Wayne Rooney Barb Sums Up Tottenham’s Struggles Under Thomas Frank

Wayne Rooney has delivered a blunt assessment of Tottenham Hotspur’s predicament, declaring that the north London club are now “definitely” embroiled in a relegation battle after Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United left Thomas Frank’s side 15th in the Premier League table, only six points clear of the drop zone.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United and England captain pointed to the improving form of the clubs below Spurs as cause for alarm. “West Ham have been in form, Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there. You can’t think that they’re not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they’ll definitely be looking over their shoulders,” Rooney said.

The loss to United, played out in front of a frustrated Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd, was compounded by a red card that reduced the hosts to ten men and underlined the scale of the task facing Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou last summer. While Spurs have historically been considered too big to go down—joining Chelsea, Manchester United and the rest of the so-called ‘Big Six’ in that bracket—the numbers paint an increasingly uncomfortable picture.

Tottenham finished 17th last season, a campaign in which they ended with only 30 points from 25 matches. Under Frank, the tally after the same number of fixtures this term stands at 29, and the buffer to the bottom three has shrunk from 13 points a year ago to just six. With West Ham’s weekend win over Burnley lifting the Hammers to 18th, the margin for error is evaporating fast.

The calendar year has been unkind: since January 1, 2025, Spurs have recorded only 11 Premier League victories. Among sides who have spent the entire year in the top flight, only Wolves (eight) and West Ham (eight) have fared worse. Frank’s men are still searching for their first league win of 2026, and the fixture list offers little respite.

An intimidating sequence of five high-stakes matches precedes a potentially defining encounter at home to Nottingham Forest on March 22. Forest, currently 17th and three points behind Tottenham, arrive in north London just before the international break, teeing up a relegation six-pointer that could shape the complexion of the bottom half of the table.

For a squad that believes it possesses the quality to pull away from danger, the reality is stark: wins have proved elusive, confidence appears brittle, and the teams below are finding ways to pick up points. Rooney’s verdict may have been blunt, but it neatly encapsulates the anxiety now gripping Spurs as they fight to preserve their top-flight status.