Marco Rose has not won a Premier League match as Bournemouth manager, and the pressure on him has crossed a new line. According to a Football Insider report published on Thursday, the Cherries have held internal discussions about appointing Thomas Frank as his replacement.
Rose is just above the relegation zone after six league games, with a 5-1 defeat at Chelsea the most recent blow. Speaking before Bournemouth’s Europa League home debut against Sturm Graz, he conceded his side had been handed a “real slap” and asked for calm.
“We have to stick together. We’re in a not so comfortable situation points-wise.”
The German was appointed in the summer as Andoni Iraola’s successor, inheriting a squad that had lost several of its best players in the window. Six league games in, the Cherries are still searching for a first league win under him.
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Frank out of work since February
Frank has been without a club since Tottenham dismissed him on 11 February, eight months into a contract he had signed from Brentford the previous June.
Spurs were 16th in the Premier League on 29 points from 26 matches when the club acted, with the board citing “results and performances” in its statement.
His name has nevertheless remained on managerial shortlists across the Premier League. Nearly seven years at Brentford, where he kept a mid-market club in the top flight on a modest budget, are the body of work that still travels with him.
Palace and Fulham in the same market
Bournemouth are not alone. Football Insider reports that Crystal Palace are also interested in Frank, and that Fulham have been debating a move for the Dane as well.
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How quickly the situation moves at Bournemouth depends on Rose’s results, not just on Frank’s availability. None of the three clubs has made a public move, and Bournemouth have made no statement about Rose’s position.
Rose’s immediate test comes later on Thursday, when Bournemouth host Sturm Graz in the Europa League at the Vitality Stadium.
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