Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank has described being interviewed by Manchester United and Chelsea on the same day in May 2024.
The 52-year-old Danish coach, who was still managing Brentford at the time, has described meeting with United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in London before walking across Battersea Park to speak with Chelsea at a hotel in the English capital.
Erik ten Hag was the incumbent United manager at the time, while Mauricio Pochettino was in the Stamford Bridge dugout. Ultimately, Ten Hag stayed at Old Trafford until his sacking in October 2024 — being replaced by Ruben Amorim — while Chelsea appointed Enzo Maresca that summer after parting company with Pochettino.
“Sitting down to talk to two of the ten biggest clubs in the world — two hours apart — is quite unique,” Frank told Danish outlet TV 2, ahead of the release of his forthcoming book that details the meetings.
“I know I didn’t get either job, but it was still huge. I remember walking through Battersea Park between the two interviews and thinking: “Thomas Frank from f***ing Frederiksværk – am I really experiencing this?”
Frank remained at Brentford for the 2024-25 season ahead of his appointment at Tottenham this summer, which he describes as “a crazy job and a crazy challenge”.
He spent seven seasons at Brentford, including overseeing their promotion to the Premier League in 2021, and has won eight of his 18 matches in charge of Spurs so far this term.