Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Brentford as they seek to appoint Thomas Frank as head coach — and the north London side hope to reach an agreement in the next 48 hours.
Frank, 51, quickly emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Ange Postecoglou following his exit on Friday and terms with the Dane are in place.
Advertisement
There is a healthy relationship between the clubs and negotiations will centre on the cost of releasing Frank, plus the backroom staff who will join him, which is expected to be in the region of £10million ($13.5m, €11.8m).
Tottenham announced that Postecoglou had been sacked despite the 59-year-old winning the Europa League title and ending the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy. Postecoglou’s future had been in doubt for months, following a Premier League season in which Spurs lost 22 of their 38 games and finished 17th, their worst league finish since 1976-77.
“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride,” Postecoglou said in a statement published by his representatives following Friday’s news of his departure. “The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.”
Frank took over with Brentford in the Championship in 2018 and got them promoted to the Premier League in 2021. Since then, Brentford have become an established top-flight side, finishing 13th, ninth, 16th and now 10th this season.
Postecoglou was warmly received by the Spurs fans at their Europa League trophy parade and during their final Premier League game, the 4-1 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion. He admitted after the match that he was still in the dark about his long-term future, despite the historic triumph in Bilbao.
The Australian was appointed as Tottenham head coach in June 2023, signing a three-year deal with a fourth as an option. In his first season, Spurs finished fifth in the league, but this campaign they were disrupted by a severe injury crisis during which they lost almost the entire first team. Postecoglou then prioritised the Europa League as Spurs’ only way to win a trophy, eliminating AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in the knock-out rounds before beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.
How much of an impact has Frank made at Brentford?
Analysis by Jay Harris
Frank joined Brentford as an assistant coach in December 2016 and the long-term plan was for him to replace Dean Smith, which happened two years later when the latter moved to Aston Villa. Frank lost eight of his first 10 games in charge but managed to stabilise the side and they finished 11th in the Championship in 2018-19.
Advertisement
Brentford reached the Championship play-off final in Frank’s first full season but they lost 2-1 to Fulham after extra time. They returned to Wembley the following year and beat Swansea City 2-0 to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Many observers expected Brentford to get relegated but they memorably beat Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season and finished 13th. Frank’s coaching helped his young squad, including Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and David Raya, to excel at a higher level while he convinced Christian Eriksen to join them on a short-term contract.
Brentford’s second season in the top-flight under Frank was phenomenal. They thrashed Manchester United 4-0 at home and were the only side to beat then champions Manchester City twice. Toney scored 20 goals in 33 appearances and became Brentford’s first England international since Les Smith in 1939.
Brentford’s third year in the Premier League was disrupted by injuries but they bounced back stronger this season. They finished 10th had three players reach double figures for goals (Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade).
Frank’s impact at Brentford has been huge and he will probably have a statue outside their stadium in the future. He has a fantastic connection with the fanbase, the players love him and he has a great relationship with the owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes. Replacing Frank will be a difficult challenge for Brentford.
Frank helped guide Brentford to promotion to the Premier League (Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
What would Frank bring to Spurs?
Tottenham’s transfer policy has changed since Johan Lange became their sporting director in November 2023 and now they mainly focus on signing players under the age of 23, including Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert.
Frank has an excellent track record of developing talent, including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Mbeumo, which can be traced back to his time in charge of Denmark’s youth sides, so he could be a great fit for this young Spurs squad.
Advertisement
Lange and Frank have previously worked together at Danish side Lygnby which would help. When Lange was Aston Villa’s sporting director, he considered hiring Frank to replace Steven Gerrard before Unai Emery was appointed.
Frank prefers to use a 4-3-3 formation but is more flexible than Postecoglou. During Brentford’s first two seasons in the Premier League, he regularly used a 3-5-2 formation against better-quality opposition and used long balls and set-pieces to good effect.
Brentford have evolved and now mainly play out from the back and press opponents high up the pitch. A switch to a 4-2-3-1 system in 2024-25 to extract the best out of attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard highlights how he is more than willing to make subtle tweaks to his principles for the benefit of the team.
One of the biggest challenges for Frank would be adjusting to European competition. He reached the preliminary rounds of the Europa League with Brondby but not the main stage of the competition, so it would be a steep learning curve jumping straight into the Champions League.
(Top photo: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
The Rockies Have 25 Games Left to Prove They Are Not Among the Worst Ever
The Rockies might not actually lose a record 122 games or more. It's not that they have been good over the summer, but Colorado has certainly changed the nature of their losing. They have a .380 winning percentage and 30-49 record since the start of June – which again, is bad – but it's "lose 101 games" bad, not "set a new historical mark for incompetence". Which is where they were through May, when they had just nine – nine! – wins in their first 58 games.The thing is, that horrid early start still lingers enough that the Rockies aren't completely out of the woods yet. If they have a putrid September on par with some of their earlier work in the year, well, any optimism built up from the summer is going to vanish in a hurry. And even […]
Prvoligový objev Cupák naposledy se svou třídou, děti svému učiteli úspěch přejí
FotogaleriePrvní školní den byl pro žáky sedmé třídy sportovní školy jiný než obvykle. Museli se rozloučit se svým oblíbeným třídním učitelem. Ten dostal přes léto nabídku, která se neodmítá. V šestadvaceti letech první profesionální smlouvu s prvoligovým fotbalovým týmem. Příležitost vzal pevně do svých rukou a na ligových trávnících je pořádně vidět. Za první dvě kola vstřelil univerzální středopolař dvě branky a během sedmi odehraných kol k nim přidal i dvě asistence.Do třídy vstupoval s pokorou, hned jak jej žáci spatřili, sklidil obrovský potlesk. Aby ne, ve škole je oblíbený. Mohli by být naštvaní, že od nich odchází, ale přejí mu štěstí v jeho nastoupené kariéře. „Pro pana učitele je to velký úspěch. Všichni mu to moc přejeme. Hraje první ligu, takže výborně. Navíc nám ukázal dobrou motivaci. Jít si za svým cílem,“ sdělil pro Sport.cz třináctiletý fotbalista Honza.Sportovní třídu dostal Michal Cupák na starosti před rokem. „Všichni […]
US Open 2025 live updates: Day 9 scores, results with De Minaur ahead, Gauff, Sinner, Swiatek later
The last couple of days have served as a reminder that playing tennis when level or behind is very different from playing when ahead, especially for underdogs.Saturday, Denis Shapovalov got to 40-40 on his own serve at 3-1 in the third set against Jannik Sinner. Sinner’s shoelace snapped, so he paused to change his shoe, giving Shapovalov time to think he likely did not need. Sinner put on his shoes, broke Shapovalov’s serve and rolled to victory untroubled from there.And over on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Taylor Townsend got herself to within a point of beating Barbora Krejčíková on no fewer than eight occasions. She couldn’t seize the moment, undone by her own caution while ahead and Krejčíková’s freedom when behind, with the Czech blazing winners onto the lines to save several of them.The ability to step up in such moments […]
Ve Vlašimi skončil trenér Harant, nahradil ho Pilný
Osmatřicetiletý Harant v červnu nahradil Aleše Majera, který převzal Mladou Boleslav v nejvyšší soutěži. Tým pod Harantovým vedením prohrál poslední tři zápasy a po osmi kolech nového ročníku druhé ligy má jen čtyři body. Horší je pouze Kroměříž, která je bez bodu.Vlašim se nyní pokusí pozvednout bývalý kouč prvoligového Hradce Králové Pilný, jenž vedl také druholigové celky Žižkov, Příbram, Sokolov nebo Duklu Praha. „Jsme dohodnuti na spolupráci a pevně věříme, že během reprezentační přestávky dokáže pan Pilný mužstvo připravit na nadcházející zápas v Příbrami,“ uvedl sportovní ředitel Jan Jícha.
Atalanta complete signing of USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah from AC Milan
Atalanta have completed the signing of United States international Yunus Musah from AC Milan.Musah, 22, has joined Atalanta on loan with an option to buy.The Athletic reported on August 10 that Nottingham Forest entered talks over a potential move for Musah, with personal terms not expected to be an issue. A move never materialised, and Forest further bolstered their midfield with the signings of James McAtee from Manchester City and Douglas Luiz on loan from Juventus. AdvertisementMusah joins Atalanta in their first season under head coach Ivan Juric, after Gian Piero Gasperini departed for Roma in the summer.Musah joined Milan from Valencia in August 2023, where he made his senior professional debut after a spell in the reserve team. He has made 80 appearances for the Italian side and registered five assists. Last season, the midfielder made 40 appearances, 29 of which […]
Craque Neto elogia Ancelotti por não convocar Neymar e vê Santos ameaçado no Brasileirão: “Corre muito risco”
Neymar em ação com a camisa o Santos (Raul Baretta/ Santos FC)A seleção brasileira teve que cortar o centroavante Matheus Cunha, do Manchester United, por causa de lesão, e o técnico Carlo Ancelotti novamente decidiu não chamar Neymar, do Santos, para os duelos com Chile e Bolívia, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa, o escolhido para se reunir ao grupo na vaga aberta foi Samuel Lino, do Flamengo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADECraque Neto deu os parabéns para o treinador italiano, pois, segundo ele, o atacante do Santos não tem demonstrado praticamente nada para que seja convocado para voltar a defender o Brasil. “A seleção brasileira não precisa do seu futebol. Parabéns ao Ancelotti por convocar o Samuel Lino, do Flamengo”, destacou o apresentador da Band.“Fiquei assistindo ao jogo do Santos (contra o Fluminense). Impressionante o Neymar. Ele anda em campo, pega a bola do […]
Related
The Rockies Have 25 Games Left to Prove They Are Not Among the Worst Ever
The Rockies might not actually lose a record 122 games or more. It's not that they have been good over the summer, but Colorado has certainly changed the nature of their losing. They have a .380 winning percentage and 30-49 record since the start of June – which again, is bad – but it's "lose 101 games" bad, not "set a new historical mark for incompetence". Which is where they were through May, when they had just nine – nine! – wins in their first 58 games.The thing is, that horrid early start still lingers enough that the Rockies aren't completely out of the woods yet. If they have a putrid September on par with some of their earlier work in the year, well, any optimism built up from the summer is going to vanish in a hurry. And even […]
Prvoligový objev Cupák naposledy se svou třídou, děti svému učiteli úspěch přejí
FotogaleriePrvní školní den byl pro žáky sedmé třídy sportovní školy jiný než obvykle. Museli se rozloučit se svým oblíbeným třídním učitelem. Ten dostal přes léto nabídku, která se neodmítá. V šestadvaceti letech první profesionální smlouvu s prvoligovým fotbalovým týmem. Příležitost vzal pevně do svých rukou a na ligových trávnících je pořádně vidět. Za první dvě kola vstřelil univerzální středopolař dvě branky a během sedmi odehraných kol k nim přidal i dvě asistence.Do třídy vstupoval s pokorou, hned jak jej žáci spatřili, sklidil obrovský potlesk. Aby ne, ve škole je oblíbený. Mohli by být naštvaní, že od nich odchází, ale přejí mu štěstí v jeho nastoupené kariéře. „Pro pana učitele je to velký úspěch. Všichni mu to moc přejeme. Hraje první ligu, takže výborně. Navíc nám ukázal dobrou motivaci. Jít si za svým cílem,“ sdělil pro Sport.cz třináctiletý fotbalista Honza.Sportovní třídu dostal Michal Cupák na starosti před rokem. „Všichni […]
US Open 2025 live updates: Day 9 scores, results with De Minaur ahead, Gauff, Sinner, Swiatek later
The last couple of days have served as a reminder that playing tennis when level or behind is very different from playing when ahead, especially for underdogs.Saturday, Denis Shapovalov got to 40-40 on his own serve at 3-1 in the third set against Jannik Sinner. Sinner’s shoelace snapped, so he paused to change his shoe, giving Shapovalov time to think he likely did not need. Sinner put on his shoes, broke Shapovalov’s serve and rolled to victory untroubled from there.And over on Louis Armstrong Stadium, Taylor Townsend got herself to within a point of beating Barbora Krejčíková on no fewer than eight occasions. She couldn’t seize the moment, undone by her own caution while ahead and Krejčíková’s freedom when behind, with the Czech blazing winners onto the lines to save several of them.The ability to step up in such moments […]
Ve Vlašimi skončil trenér Harant, nahradil ho Pilný
Osmatřicetiletý Harant v červnu nahradil Aleše Majera, který převzal Mladou Boleslav v nejvyšší soutěži. Tým pod Harantovým vedením prohrál poslední tři zápasy a po osmi kolech nového ročníku druhé ligy má jen čtyři body. Horší je pouze Kroměříž, která je bez bodu.Vlašim se nyní pokusí pozvednout bývalý kouč prvoligového Hradce Králové Pilný, jenž vedl také druholigové celky Žižkov, Příbram, Sokolov nebo Duklu Praha. „Jsme dohodnuti na spolupráci a pevně věříme, že během reprezentační přestávky dokáže pan Pilný mužstvo připravit na nadcházející zápas v Příbrami,“ uvedl sportovní ředitel Jan Jícha.
Atalanta complete signing of USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah from AC Milan
Atalanta have completed the signing of United States international Yunus Musah from AC Milan.Musah, 22, has joined Atalanta on loan with an option to buy.The Athletic reported on August 10 that Nottingham Forest entered talks over a potential move for Musah, with personal terms not expected to be an issue. A move never materialised, and Forest further bolstered their midfield with the signings of James McAtee from Manchester City and Douglas Luiz on loan from Juventus. AdvertisementMusah joins Atalanta in their first season under head coach Ivan Juric, after Gian Piero Gasperini departed for Roma in the summer.Musah joined Milan from Valencia in August 2023, where he made his senior professional debut after a spell in the reserve team. He has made 80 appearances for the Italian side and registered five assists. Last season, the midfielder made 40 appearances, 29 of which […]
Craque Neto elogia Ancelotti por não convocar Neymar e vê Santos ameaçado no Brasileirão: “Corre muito risco”
Neymar em ação com a camisa o Santos (Raul Baretta/ Santos FC)A seleção brasileira teve que cortar o centroavante Matheus Cunha, do Manchester United, por causa de lesão, e o técnico Carlo Ancelotti novamente decidiu não chamar Neymar, do Santos, para os duelos com Chile e Bolívia, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa, o escolhido para se reunir ao grupo na vaga aberta foi Samuel Lino, do Flamengo. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADECraque Neto deu os parabéns para o treinador italiano, pois, segundo ele, o atacante do Santos não tem demonstrado praticamente nada para que seja convocado para voltar a defender o Brasil. “A seleção brasileira não precisa do seu futebol. Parabéns ao Ancelotti por convocar o Samuel Lino, do Flamengo”, destacou o apresentador da Band.“Fiquei assistindo ao jogo do Santos (contra o Fluminense). Impressionante o Neymar. Ele anda em campo, pega a bola do […]
Be the first to leave a comment