Tottenham Hotspur hired Thomas Frank as manager on Thursday after the 51-year-old Danish ended his nearly decade-long stay at fellow Premier League club Brentford.
Frank will replace Ange Postecoglou, who was fired last week despite leading Tottenham to their first trophy in 17 years with a win over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final.
Tottenham said Frank’s contract runs until 2028.
“In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game,” the club said in a statement. “He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.”
Frank joined Brentford in December 2016 and has been manager since 2018. He has established a reputation as a tactically flexible and shrewd boss who has improved players, especially those of a lower profile or who have not performed at other clubs.
At Tottenham, he will have a squad of higher quality – albeit one that finished below Brentford in the Premier League last season – and will be managing in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. One of his first games will be against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain at the UEFA Super Cup.
In that sense, it is a slight gamble from Spurs. Indeed, Frank has never won a trophy in his managerial career.
However, having had Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho at the helm for spells since 2019, even those managers with elite-level pedigree have found it tough to lead Tottenham to success and Frank, at least, has plenty of Premier League experience.
Brentford have played in the top flight since 2021 and consistently punched above their weight, with Tottenham pointing to Frank’s ability to get his former team “significantly outperforming expectations for an extended period of time.”
