All aboard Thomas the Frank Engine, choo choo!
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
It was the worst-kept secret in the Premier League, and now it's official - Thomas Frank has been named the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, replacing Ange Postecoglou. He joins the club from Brentford, having taken the Bees from the Championship and turning them into a solid top half Premier League team. Tottenham are said to have paid a fee of approximately £10m to buy out his Brentford contract. Frank joins Spurs through the end of the 2027-28 season.
Frank joins the club at a rather tender point in Tottenham history. His predecessor, Postecoglou, had a somewhat fractious relationship with fans, but led a deeply flawed and perpetually injured Spurs team to the Europa League championship, the club's first trophy in 17 years and first European title since 1984. Postecoglou's dismissal was met with disbelief from many supporters, who argued that Ange deserved another chance to turn things around.
Thomas Frank is a good manager. While unproven in European competition, the Danish manager has helped take Brentford from an afterthought to one of the more respected teams in the Premier League. He appears to be well placed to continue Tottenham's rebuild in a progressive style of football, though one perhaps a little more pragmatic than under Big Ange.
And by all accounts Frank is also an excellent human. He's very well respected by his colleagues in the Premier League and by his current and former players. He's adopted an informal "no d**kheads" policy of player acquisition that is similar to that of Postecoglou. He's also a proven developer of players, getting the most out of guys like Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, and Yoane Wissa.
Nevertheless, Frank has quite a job ahead of him. He needs to find a way to unite a divided fanbase that's still experiencing whiplash from Bilbao to Postecoglou's sacking, oversee what could be a hugely important summer transfer window, and will a short-handed Spurs squad to a vastly improved Premier League table finish. In some ways I don't envy him, but in other ways it's an incredible opportunity. Early returns suggest that while fans are still angry at chairman Daniel Levy, Frank joins the club with supporters ready to give him a chance.
Welcome to our new head coach, the Great Dane, Thomas Frank.
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