vicario<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/spurs-failure-led-to-one-of-the-worst-contracts-in-pl-history\/#Spurs_must_fire_Frank_this_week_and_hire_%E2%80%98best_coach_in_PL\" >Spurs must fire Frank this week and hire &#8216;best coach in PL&#8217;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Tottenham Hotspur are not in a crisis situation, but there is a sense that Thomas Frank is the man who urgently needs to produce an upturn in results and performances.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Sunday&#8217;s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, a &#8220;disjointed&#8221; performance by the Danish manager himself, did little to calm the flames from fans fed up with the team&#8217;s lack of initiative and fluency.<\/p>\n<p>The usual culprits this season, such as Pedro Polo and Guglielmo Vicario, are at fault once again, and the goalkeeper in particular is starting to look like a man on borrowed time.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"vicario-is-playing-himself-out-of-a-job\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vicario_pretends_to_have_quit_his_job\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>Vicario pretends to have quit his job.<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When Tottenham signed Italian goalkeeper Vicario from Empoli for \u00a317m in 2023, it looked like Ange Postecoglou had made a smart signing at the start of his reign.<\/p>\n<p>But Vicario has had his share of ups and downs, and has been responsible for some frustrating moments this season.<\/p>\n<p>    The 29-year-old has improved his Premier League save percentage from 64% last season to 70.4% this season, according to FBref, but has been error-prone and unconvincing.<\/p>\n<p>But Vicario, who has committed eight errors since making his debut in England&#8217;s top flight, is not a long-term solution for a team looking for stability. Football Insider understands that the Lilywhites are preparing to sign a replacement at the end of the campaign.<\/p>\n<p>However, Vicario is blanketed by a leaky backline, lacking synergy and strength against the division&#8217;s attacking line flow.<\/p>\n<p>There are one or two bigger issues with Frank&#8217;s management, one of which is that he is not suited to lead the line consistently over the next few years.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"spurs-39-bigger-problem-than-vicario\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spurs_bigger_problem_than_Vicario\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>Spurs&#8217; bigger problem than Vicario<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If there&#8217;s ever a player who can easily feel hot or cold, Richarlison is that player. The Brazilian forward has scored a few goals recently, but his overall play still has a lot of room for improvement, and his performance against Forest gave him a burst of positivity.<\/p>\n<p>    This season, the Brazilian forward has scored seven goals and provided two assists in 25 games in all competitions.<\/p>\n<p>He has enjoyed some outstanding moments, including a wonderful goal against Arsenal and a powerful late goal against Manchester United, but even those peaks were clouded by circumstances. Spurs were beaten by their rivals and the Red Devils equalized through Richarlison with a last-gasp equalizer.<\/p>\n<p>Franck needs a more refined and dignified centre-forward. With Dominic Solanke&#8217;s injury record down to N17 and Richarlison, 28, in particular entering the penultimate year of his \u00a390,000-a-week contract, reinforcements could be the way to go.<\/p>\n<p>Richarlison needed to put in a great performance at the City Ground after being criticized by writer Simon Yemane for his &#8220;unacceptable&#8221; absence from last week&#8217;s Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>To say he struggled would be to make deceptive comments about his work rate and focus versus the well-coached side of Sean Dyche. Football.london criticized his hold-up play and movement, giving him a match rating of 3\/10 and writing: &#8220;It&#8217;s like playing with a wall up front.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>There simply isn&#8217;t enough of it on the show, and there hasn&#8217;t been since the first time he put on a lily-white shirt.<\/p>\n<div class=\"table-container\">\n<table border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" cellspacing=\"1\" style=\"\" align=\"\" summary=\"\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Richarlison&#8217;s Tottenham career (Prem)<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>season<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>app<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Goal + Assist<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><strong>25\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>16<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>6+2<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><strong>24\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>14<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>4+1<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><strong>23\/24<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>28<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>11+4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><strong>22\/23<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>27<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>1+4<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th colspan=\"3\" style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p><em>Statistics via Transfermarkt<\/em><\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<p>The differences between Richarlison and former teammate Harry Kane are clear. When he made his \u00a360m move from Everton, no one expected him to emulate the club&#8217;s greatest ever striker, but the hint is in this sentence. Richarlison&#8217;s transfer fee was a hefty \u00a360m, and he was neither good enough nor consistent enough. In the words of Gabriel Agbonlahor, he is &#8220;one of the worst signings in the history of the Premier League&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham need to solve that. Poor strategy over the past few years has led the club downhill, winning the Europa League title in the process, but it&#8217;s clear that without these player upgrades coming into effect in 2026, cobwebs will gather on the silverware.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"spurs-must-sack-frank-this-week-and-andoni-iraola\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/thomas-frank-spurs-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/thomas-frank-spurs-1.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spurs_must_fire_Frank_this_week_and_hire_%E2%80%98best_coach_in_PL\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tSpurs must fire Frank this week and hire &#8216;best coach in PL&#8217;<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Tottenham Hotspur suffered perhaps their worst defeat of the Thomas Frank era on Sunday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tottenham Hotspur are not in a crisis situation, but there is a sense that Thomas Frank is the man who urgently needs to produce an upturn in results and performances. Sunday&#8217;s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, a &#8220;disjointed&#8221; performance by the Danish manager himself, did little to calm the flames from fans fed up with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[5433,3402,40,516,1590,342,2353],"class_list":{"0":"post-33197","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-contracts","9":"tag-failure","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-history","12":"tag-led","13":"tag-spurs","14":"tag-worst"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}