Tottenham officially appointed Thomas Frank as their new manager following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs paid Brentford £10m to secure Frank’s services, making him the third most expensive manager in Premier League history.
The agreement was done days ago, however, Tottenham delayed Frank’s announcement as they worked on securing Justin Cochrane’s services as well.
Cochrane has now returned to Tottenham as their new assistant manager and Jermain Defoe thinks his former club have struck gold with his appointment.
Former Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe full of praise for Justin Cochrane
Defoe spoke highly of Cochrane, sharing how impressed he was after visiting one of his training sessions.
He noted that Cochrane, who previously worked at Spurs before moving to Manchester United, stood out as an excellent coach and teacher.
When Defoe attended the training day, he initially expected to just watch from the sidelines, but Cochrane invited him to join a coaching meeting a few days before a game.
Defoe was impressed by how clear and focused Cochrane’s instructions were throughout the meeting. When asked if Frank and Cochrane are the right appointments for Tottenham, Defoe told talkSPORT: “100%. And that’s the one I wanted to be honest. Was it? Yeah, that’s the one. I thought if we can get Thomas Frank be amazing because I went in last season.
“Obviously, I know Justin Cochran who looks like he’s he’s going to he’s going to come with Thomas Frank.
“He started at Tottenham just before he went to United. Unbelievable coach by the way. I remember I got invited in. So, I went in for the day and when I went in, I just thought I’ll just sort of like be on the side of the pitch. I watch training.
“He said to me, ‘No, come in the meeting’. So I come to the meeting and listen to all these coaching points. They were really clear messages.
“And then after I sort of like watched the training sessions, I listen to his coaching points and where we stood when he coached and the way he sort of like drives the sessions, the way he connects with people which is also important.
“After training I sat down with him, it’s just that you know that people skills and just tried to pick his brain a little bit but really nice guy. He’s a top coach, top man.”
Justin Cochrane will be beneficial for Tottenham youngsters
With Spurs welcoming a wave of young talent, Cochrane’s expertise in youth development fits perfectly with the club’s vision.
He began his coaching career at Spurs as a youth coach before leading various England youth teams. In June 2021, Cochrane joined Manchester United’s academy as head of player development and coaching, then became Brentford’s head of coaching a year later.
He has overseen the development of several known players during his time at Spurs and England youth level including Noni Madueke, Kyle Walker-Peters, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp.