'Opposite of Postecoglou' - what could Spurs expect from 'chef' Frank?

"I probably won't be at Brentford forever," Thomas Frank told BBC Sport in January when asked about his ambitions. "I will maybe walk into another club."

That club could be Tottenham Hotspur, who finished 17th in the Premier League table - seven places below Brentford - but will play in the Champions League next season after winning the Europa League.

Spurs have closed the door on the Ange Postecoglou era and are bidding to replace him with the Dane who established Brentford in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship in 2021.

Frank, 51, is the second-longest-serving current manager in English football's top-flight behind Manchester City's Pep Guardiola.

"It is just a question of time," said six-time Premier League-winning boss Guardiola last September, when asked if he was surprised Frank, appointed by Brentford in 2018, had not been offered a bigger job.

Frank did not play football professionally, external but has overseen 152 Premier League games - winning 54, losing 60 and taking 200 points from a possible 456.

Of the 54 managers to take charge of 150-plus games in the Premier League era, Frank ranks 29th for points per game (1.32).

During his Brentford reign, Frank has spent £254m on players and received £183m in sales - a net spend of £71m. Tottenham have spent £961m on transfers since 2016-17, according to FootballTransfer.com data., external

Frank, who has been described as the opposite of Postecoglou for his adaptability, would be Tottenham's fourth permanent manager since 30 June 2021.

Nuno Espirito Santo lasted just four months, Antonio Conte 16 months and Postecoglou, despite ending the club's 17-year wait for a major trophy, has been sent packing after two years.

"There's much more pressure at Tottenham than there is at Brentford, because of the expectation - and the manager has to handle that expectation," Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, told BBC Sport.

Frank's boundless energy and motivational skills have got the very best out of Brentford, who are planning for a fifth consecutive season in the Premier League despite one of the smallest budgets.

He has built a reputation for producing teams full of strong characters with no egos, and has helped the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa become better players - as well as many others.

Often described as a 'great human', Frank built strong relationships and socialised with his players and staff - sharing his love of padel - and has been praised regularly for his motivational skills.

Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Thomas is very personal with the players.

"He cares a lot about how we are and how we feel. It's a very important quality for a manager to have.

"Not every manager has it, and the ones that do seem to have more success. He's definitely a leader and someone who guides us. He's done a fantastic job in the years that I've worked with him at Brentford."

Managing Brentford feels a very different proposition to managing Spurs though - moving from a club with consistently one of the lowest budgets in the division, to one full of high-paid, high-profile players.

Sutton described Tottenham's decision to part ways with Postecoglou as "madness", and added: "That is how things work at the club that Frank is walking into."

He also also believes Spurs are taking a gamble on a manager who has no experience in the Champions League.

"Thomas Frank has done a brilliant job at Brentford, but this is a whole different kettle of fish," said Sutton.

"Because of the expectation at Tottenham, Frank won't get time to get his feet under the table. He will be under pressure from the off.

"Postecoglou has just won them their first major European trophy for 41 years and has gone. So already you have to wonder what does Frank need to do this season to keep his job?

"The aim for Frank will be to keep them in the Champions League, and whether that is by making the top four or five, that is not going to be easy.

"That is a big ask for this squad, to compete on both fronts. We know this Tottenham team is better than 17th place, because they finished fifth in Postecoglou's first year, but other Premier League teams have improved since then."

Brentford finished 2024-25 with more points than Tottenham (56 compared with 38), more goals (66-64) and fewer goals conceded (57-65).

In addition, Mbeumo (20), Wissa (19) and Kevin Schade (11) scored 50 goals between them after Frank was forced to adapt following the departure of Toney - 36 goals in 83 top-flight appearances for the Bees - to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.

There have been many different versions of Brentford though since Frank first took charge. High-possession football, more counter-attacks, more percentage football - Frank has played them all, leading to many seeing him as one of the game's more flexible coaches.

From attacking flair and bravery, to at times being more pragmatic, what would Spurs look like under Frank?

"It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer because he's a really flexible manager," said football tactics writer Alex Keble.

"He will automatically adapt his tactics to whoever the opposition is, a bit like Unai Emery at Aston Villa.

"In many ways he's the opposite of Ange Postecoglou, who is famously wedded to one idea.

"There's a statistic - what Opta call 10+ - referring to the number of es and sequences [in one move]. In 2023-24 Brentford ed 245. In 2024-25 that figure was 325.

"That tells you as time has gone on, Frank has wanted to play a more possession-based game. There's certainly plenty of counter-attacks, fast transitions and plenty of highly choreographed long balls forward - direct football."

Who are the Tottenham players who could benefit from the arrival of Frank, a manager who pays great attention to stats?

"You can certainly imagine Dominic Solanke linking with Wilson Odobert in a way Wissa and Mbeumo interact," added Keble.

"Defensively, Tottenham are least like Brentford. Would Frank look at the Spurs squad and think 'I can't play Brentford football here'">