Thomas Frank has officially taken up the mantle at Tottenham Hotspur, replacing Ange Postecoglou as head coach of the Lilywhites.
Often flying under the radar for job vacancies at the so-called 'Big Six' clubs but still always in the conversation, his appointment ends an eight-year, hugely successful spell at Brentford, where he brought them to the Premier League for the first time before making them a sustainable midtable outfit.
He has had to contend with losing stars like David Raya, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney on the way, but also extraordinarily low player wage expenditure, where the Bees have ranked in the bottom four for all of their four seasons in the top flight.
In fact, only Ipswich Town spent less money on squad wages last year. Brentford eventually finished 10th and Frank was nominated for Premier League Manager of the Season for the second time.
The stability he has granted to a team more historically accustomed to life outside the first division is likely why he emerged as the prime contender to succeed Postecoglou, who, for all the glittering memories he brought Tottenham fans in the Europa League, did lead Spurs to their worst league finish since the Premier League’s inception.
Tactically, it once again represents a very different remit for the Tottenham squad, who have gone from the industrious, defensive-minded Antonio Conte to Postecoglou’s attacking revolution to the Denmark international’s potentially more flexible approach within two years.
Though the transition to Frank's football might not be the sudden gear change some onlookers predict.
Along with VAVEL’s Brentford Editor Jack Brace, we take a look at four key positions that could change once Frank is settled in North London.
Centre-back
Postecoglou’s commitment to a high defensive line defined his early tenure. Having Micky van de Ven’s pace on hand to mop up counter attacks meant that when it worked it was quite a sight to behold.
Keeping it up proved difficult however. Injuries riddled the Dutchman, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, but Postecoglou remained relatively steadfast in his commitment to the approach, even when playing the less mobile Ben Davies and positionally weaker Radu Dragusin.
Early assessments have pinpointed Frank as a more pragmatic coach, one who is happier leaning into that low block style on a regular basis. However, those expecting that to be his primary plan may have another thing coming.
"I feel like there’s a slight misconception when it comes to Frank with him being a defensive coach," says Brace. "He’s not. He’s just had to adapt with what he’s had to deal with."
Some sections of the Tottenham faithful will be glad about Frank’s willingness to adapt, which was so often Postecoglou’s undoing, particularly at the back.
Though the Australian adjusted slightly after injuries to van de Ven and Romero namely, it was not altered enough and left Spurs exposed on a number of occasions.
“The first two seasons, Brentford played defensively because it is about acclimatising to the league. Seeing some of the sides that have come up recently, they try to run before they can walk.
"Frank has provided stability and has been wanting to build up from there - and one thing he wants to do is have a high line and press from the front. So having someone like Micky van de Ven or Kevin Danso in will work perfectly for him."
It appears then that Frank may use this opportunity to test out methods he perhaps shied away from in West London.
He now joins a squad of players who have vast, uncompromised dealings with playing in a high line and will possibly want to largely continue that. Though, as demonstrated on their way to the Europa League title, they are also adept at sitting tight in a low block.
This changeability will chime well with Frank, who told Sky Sports about how he has a ‘Plan A’, ‘Plan Ab’ and ‘Plan B’ depending on the game state.
Full-back
Another prominent feature of Postecoglou’s Tottenham was his inverted full-backs. The likes of Pedro Porro, Udogie and Djed Spence were asked to cut into the half spaces to support attacks rather than making marauding runs out wide to whip balls into the area.
"[Frank’s] preference is a 4-3-3, though has altered it slightly because we had Mikkel Damsgaard to play a 4-2-3-1," Brace says.
"I’ll admit, it’s difficult for me to predict what he will do at Tottenham because we haven’t actually had fully fit full-backs for the past eighteen months.
"We’ve had a right-footed, left-winger in Keane Lewis-Potter play left-back - he’s been incredible but is not a natural full-back - and it’s only the last six games we’ve had Michael Kayode consistently at right-back.
"So reflecting on years when we did have fully fit full-backs, they are very attack minded, so it suits Udogie and Porro perfectly. One will push up, the other will come across and invert to create a central overload."
If fluidity is what Frank will be after in his full-backs then Spurs’ options certainly have that.
Both Udogie and Porro have spent time as wing-backs before arriving in London, with the latter retaining a knack for crossing, accumulating 27 crosses into the penalty area last season - 7 more than Trent Alexander-Arnold for example.
Reinforcements and fingers-crossed on fitness at central defence will also open up an avenue for Archie Gray to get more minutes at right-back. The former Leeds United youngster is aiming to be a deep-lying midfielder, but his immediate future may still reside in the backline.
Wingers
Postecoglou’s inverted full-backs often meant the wingers were forced to hug the touchline and also dart into the box to finish off the other respective winger’s cross.
"As far back as I can remember under Frank, we’ve had inverted wingers," says Brace.
"Ideally, he’ll want them to spread the pitch too, but, with the full-backs bombing on and creating overlapping situations, he will really want them to cut inside."
Spurs going back to having wingers more as wide forwards will be great news to captain Heung-min Son, who excelled when given the freedom to cut in off the left or when deployed closer to the centre of things in years gone by.
This could also see the left-footed Dejan Kulusevski get more playing time on the right wing again after spells as a number 10 in 2024/25.
Brennan Johnson might be able to thrive on the right himself. The Wales international registered 19 goals last year, mostly through poaching in the box. He could utilise that as an inverted winger, but will have to work on his skills in build-up play.
Johnson’s only full season for Nottingham Forest saw him carry the ball into the final third 46 times, totalling to 2111 yards – both far outweighing the same stats in Tottenham colours, and recalling that into his game should aid Frank’s desire to have his wide players narrower.
However, the preference to have a left-footed player on the right may see the Lilywhites dip into the transfer market in this area to mirror Kulusevski if the Swede needs to fill in the 10 role again.
It is no wonder that Bryan Mbeumo has been heavily linked to Spurs in the wake of Frank's appointment, with the Cameroon international notching a career best 20 goals in the last campaign.
Wilson Odobert continues to offer promise as a winger who can take players on on the flanks. His physicality will only grow with age and experience and so should be able to transition these skills into puncturing into the middle more from either side.
The biggest winner from this change in approach will be Mikey Moore. The 17-year-old has already lit up the eyes of Spurs fans during his appearances on the left-wing, and, as a right-footer, his dribbling ability could be further harnessed by seeing him drive at the penalty area more.
Frank has consistently improved players, especially wingers like Kevin Schade, Mbeumo and, initially, Ollie Watkins.
At such a tender age, Moore might be loaned out to gain more first-team action, but he could reap major developmental rewards should he stay put.
Centre forward
"He is crucial to us," Postecoglou said in May. "It’s not just the goals he scored. He adds so much to our game in terms of how hard he works for the team with and without the ball."
Brace also feels that the Englishman will reap further rewards under Frank’s tutelage.
"I think Solanke will be one of the main beneficiaries of Frank’s appointment. He is the ideal centre forward profile for him - someone who’s willing to run in behind but also able to drop deep.
"We’ve seen how Yoane Wissa’s been able to thrive, but given Solanke’s stature, he offers more variability. Play had to go to Wissa's feet, whereas it can go to Solanke's head and chest."
Brace adds that while Solanke and Wissa have similar ability to press from the front, the overall structure "will allow Frank to be more front-footed" than he was in Hounslow.
There have been rare occasions the Bees played with two up top. Figures compiled by The Athletic showed it happened seven times last year in varied formations, but Brace says "that is more down to tactical restrictions than tactical flexibility."
Son and Richarlison offer readymade solutions if Frank needs to operate with two strikers, with Kulusevski even making brief appearances as the number nine at the beginning of Postecoglou’s second season.
Adapting with an attacking edge
In his interview with Sky Sports, Frank described how even after his side receive a red card scoring remains the priority: "The offensive mindset - that is always the first thing we're thinking about."
This sounds more similar to Postecoglou than many may expect, although the Australian's swashbuckling style often seemed to negate defensive responsibilities.
Frank, however, later states in the interview that if they were against Manchester City, for instance, then he would be content with reverting to a back five - as long as there are still a couple of forwards on hand to counter.
Though this attacking approach should not be a massive surprise. Last season Brentford scored 66 league goals - the joint fifth most in the Premier League, only bettered by Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle and equalled by Brighton.
They also incredibly efficient, with their 39.9% of shots on target topping the league charts and their 0.14 goals per shot is also a division best.
Such precision is built on Frank's strong understanding of his player's individual strengths but also changing his setup to hurt opponents.
"It is entirely dependent on the opposition," Brace says about Frank's adaptive nature.
"He will have a base for each game, but he has shown he is willing to adapt against tougher opposition."
Though of course, as a human being, - and one working in as variable a job as footballing coaching - Frank is not faultless.
"One criticism some Brentford fans have had are in games where we're losing or trying to hold on to a lead [letting the result slip away]. I would argue that is more down to personnel than tactical ineptitude.
"But, speaking subjectively, he can be naïve at times. It's all well and good wanting to play on the front foot, but against Liverpool for example [lost both encounters 2-0 last season], you're playing against one of the most effective transition teams in Europe and he's trying to press them high.
"Sometimes certain decisions like that may catch him out, but he's generally very good in this regard."
It will be a different challenge for Frank, with heftier expectations and more media attention on every setback.
But if any head coach in the Premier League deserves the chance to showcase themselves in a traditional 'Big Six' club, and amongst Europe's elite, it is him.
