Thomas Frank arrives at Tottenham as the euphoria fades after the club’s first trophy in 17 years and the first in Europe for 41, but there is still plenty to do.
This is not Arne Slot swanning into Liverpool and tweaking a little bit here and there.
There is lots for him to get stuck into as he makes the step up from Brentford into the glare that accompanies one of England’s most illustrious clubs.
Harness the spirit of Bilbao…
With the long wait finally over, Frank’s primary task is to ensure Spurs build on the Europa League win and do not allow the feelgood factor to slide away with Ange Postecoglou. That’s both in terms of the mood among fans and inside the training ground.
At 51, and with nearly 30 years of coaching behind him, Frank is mature enough to appreciate Postecoglou’s achievement and not plunge in and tear it all up in an impatient scramble to impose his own ideas. Among his strengths are common sense, pragmatism and adaptability.
He understands the landscape. He knows what works in English football and he fits a similar profile to the two most successful managerial appointments made in 24 years by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
Thomas Frank needs to harness the spirit that saw Tottenham win the Europa League
Frank has replaced Ange Postecoglou, who departed after finishing 17th
Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino both moved up to Tottenham having over-achieved in the Premier League. Redknapp at West Ham and Portsmouth. Pochettino at Southampton.
Some Spurs players might have been sorry to see Postecoglou go but the idea the dressing room will be distraught is unrealistic. They are professional footballers, they know the score and they will soon move on to figuring out if the new boss will be good or bad for them.
Collective success is one of the great binding agents in sport. Postecoglou was popular because he forged the spirit that led them to the trophy and Frank can use this to his advantage if he is smart, which he is.
His interpersonal skills are admired. He likes to foster close relationships with his players. He will soon find the way to connect.
Early messages to fans will have to be pitched carefully, too, but he is an excellent communicator. Expect to see him praising Postecoglou for his work and promising to build on the foundations.
Don’t lose the flair…
When he was promoted with Brentford in 2021, Frank prioritised three things: to be defensively tight, super fit and threaten from set pieces. This they did. They were big, physically imposing, aggressive in and out of possession and carried an aerial threat. They roughed up some of the elite clubs and survived despite one of the lowest budgets.
Spurs are not newly promoted or low budget but after the wild inconsistencies of last season could do worse than adopt some of these basics for next season. They have been beset by injuries, fragile at the back and nothing special at set pieces for two years.
At the same time, to lose the flair would be the fast lane to losing the fans, many of whom were disappointed to see Postecoglou sacked despite winning the Europa League.
Frank must quickly strike a balance as he did last season when Brentford added new layers to their style.
Dejan Kulusevski is one of Spurs’ flair players and Frank must keep hold of that
They were less direct, played out from the back, and increased their share of possession although it was still typically less than 50 per cent. They became more creative, had more efforts at goal and scored more. And remained excellent on set-pieces at both ends, spirited and tough to beat.
There is plenty of adventure in the Tottenham squad, but two of the most creative players, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, are recovering from serious knee injuries. Kulusevski is expected to miss the start of the new season and Maddison’s preseason could be delayed.
Find the right tactical plan…
Frank is not a coach wed to a strict tactical philosophy. The opposite, in fact. His past shows he can assess the capabilities of a squad and forge a plan to get the best from it. He is adaptable and flexible, but once he weighs it all up, his teams are well-drilled and organised. They know what they are trying to do.
At Brentford, he has deployed a back four (4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3) and a back three (3-4-3) and often flexing from a back four into a back three when in possession, releasing one full back more readily than the other with an aim to disrupt and overload opponents.
This was effective with Keane Lewis-Potter and Kristoffer Ajer as his full backs and it is easy to envisage with Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in similar roles. Van de Ven has all the attributes to play the Ajer role on the left of a back four but as one of Tottenham’s bigger stars, will it be easy to dislodge him from the centre of defence? Probably not.
The Dane does not have a strict philosophy and needs to find what works quickly
Postecoglou’s high defensive line is not likely to survive a summer of change. Nor the inverted full backs.
Up front, Frank likes pace to enable a quick counterattack and will find plenty of that at his disposal from speed merchants like Heung-min Son, Wilson Odobert and Brennan Johnson.
He would love to bring in Bryan Mbeumo, who looks set to leave Brentford, but the proposed £270,000 a week reportedly on offer at Manchester United would smash the current wage structure at Spurs.
Johnson and Archie Gray, incidentally, were both set to sign for Brentford when their heads were turned by a move to North London.
Midfielders with the defensive acumen to provide protection might be harder to come by. Yves Bissouma, with only one year on his contract, is a players Spurs were ready to sell if the price was right.
Gray and Lucas Bergvall are talented but young and this is an area of the pitch where they realise there is a need to improve and where Frank will want more physical power.
Son Heung-min…
The biggest of the big decisions. The captain and commercial star of Spurs is 33 next month with only a year left on his contract. He did not seem keen to sign a new, extended deal before his latest one-year extension clause was triggered. Nor has his form been particularly good.
Chairman Levy will be opposed to the idea of Son walking out on a free next year. If genuine interest emerges from Saudi Arabia, then it makes sense to consider selling. Ultimately, it should be a decision for the new boss. Can Frank see a key role in the team for Son? If not, does he feel strongly about keeping him in the dressing room to lead standards and using him more sparingly? Or is it time to bid him farewell and let him pocket a small fortune in Saudi or the USA?
Son Heung-min could leave rather than run out his contract and leave for free
A few more big decisions…
Bissouma is not the only established player facing uncertainty. Cristian Romero is keen on a move to Atletico Madrid and, with two years on his contract, it makes sense to sell and generate transfer funds. As with Son and Bissouma, the sooner these things are sorted out the better. There is no sense in keeping a disgruntled senior player if his heart is set on leaving.
Kevin Danso’s loan move from Lens has been made permanent, although, with Radu Dragusin out since January and still on his way back from a cruciate knee injury, Frank could do with reinforcements in central defence.
It might provide the chance to sign someone who knows how he works, such as Nathan Collins, a centre-half who has grown in stature since his £23million move from Wolves to Brentford in 2023.
Ben Davies is ready to leave in search of regular football. Wrexham are among those interested but Spurs triggered the clause for his contract to be extended by one more year and will want a fee.
Mathys Tel joined on loan and Tottenham could make the deal permanent for £45million
Cristian Romero has been a key player for the club but has been linked with a move away
There is an option to sign Mathys Tel for £45m from Bayern Munich after his six months on loan. There have been reports Levy is trying to renegotiate the fee after Tel’s underwhelming form while Bayern are not in a hurry to sell and it could all end with another loan deal.
Hopefully, Frank will have some say. His background in youth development is an attraction for Tottenham as they follow a recruitment strategy to sign young players and improve them.
Others on the periphery, coming into the club or returning from loan spells for the new boss to assess include Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Dorrington, Luka Vuskovic, George Abbott and Yang Min-Hyeok.
And one more, in goal…
As a coach obsessed with set pieces, Frank will have analysed the perceived weaknesses of Guglielmo Vicario, including his inability to take control in the crowds at corners and free kicks.
Vicario, one of Tottenham’s few vocal leaders in the dressing room and a big personality has been prone to mistakes since his return from injury last season.
Perhaps this is down to disruption in defence and his confidence could benefit if Frank moulds the team to give him more protection, with a deeper defensive line and less time with the ball at his feet.
It will be interesting to see if he is prepared to back Vicario as the number one or turn to Antonin Kinsky or demand another new ‘keeper.
Guglielmo Vicario is a big personality but can struggle from set-pieces
Recruitment strategy…
Many years have passed since Frank and Johan Lange, Tottenham’s technical director, worked together as coaches at Lyngby but they are expected to click back into a good working relationship.
There will be similarities between Lange’s studious data-led style and those at Brentford, another data-first club with a heavy Danish influence. Frank will expect to have his views heard but is accustomed to working with the players delivered by an effective recruitment process.
At Spurs, however, it is a very different culture to Brentford and there are other forces at play.
For one, they are expected to show more ambition in the market. Their target, despite only four major trophies in four decades, must be to win things on a regular basis.
Frank will be aware of the culture change at Tottenham that he needs to adapt to
They must be careful not to simply become a club who buy promising talent to train on and sell for profit. They are very low on experience and leadership, and this will become more important if they are competing for big prizes.
Another factor is always the conflicting interests. Levy likes to be central to the process, and the influence of former managing director Fabio Paratici, nearing the end of a FIFA ban, remains strong. Both have preferred agents and trade in favours.
It is drastically different to Brentford’s holistic culture and mastering this minefield has proved impossible for several of Frank’s predecessors.
Prepare for the Champions League…
One glaring omission on the Frank resume is a lack of competitive experience in Europe. He took Brondby into the Europa League, although with little success. The first campaign ended at the first hurdle, beaten 5-0 on aggregate by Bruges. The second made it through three qualifying rounds before a 6-1 aggregate defeat against PAOK in the play-off tie.
Combining the demands of the Premier League, two domestic knockout cups and the expectations to deliver an adventurous style of football while playing European football is arguably the toughest challenge.
Spurs have to juggle the Champions League and Premier League next season
Postecoglou could not solve the puzzle with a squad lacking depth and there is a chance they will lose vital international experience if Romero and/or Son leave.
The Champions League is a tougher challenge than the Europa League, with stronger opponents, greater emotional strain and fewer opportunities to rest, rotate and blood youngsters. There’s a small compensation by way of an end to the gruelling Thursday-Sunday cycle.
Build the backroom staff…
Much of the discussion and delay after striking a deal with Frank has revolved around who can join him from Brentford. And how much will that cost Spurs. Postecoglou was an anomaly, but head coaches always want their own staff to help them instil their culture and beliefs.
Frank always said ‘the secret sauce is the people’ when impressing what made Brentford tick and he would be keen to bring Claus Norgaard, his trusted Danish sidekick, and Justin Cochrane, a highly rated young coach who worked previously on Tottenham’s academy staff, across London with him.
His commitment to the power of set pieces means he will want a dedicated coach to work on them, whether that is Keith Andrews, who is one year into that role at Brentford, or someone else.
Spurs have fired coaches Nick Montgomery, Sergio Raimundo and Mile Jedinak, but intend to keep Postecoglou’s assistant Matt Wells and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch at the club.
Finalise preseason preparation…
Frank will be eager to start work. He usually takes a week to tie up loose ends at the end of a season, then a week or two on holiday before throwing himself back into summer planning.
Tottenham have preseason friendlies in the calendar against Arsenal in Hong Kong and Newcastle in South Korea, in July, and one in Munich against Bayern in August before the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in Italy, three days before the Premier League kicks off.
Some of his players are only just ending the international season but he will be keen to get them back in good time to start preseason and fix up a couple more low-key practice games before they set off for Asia.
