Armory Boss Mikel Arteta today paid tribute to “a great coach and an extraordinary man” Thomas Frank following his sacking Tottenham.

Frank was fired this morning After eight months in the role and Spurs 16th in the Premier League table after last night’s home defeat by Newcastle.

The former Brentford boss had hoped for more time given Tottenham’s injury crisis but the club have had time to line up replacements before their next game in the North London derby on February 22.

Arteta spoke in glowing terms of his former rival, saying: “When you have a colleague who doesn’t continue to do his job it’s always very sad news because Thomas is a great coach, he’s also an extraordinary man and he’s proven in the league where we are. We know our responsibility goes beyond just performances.

“Sometimes results decide what happens to us. We wish him the best in whatever he decides to do next.”

Arsenal reap rewards for sticking with Arteta

Spurs have had eight managers since Arteta was appointed at the Emirates in 2019. It hasn’t always been a smooth ride but Arsenal are reaping the rewards for their patience. The Gunners are six points clear at the top of the Premier League And still in the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Asked to explain his longevity, the Spaniard said: “It depends on many factors. In my opinion firstly if you have players behind you and enjoy what they do and believe in what you do, that’s a big thing. Then you have to win a lot of games because in the end, if you don’t, you can’t continue in our job and reality.

“In the end, if you want to stay in the job you have to have a really high winning percentage. Then you can go through a spell where you can’t win games and that’s the moment that the ownership, or the sporting director, has to make a decision and it varies and varies from club to club.

“Between us all we have been able to sustain and bring that stability, performance, joy and progress to the club and hopefully we will be even better this season.”

Frank fired will not disrupt Arsenal plans – Arteta

Spurs may have an interim manager in place for the derby but Arteta has ruled out any major changes to his plans.

“Focus on us more and make sure that what we want to achieve, the way we want to play, the things we want to happen in the game, happen a lot of times, what they will do tactically in relation to that or not,” he said.

“Because then the set-up is one thing, the player profile is another thing and the pace and context of the game is something else. And we have to be able to adapt and recognize that and understand those rules to do what we have to do.”

Arsenal go to Brentford tomorrow night.