West Ham and Tottenham have plenty in common as bosses prepare for ‘El Sackico’

Thomas Frank and Nuno Espirito Santo both know they cannot afford another damaging defeat, as Tottenham and West Ham face off after years of very similar problems

Tottenham and West Ham share more than a bitter rivalry and recently winning European trophies. Both managers are under huge pressure going into Saturday’s London derby after bad transfers and worse results have fuelled fan unrest.

Spurs are out of the cups and in 14th place after one win in six. Their only potential silverware this season is the Champions League.

West Ham have gone 10 Premier League games without a win and are seven points from safety in 18th place. Another bad loss for either manager could be their last.

Asked if Thomas Frank has to win today to stay in his job, former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood told Sky Sports :“No more than Nuno has to win to stay in charge at West Ham. It is El Sack-ico. It is a huge game of football.” Or given the performances this season, it is more like El Crap-ico – or the Derby of the Damned. This is where it has all gone wrong:

READ MORE: Nuno Espirito Santo admits he is ‘deeply concerned’ over Lucas Paqueta transfer saga

Confused managerial turnover

David Moyes won the UEFA Conference League in May 2023 – their first major trophy in 43 years – but was gone the following year after West Ham finished ninth.

Seeking more attacking football, the Hammers appointed and then sacked Julien Lopetegui and Graham Potter. They have now gone back to defensive-first Nuno Espirito Santo who is more like Moyes to lead another relegation battle.

Spurs took less time to fire Ange Postecoglou after he won the UEFA Europa League last season – the North London club’s first trophy in 17 years – after finishing 17th. The Aussie divided opinion among Tottenham fans but was guaranteed to provide entertainment on and off the pitch. Frank united them by drinking from an Arsenal coffee cup at Bournemouth.

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Bad transfer dealings

Tottenham sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for £85m in 2013 and bought Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela among an un-magnificent seven of new signings.

West Ham banked £105m for Declan Rice in 2023 and spent £30m on James Ward-Prowse and £35m on Edson Alvarez. No team ever gets better by selling their best player. Both clubs have spent big but badly.

Star quality

A good barometer of the strength of any squad is how many players would get in the teams of the title contenders. For West Ham, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta on his old form. For Tottenham, Sergio Porro and maybe Micky van de Ven. Crystal Palace have more.

Fan discontent

West Ham supporters have protested for change all season at the club, including calling for owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to go. They took over in 2010 and sold the Boleyn Ground for the divisive move to the London Stadium. Both sets of fans want attacking football but survival is now the priority for the Hammers.

Tottenham fans finally got their way when chairman Daniel Levy stepped down in September after winning two trophies in 24 years. But Thomas Frank’s style of football has not pleased the club were the motto is: To Dare Is To Do and the travelling support chanted: “Boring, boring Tottenham” amid boos during the goalless stalemate at Brentford.

Injuries and absent Brazilians

Tottenham have missed record signing Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur this season – now Richarlison is out for seven weeks with a hamstring strain.

Paqueta has never been the same influence since his August 2023 transfer to Manchester City collapsed after spot fixing allegations. He did not play in the FA Cup win over QPR amid transfer interest from his old club Flamengo – and doubts over if he will ever play for West Ham again.

Looking for January saviours

Both clubs have been active in this transfer window – including new coaching staff in John Heitinga and Paco Jemez – with more signings to come.

Tottenham spent £34.7m to sign England star Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid and are seeking to bring in Brazilian left-back Souza

Argentine Taty Castellanos scored his first West Ham goal in the FA Cup and the Brazilian Pablo looked good off the bench.

So is it a must-win for both under-pressure managers?

Nuno said: “Must win, must lose. No, it’s a game. It’s a game. There’s a lot of football to be played but we have to realise that e ach game is very important for us. It’s very, very important for us.”

Spurs defender Pedro Porro said: “Yes, in this moment, yes, We need to win this game 100%.” Frank said: “There is a lot of noise, I know that because I have been told and I am not stupid.”

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