Thomas Frank tells media real football isn't Football Manager after Semenyo joins Man City

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank used a press conference to remind the football media that the sport is not the videogame Football Manager, as the mid-season transfer window nears its end.

The comment came amid intense transfer speculation and after one of Spurs’ main targets, Antoine Semenyo, chose to join Manchester City for £62.5m. Frank took over in June last year from Ange Postecoglou.

Spurs have made other signings this window, but the club are having a difficult season: they sit 14th in the Premier League while having qualified for the Champions League last 16. Frank’s wry asides at the podium have come as pressure mounts.

The piece noted how social media and transfer rumours now link clubs to many players, while contrasting that with Football Manager’s simplified mechanics — offering, waiting for responses and negotiating — versus real-life complexities such as uprooting families or a player’s chances of trophies.

With the transfer window closing and Frank under pressure, it remains unclear whether missing out on Semenyo will change Tottenham’s plans or affect the manager’s situation going forward.

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