Thomas Frank comes out swinging ahead of crucial Champions League clash as he battles to keep Spurs job after lunchtime summit

Thomas Frank has vowed to keep fighting for his job after escaping the axe at a lunchtime summit with three key Tottenham powerbrokers.

Frank ate with chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and Nick Beucher, influential son-in-law of the club’s co-owner Vivienne Lewis, before taking training on Monday.

There were no assurances about his long-term future, he admitted, but the Dane will lead Spurs into Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund.

‘If your back is against the wall, you fight,’ said Frank. ‘That’s what I do. I’m energetic, I fight. And again, it’s not about me. We need to win football matches. We need to win football matches together. That’s what it’s all about.

‘I’ve just been feeling the trust along the way. There is backing and support. I had lunch with Nick and Vinai and Johan today, so all good. I know it’s part of the media circus and the only focus I have is to do everything I can for us to win against Dortmund.

‘As long as we win football matches and win enough of them, then everyone will support us.’

Spurs fans turned their anger on Frank after Saturday’s defeat at home against West Ham, extending a winless run to five in all competitions and activating relegation fears.

‘It’s not about me,’ said Frank. ‘It’s about supporting the team, supporting the players. We are playing a game against a very good German side and we are a little bit limited with the players available for the game. We basically have 11 of our normal first-team outfield players available.’

Spurs have 13 unavailable through injury, suspension, international duty and those not named in the UEFA squad, and others who will struggle to make it through 90 minutes.

Mathys Tel, meanwhile, has been axed from te Champions League squad for the second time this season.

Tel failed to make the original squad in September but was brought in against Slavia Prague in December as Spurs activated a new rule, enabling them to replace a player out with a long-term injury.

He came in for Dominic Solanke, who is fit again but has not started a game this season, and Frank must decide between them to abide by the UEFA rule.

‘Not a nice decision to have to make,’ said the Spurs boss. ‘Unfortunately, with the way the rules are, the only option was it was either Dom or Mathys in the squad. I chose Dom.

‘Mathys has done very well in the last couple of games and that’s the crazy thing, if I could pick from all the players that are fit, then he would start but I can only pick between the two of them and now he is out of the squad. That’s of course a tough one to take for Mathys.’