Why Did Thomas Frank Drink From an Arsenal Cup? Tottenham Boss Explains Bizarre Photo Amid Calls for Him to Be Sacked

Many Tottenham Hotspur fans were left furious by what happened at Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.

But it was seemingly not the fact that Spurs failed to win for a third game running — after Antoine Semenyo struck a last-minute winner in his final game before leaving Bournemouth for Manchester City — that was the main source of some fans’ anger.

Instead, it was a pre-match photo of Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank drinking from a paper cup carrying the logo of Arsenal that really riled up a large section of the fanbase.

Thomas Frank pictured drinking from Arsenal cup

The photo, which we can confirm is genuine and not AI, was taken before kick-off and quickly went viral.

It showed Frank holding a small paper cup in his left hand, while the Arsenal logo on the cup faced the group of photographers who took multiple shots.

Frank did not appear to be focused on the cup and later claimed he was unaware he had been holding something carrying the Arsenal logo.

Why did Thomas Frank drink from an Arsenal cup?

As strange as the photo of Spurs boss Frank holding an Arsenal paper cup looked, the explanation behind it was fairly straightforward.

Bournemouth print paper cups with different club logos to give to opposition players and staff members at each game. Tottenham’s trip to the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night came just four days after Bournemouth had hosted Arsenal.

It is understood that several Arsenal cups had been left over from the previous match and were handed out unwittingly to some of the Tottenham staff.

There is no suggestion that this was anything other than a simple mistake by anyone involved.

Thomas Frank photographed drinking from an Arsenal-branded cup at Bournemouth.‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/JfDPAmIUHd

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 7, 2026

What did Thomas Frank say about the Arsenal cup incident?

Frank insisted after the game that he had not noticed the Arsenal logo on the cup and dismissed any suggestion that he would deliberately drink from a rival club’s branded item.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, the under-pressure Spurs boss said: “Definitely not noticed it.

“I think it’s fair to say that we’re not winning every single football match, so it would be absolutely, completely stupid of me to take a cup with Arsenal. Is there anyone thinking I’ve done that? All the staff have done it.

“They have been in the changing room the game before us. It’s normal to take a cup and get an espresso. I do that before every game. I actually think it’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked a question about that.

“I think we’re definitely going in the wrong direction if we need to worry about me having a cup with another logo of another club. Of course I would never do that. That’s extremely stupid.”

Tottenham fans call for Thomas Frank to be sacked

Wednesday night saw multiple Tottenham fans call for Frank to be sacked — and not just because of his Arsenal cup gaffe.

The 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth was Frank’s 30th game as Spurs boss. He has so far won 11 games, drawn nine and lost 10.

That gives Frank a current win percentage of 36.67%, which is significantly lower than the 46.53% win-rate recorded by Ange Postecoglou before Spurs sacked him at the end of last season.

Frank’s Premier League win-rate is even lower at 33.33%, having overseen seven wins, six draws and eight defeats in his first 21 top-flight fixtures.

Meanwhile, Frank’s former club Brentford are currently six points and nine places better off than Spurs.

A disgruntled Spurs fan tweeted on Wednesday night: “I’ve called for Thomas Frank to go for months. Now it’s just boring, wasted time. Watch us panic-buy January deadwood and inevitably sack Frank in February after we crash out of all competitions, then leave a new manager stuck with players he never wanted.”

I’ve called for Thomas Frank to go for months. Now it’s just boring, wasted time.

Watch us panic-buy January deadwood and inevitably sack Frank in February after we crash out of all competitions, then leave a new manager stuck with players he never wanted.

— Soph (@soph_thfc) January 7, 2026

Another fan declared: “If Frank’s still in charge on Saturday he’ll get booed out the tunnel, not booed off the pitch.”

A third message from a different account read: “We honestly may have to take this into our own hands as fans to get this guy gone. This is so abject and directionless. And it’s devoid of feeling. The boos alone ain’t being heard. Thomas Frank, get out of our club.”

Will Tottenham sack Thomas Frank?

Frank is among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager to be sacked — although not primarily because of the brand of paper cups he uses.

The only Premier League boss rated as more likely to lose his job is Nuno Espirito Santo at West Ham. Espirito Santo was expected to be sacked by West Ham if they lost at home to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Forest won that relegation six-pointer 2-1 to leave West Ham seven points adrift of safety in the Premier League table, but Espirito Santo remains in charge at the London Stadium — for now at least.

Two Premier League managers have already lost their jobs in the first month of 2026. Despite having a decent record as Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca departed on New Year’s Day.

Ruben Amorim then left Manchester United four days later. Amorim’s sacking cost Man United an estimated £9.63 million in compensation.

Chelsea have now paid out a whopping £161.6m in compensation as a result of sacking managers in the Premier League era. Chelsea have paid the most managerial compensation of any Premier League club, while Tottenham are second with a total spend of £66.5m.