Built a business, killed a football club
Tottenham Hotspur enters a new chapter carrying the rare weight of contradiction: a European trophy won in the same breath as their worst league finish in nearly half a century. The silverware has, for now, softened the anger of a fanbase that had gathered to demand accountability from chairman Daniel Levy, replacing a planned mass protest with a single, haunting banner. Into this fragile truce steps Thomas Frank, a new manager whose early matches hint at something the club has long struggled to find — the balance between spectacle and solidity.
- A club that finished 17th in the Premier League while winning European silverware created a tension almost impossible to hold — celebration and crisis occupying the same moment.
- Fan protests that had simmered all season threatened to boil over, with a major demonstration planned, only for the trophy to drain the crowd's fury down to a handful of voices and one devastating banner.
- The summer window deepened unease: the beloved Son Heung-min was sold for a modest fee, a key transfer target escaped to a rival, and the squad rebuild felt dangerously thin for a club with so much ground to recover.
- Thomas Frank's arrival shifted the mood — a win over Burnley and a near-upset of European champions PSG in the Super Cup offered early evidence that attacking football need not come at the cost of defensive collapse.
- The protests have quieted, but the goodwill is borrowed — only a sustained run of results will determine whether this is genuine renewal or merely a brief, trophy-gilded reprieve.
Tottenham's 2024-25 season was a study in contradiction: a European trophy ended 17 years of silence, yet the club's 17th-place Premier League finish — their worst domestic standing since the era of the Second Division — told a darker story running beneath the celebration.
For much of the year, that darkness had a face: chairman Daniel Levy. Protests became a regular presence at the ground, and when a major demonstration was planned, the club braced for confrontation. What arrived instead was almost more damning — a handful of supporters, one banner reading "Built a business, killed a football club." The trophy had done what poor results could not, at least temporarily.
The summer transfer window gave dissent fresh material. Captain Son Heung-min departed for Los Angeles FC, a pursuit of England midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White ended with him signing for Nottingham Forest, and the only meaningful arrivals were Mohammed Kudus and a loan signing from Bayern Munich. Negotiations for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze were progressing, but the overall business felt thin for a club needing to rebuild from the bottom half of the table.
What shifted the mood was the pitch itself. New manager Thomas Frank brought something his predecessor had not quite managed: defensive structure without sacrificing the attacking energy the club's identity demands. A convincing win over Burnley was followed by a near-miraculous draw against PSG in the UEFA Super Cup — the European champions forced to equalize in the 94th minute before winning on penalties. Frank, speaking after the Burnley result, was measured: "It was a perfect start, our dream start — but we all know we need to follow on it."
The protests are quiet for now, but the goodwill is conditional. Two matches into a new era, the early signs are promising — though everyone at the club understands that a trophy and two performances are a beginning, not a resolution.
Tottenham's 2024-25 season presented a paradox that few clubs could survive: a trophy cabinet finally broken open after 17 years of drought, yet a league table that told a story of collapse. The club finished 17th in the Premier League, their worst domestic position since the late 1970s when English football still had a Second Division. It was the kind of season that should have torn the fanbase apart.
For much of the year, it nearly did. Protests became a fixture at Tottenham's ground, a steady drumbeat of discontent aimed squarely at chairman Daniel Levy. The anger was real and specific. When a major demonstration was planned for Saturday, the club braced for confrontation. What arrived instead was a whimper—just a handful of supporters outside the stadium, one banner held aloft with a message that cut to the bone: "Built a business, killed a football club." The trophy, it seemed, had done what months of poor results could not: it had quieted the loudest voices.
The summer transfer window had given those voices plenty to work with. Son Heung-min, the club captain and a player beloved across the fanbase, was sold to Los Angeles FC for £18 million. The club pursued Morgan Gibbs-White, an England midfielder, but watched him slip away to Nottingham Forest instead. The only significant arrivals were Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha, the latter arriving on loan from Bayern Munich. For a club that had finished 17th, the business felt thin. Negotiations were ongoing for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, with talks expected to accelerate within 48 hours, and Manchester City's Savinho remained on the radar, but nothing was certain.
What changed the conversation was not the transfer window but what happened on the pitch. New manager Thomas Frank took over and immediately signaled a different approach. Against Burnley, Tottenham played with the attacking verve that had characterized the previous regime under Ange Postecoglou, but with something new: defensive shape. The difference was subtle but crucial. Three days later, in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions, Tottenham nearly pulled off something remarkable. They drew 2-2, with PSG forced to equalize in the 94th minute, and only lost on penalties. It was the kind of performance that suggested Frank had found something his predecessor had not—a way to be entertaining without being reckless.
Frank himself understood the assignment. After the Burnley win, he spoke with the measured confidence of a manager who knows the real work is ahead. "It was a perfect start, our dream start," he said, "but we all know we need to follow on it. But today I will just enjoy it, and I hope the players, the club and the fans enjoyed it." The message was clear: this is a beginning, not a conclusion. The trophy had bought time and goodwill, but only performances would keep the protests from returning. Two matches into the Frank era, the early signs suggested that time might not be wasted.
Citas Notables
It was a perfect start, our dream start, but we all know we need to follow on it. But today I will just enjoy it, and I hope the players, the club and the fans enjoyed it.— Thomas Frank, Tottenham manager
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
How does a club finish 17th in the league but still win a trophy? That seems almost impossible.
It happens when the trophy is in a cup competition with a different path—knockout rounds where you can get hot at the right moment, while the league is a 38-game grind that exposes everything. Tottenham was inconsistent all season, but they peaked when it mattered for that one competition.
And the fans were ready to march on the stadium. What stopped them?
The trophy helped, obviously. But I think it was also that the new manager came in and immediately showed something different. Frank's first two matches looked competent in a way the end of last season didn't. The fans saw a plan, not just chaos.
Son Heung-min leaving for £18 million—that's a lot of money, but he's a world-class player. Why would they sell him?
That's the question that kept the anger alive. It looks like a club in financial trouble or a club that doesn't believe in itself. Whether it's true or not, that's what it signals to the supporters.
Frank seems cautious about what he's accomplished so far.
He should be. Two good matches don't erase 17th place. He's saying the right thing—enjoy this moment, but understand the real test is consistency over 38 games. That's where the previous manager failed.
Do you think the protests will come back if results slip?
Almost certainly. The trophy bought him a window of goodwill, maybe a month or two. After that, it's all about points and performances. That's the only language that silences a fanbase that angry.