Thomas Frank admits Tottenham in a 'desperate' situation as he delivers bleak Dejan Kulusevski & Destiny Udogie injury updates

The atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has turned toxic as the club's domestic season reaches a critical breaking point. Spurs have endured a miserable start to 2026, failing to register a single Premier League victory in seven attempts and sliding down to 15th in the table. Following a demoralising 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, the London side now sits just six points above the relegation zone, a reality that seemed unthinkable at the start of the campaign.

While their European form has provided a temporary stay of execution, the pressure on coach Frank is now immense. Fans have begun to openly voice their frustration, with calls for a change in leadership growing louder after every winless weekend. The team has looked devoid of confidence and defensive stability, and with a daunting fixture list on the horizon, the prospect of being dragged into a genuine survival scrap is no longer a fringe theory but a pressing danger. Tuesday's visit of Newcastle is being viewed as a must-win game for a manager who is increasingly fighting for his job.

Addressing the media, Frank was challenged on whether his side is now officially embroiled in a relegation fight. He responded with a remarkably candid assessment of the club's mental state.

"There's no doubt we are desperate to win games. Desperate," he said. "And I'm focussing on Newcastle tomorrow. That's a great opportunity ahead of us against a good team. That's the main thing. Can we go out there and get three points tomorrow? That would be very good. And then climb from there and look forward. That's what we need to do. And that's the main focus."

Pressed on his use of the word "desperate", Frank added: "I could have worded it differently, maybe. But I do think there's something, it should be that feeling. It should be that feeling when we haven't won enough. So the way I work, we're all different, is that if you haven't won enough, then you do everything you can, and you actually do a little bit more, you work a little bit harder, you just know that's the way out of a tough moment. So that's what I expect from the players, and I actually think that's what I see from the players. I think they run very hard, and I think that's why I'm so annoyed that we couldn't get anything out of the United game, because there would have been five games, and I'm convinced 11 against 11, we would have got something out of it."

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

The medical bulletin provided by Frank only added to the sense of gloom surrounding the club. He confirmed that Italian left-back Destiny Udogie is the latest key player to join a treatment room that already includes James Maddison, Pedro Porro, Richarlison and Ben Davies among others. Frank broke down the diagnosis and the worrying outlook for long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski.

"Yeah, unfortunately, Destiny has a hamstring injury. He's out for the next four to five weeks," he added. "Of course it’s an ongoing process to keep building him more and more robust everyday. So it’s a long-term process. It’s a combination of different things, gym work, recovery, training, managing, game load and all of that. "

He added: "Kevin [Danso], he met the consultant and it's going forward. It's still weeks before he's available. [Kulusevski] has got another appointment at the end of this week where we'll know more, but of course out of the Champions League squad, it's a sign of that it's not tomorrow."

In a rare piece of positive news, Frank confirmed that Djed Spence has recovered from a calf problem and is available to fill the void left by Udogie and the suspended Cristian Romero. Frank spent much of the briefing defending his captain, who begins his suspension following his red card against United.

He added: "We lose two players for tomorrow [Romero and Udogie], but Djed Spence is back," he said. "And I think [Radu] Dragusin is going to look good when he comes back in. So, I know we'll put a very competitive team out tomorrow as well. And then there should be, hopefully, a little bit more after that coming back for the team."

Asked if Romero can still be considered a leader following his latest dismissal and his public criticism of the club days prior, he said: "I think he's a leader. I said it before; he's a young leader. So, he's learning every day. I'll use the example. I remember when I was 30 years old, I thought I was on top of the world. I was nowhere near the level I am today in terms of leadership and understanding things.

"And then when you have a player that is playing with so much passion and aggressivity, then sometimes things like that can happen. That's not to say that he shouldn't learn from it. Of course, he needs to learn from it going forward."