The New York Times

Al Ahli have made contact with former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou and he is among the candidates the Saudi Pro League side are considering if a managerial change is made.

Former Barcelona head coach Xavi is also among the potential options being considered by Al Ahli in the event of head coach Matthias Jaissle departing the club.

Jaissle’s Al Ahli contract runs until 2026 and he has turned down multiple offers of a new deal, leading to the club opening negotiations with other candidates, and talks are moving quickly with Postecoglou.

Contract talks are ongoing with Jaissle, who is also among the options RB Leipzig are considering in case a move for top target Ole Werner does not go to plan.

Jaissle’s potential departure would be complicated as he led the club to AFC Champions League success in May and he remains a popular figure with supporters.

Postecoglou was dismissed by Tottenham in June despite him winning the club’s first major trophy in 17 years.

The Australian led Spurs to victory in the Europa League final over Manchester United in May — the club’s first piece of silverware since 2008 — but they finished 17th in the Premier League. Thomas Frank has since been appointed his successor.

Xavi, meanwhile, has been out of management since being sacked by Barcelona in May 2024.

Jaissle’s potential successor would inherit a squad at Al Ahli that includes former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, former Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino and former Brentford striker Ivan Toney.

They are one of four clubs Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of in the summer of 2023, leading to significant transfer spending and an influx of overseas talent into the division.

A move to Al Ahli would represent Potecoglou’s first coaching role in Saudi Arabia, having managed in Australia, Greece, Japan, Scotland and England.

He joined Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and led the club to a fifth-place finish during his debut season in charge.

However, Tottenham won only 11 league games during the 2024-25 campaign and endured a pair of six-game winless runs over April and May, and December and January. Their total of 22 losses was the most of any team not to be relegated in a 38-game Premier League season.

Postecoglou did have to contend with an extensive injury list, with Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Yves Bissouma, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, James Maddison, Radu Dragusin and Wilson Odobert all missing periods.

Xavi, meanwhile, had announced in January 2024 his intention to leave Barca at the end of the 2023-24 season before being persuaded to reverse his decision in April. He was then dismissed just 30 days after April’s announcement that he would see out his contract until 2025.

He won the La Liga title during his debut season in charge of Barca but the club trailed Real Madrid by 10 points the following campaign.

Jaissle, 37, joined Al Ahli from Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 and led them to third in the Saudi Pro League during his debut season, followed by a maiden AFC Champions League title the following campaign.

(Photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Thomas Frank is probably the greatest manager in Brentford’s history.

He spent nearly seven years in charge of the west London side and guided them from the Championship into the Premier League. Despite having one of the lowest wage bills in the division, they recorded two top-half finishes in four seasons under him. Supporters will never forget the memorable victories over Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, while Frank helped Ivan Toney, David Raya and Bryan Mbeumo to become superstars. It is conceivable there will one day be a statue of him outside their stadium but he is walking away from Brentford, and “leaving a big piece of (his) heart” behind, for a daunting new challenge.

On Thursday evening, Frank was announced as Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach on a three-year contract. The 51-year-old is the successor to Ange Postecoglou, who became the first Spurs manager to lift a trophy since 2008 when they won the Europa League final last month. Chairman Daniel Levy sacked Postecoglou 16 days after that famous victory over Manchester United in Bilbao, in large part because Spurs’ Premier League performances under the Australian were woeful in 2024-25, losing 22 times and finishing 17th.

Tottenham’s fanbase are torn over the decision to sack Postecoglou and some members of the first-team squad are deeply upset. There is upheaval in the boardroom, with the arrival of new chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham, along with the departures of chief football officer Scott Munn and long-serving executive Donna-Maria Cullen. Fabio Paratici — the former managing director of football — is lurking in the background. His 30-month ban from football activity for alleged financial malpractice during his time with Juventus expires on June 30. The conditions of Paratici’s ban mean he has been able to act as a consultant for Spurs over the past two and a half years and he has been spotted at home games.

It will be a tricky situation to navigate but Frank has patiently waited for his opportunity at a bigger club. This is the inside story of why he decided to join Spurs.

Frank has never been shy about his long-term ambitions and there were multiple occasions where he nearly left Brentford. In October 2021, a few months into Brentford’s first season in the Premier League, he was interviewed by Aston Villa after they sacked Dean Smith. If he had been successful, it would have been the second time in his career that he had replaced Smith. Frank spent just under two years as Smith’s assistant at Brentford and was promoted when he joined Villa.

Johan Lange was Villa’s sporting director at the time and he conducted the interviews with then-chief executive officer Christian Purslow. Lange left Villa in October 2023 to become Tottenham’s sporting director. Frank and Lange have known each other for nearly two decades — they worked together at Danish top-flight side Lyngby in 2006 — and will be reunited in north London.

Lange and Purslow were impressed by Steven Gerrard’s presentation and interview so decided to appoint the former Liverpool captain as Smith’s replacement. In January 2022, Frank and his then-assistant Brian Riemer signed new long-term contracts with an improved salary at Brentford.

At the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, Leicester City were interested in Frank but they decided to stick with Brendan Rodgers. When Graham Potter took over at Chelsea that September, Frank publicly praised the decision because it would have “been easy” for them to appoint Mauricio Pochettino or Zinedine Zidane. There are lots of similarities between Frank and Potter. Neither of them had playing careers at the highest level and they coached in Europe before punching above their weight with Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively. Frank’s comments made it feel as if he was becoming restless in west London and talking up his own credentials as much as Potter’s.

When Villa sacked Gerrard a month later, they considered Frank again but hired former Arsenal, Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery. In December 2022, with all of the interest swirling around Frank, Brentford rewarded him with a pay rise and a new contract until 2027.

Potter lasted less than seven months at Chelsea before he was sacked and Frank’s tone changed. He suddenly sounded wary of leaving Brentford. “It was difficult for (Potter) to turn down and of course he believed in himself,” Frank said. “He was aware he was going into a big club and it could potentially be difficult but I don’t think he predicted the amount of injuries they had or the amount of players they bought.

“You never know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m very privileged to be working at Brentford. We need to constantly remind ourselves of what we have, even on a day when it’s grey or we are losing or a day where I wake up with big ambitions, because it’s not always better on the other side.”

Frank’s stock was at its highest by the end of that campaign as Brentford finished ninth and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Europa League. They recorded memorable victories over Manchester United, Liverpool and his future employers Spurs. Antonio Conte was sacked by Tottenham in March but Frank was overlooked and they hired Postecoglou instead.

In the 2023-24 season, Brentford struggled with injuries and Toney’s eight-month suspension for betting offences, finishing 16th. Yet it did not damage Frank’s reputation and he spoke with senior figures at Manchester United around the FA Cup final when they were considering sacking Erik ten Hag. Then he reached the final two for the vacancy at Chelsea but was overlooked for Enzo Maresca. In an interview with The Athletic in May 2024, he said he had “close to the perfect football life at Brentford”.

“I can see myself being here for a long period,” Frank added. “Can I stay here for seven more years? I don’t know and that’s not that I don’t love Brentford, it’s just: do I want to try something different? But I’m very aware the grass is not greener in the garden next door even if it looks like it. Then you get in there, take a closer look and see there are a lot of weeds in the grass.”

Just over a year later and Frank has been convinced to sacrifice his near “perfect football life”. There are lots of issues to solve at Spurs but he has not been deterred by the challenge.

The Athletic reported in March that Postecoglou’s long-term future was in serious doubt and that Frank, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola were identified by Spurs as potential replacements. Iraola was their top target but he decided to stay at Bournemouth.

There was a mixed reaction at Brentford. Some senior figures were not too concerned because they had become used to the constant interest in Frank. Others were worried as they thought Spurs would be the perfect fit. He would be reunited with Lange, inherit a young squad with vast potential and would not have to relocate from his family home in west London. Multiple club sources during conversations with The Athletic wondered if potential new investment — owner Matthew Benham has been open to selling a minority stake for the past few years — would tempt him into staying. Equipped with better resources, Brentford could then consistently challenge in the top half of the table.

Towards the end of the season, it became clear Spurs had made Frank their top choice and that he wanted the role. Frank’s pre-existing relationship with Lange helped and Levy has been a big fan for some time. Lange was heavily involved but Levy drove the pursuit. Conversations were held about the finances it would take to prise Frank and his staff out of Brentford before the season had finished.

Brentford never attempted to persuade him to stay. They accepted his ambition and are well aware their business model is all about developing and selling talent. They did not stand in Smith’s way when he joined Villa and have recovered from losing star players including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Christian Eriksen.

Brentford told Frank’s representatives they did not want to be contacted by any interested club until after the season ended so they could focus on finishing as high as possible. Brentford were warned to expect a phone call in the evening after their final game on May 25 but it never came.

Spurs winning the Europa League threatened to change everything. Nobody knew what was happening with Postecoglou. The Australian went on holiday to Greece while Levy took time off too.

Brentford acted as if Frank was staying and he was even involved in the signing of Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool as their new first-choice goalkeeper. He then spent a couple of weeks in Denmark, with a short trip to Munich in between to watch Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final with his family. In a strange quirk, Frank’s first competitive match with Spurs will be the UEFA Super Cup against PSG on August 13 in Italy.

On June 6, just over two weeks after winning the Europa League, Spurs announced they had sacked Postecoglou. They sent an email to club staff shortly before the public announcement but lots of people, including first-team players, found out through social media.

Spurs did not make direct contact with Brentford until June 9. Levy and Brentford’s director of football Phil Giles spent the next few days discussing the specifics of the deal. Compensation was one element of that — Brentford sources say the fee reached was around £10million ($13.6m), while Tottenham sources say that figure is closer to £5m.

The other key component of the conversation centred around which members of Frank’s backroom staff would follow him. Part of the reason why negotiations dragged on is because Brentford were reluctant to lose Justin Cochrane. The former England youth-team coach has spent the past three years as Frank’s assistant and was viewed as his potential replacement. Cochrane considered his options and decided to return to Spurs, where he spent nearly a decade as a coach in their academy. Head of athletic performance Chris Haslam, who worked at Brentford for over a decade across two spells and is one of Frank’s most trusted allies, has joined Spurs too, along with analyst Joe Newton.

Brentford were reluctant to lose that many staff members and wanted to make sure they were properly compensated. Steven Pressley left his role as head of individual player development at the beginning of June to become Dundee’s head coach, which means Brentford have a lot of vacancies to fill this summer. Ideally, they do not want to hire a new head coach with a large entourage.

Frank would like to persuade Mbeumo to follow him too, but the forward favours a move to Manchester United.

Another reason why it took a few days to resolve Frank’s future is because Brentford had already started the process of replacing him. They have identified six potential candidates and will narrow that number down before conducting formal interviews. They are long-standing admirers of Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna, while then-Reims head coach Will Still visited their training ground at the beginning of 2024 when he was studying for his coaching badges. Still spent the 2024-25 campaign in charge of Lens and joined Southampton last month.

Riemer, Frank’s assistant in west London between 2018 and 2022, is not expected to be considered for the role. The 46-year-old has been in charge of Denmark for under a year and the World Cup takes place next summer.

Scott Parker, who beat Brentford in the 2020 Championship play-off final while in charge of rivals Fulham, is not thought to be in contention either.

Once the negotiations around Frank’s backroom staff were completed, Spurs officially announced his appointment on June 12. They described him as “one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches” within football who “consistently and significantly” outperformed expectations with Brentford.

Frank was the second-longest-serving manager in the Premier League behind Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. He forged genuine friendships at Brentford with Benham, Giles, technical director Lee Dykes, chief executive officer Jon Varney and chairman Cliff Crown. This is a bittersweet moment for Brentford, who are grateful for what Frank has achieved but sad to see him leave.

Some members of the first-team squad are known to be happy for Frank as they believe he has been overlooked for other opportunities in the past. With two top-half finishes in four seasons, they think he has taken Brentford as far as he can unless they start spending more money on wages and transfers. One dressing-room source, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, said: “This is what Brentford do. We bring people in, help them do well and then sell.” Frank has not contacted the squad since the season finished but the time will come when he can give them a proper goodbye.

Taking charge of Spurs is the biggest challenge of Frank’s career. He has never managed in a European competition before and has to contend with the expanded version of the Champions League next season. There will be more games to manage, more scrutiny and more pressure.

He overachieved across seven special years at Brentford and now he will try to repeat the trick with Spurs.

(Top photos: Mike Hewitt, Richard Heathcote/Getty Images; design: Demetrius Robinson)

Thomas Frank has been named Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach, replacing Ange Postecoglou.

Under Postecoglou, Tottenham overhauled their squad with a focus on bringing youth to north London. While they finished 17th last season, their worst-ever final league position in the Premier League, many of those young talents flourished under the Australian.

Now Frank, who has an impressive track record in improving players, is charged with helping these promising stars fulfil their potential while bringing senior players back to form.

The Athletic assesses the squad Frank will inherit and who may suit his management style…

Goalkeepers

Guglielmo Vicario is Tottenham’s established starter between the sticks, and it would be a surprise to see Frank make an early change in that position.

At Brentford, goalkeepers under Frank often played direct and long into the forwards, something Vicario was not typically asked to do under Postecoglou. Last season, only Jordan Pickford (942) played more long passes than Brentford ’keeper Mark Flekken (825), whereas Vicario played the fewest (173) of goalkeepers to make 14 or more Premier League appearances in 2024-25.

Should Vicario struggle to adapt to Frank’s demands, perhaps it could open a door for Antonin Kinsky, who was not just an efficient distributor at Slavia Prague in his native Czech Republic but also an extremely varied one.

Still, given Vicario has been a guaranteed starter since signing from Empoli in 2023, it would be a surprise to see Frank move on from the Italian before handing him ample opportunity to prove his capabilities in the Premier League.

Centre-backs

At Tottenham, Frank will inherit one of the best central defensive partnerships in the Premier League with plenty of cover behind them.

Under Postecoglou, Micky van de Ven‘s world-class recovery pace was arguably his most important attribute in an aggressively high line. But with Frank, who is unashamedly more pragmatic than the Australian, Spurs may not be quite so front-footed. Van de Ven may have to be more precise and patient with his defensive decisions.

While patience isn’t always Cristian Romero‘s strong suit, his ability to defend the box aerially and progress the ball with incisive line-splitting passes will be valued under Frank as he adapts his tactics to suit a club of Spurs’ talent. He may not be relied on to progress the ball as much as he was under Postecoglou, but it would be remiss of Frank not to use Romero’s unique passing ability from central defence.

Given that Spurs hope to compete well in the Champions League and Premier League next season, there should be plenty of opportunities for Kevin Danso to play a significant number of minutes. Danso’s ability to drive the ball forward is an attribute Frank likes from central defenders, and his tendency to play on the front foot and engage with attackers complements Van de Ven’s preference to play a covering role.

Radu Dragusin, who has occasionally looked uncomfortable on the ball in defence, is not a perfect fit for Frank, who may be looking for someone to help break lines from the back. However, the Romanian is an accomplished defender with the athleticism to be a rotational option for Van de Ven. Slightly lower down the pecking order, Ben Davies may not play significant minutes under Frank but can perform a similar role to Ben Mee and Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jorgensen at Brentford over the last few years.

Full-backs

Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro were often used as inverted full-backs under Postecoglou, coming into midfield and helping to create an overload in central areas to control possession. Frank has generally asked his full-backs to play in a more orthodox fashion and help with attacks by providing width.

Porro appears to be an outstanding fit in this regard, as his ability to create chances from wide areas is one of his standout attributes. Should Frank also find a way to maximise his creative talents from inside half-space positions and goalscoring qualities, Porro looks set to be an integral player under the Dane. Udogie, an intelligent defender, also appears a good fit for Frank as he attempts to carry over his impressive defensive record from Brentford to Spurs.

Frank’s tactical outlook and personal qualities should also be a boost for Djed Spence, who starred for Spurs over the winter period before losing his starting place in the season’s final months. Under Frank, who boosts confidence with day-to-day interactions with players, it would not be surprising to see Spence reach new levels at Tottenham next season.

Midfielders

One of the big winners of Frank’s appointment could be Archie Gray, a player Frank was desperate to sign at Brentford before the 19-year-old left Leeds United for Tottenham last summer. Gray was considered a “generational talent” in defensive midfield by Brentford’s recruitment department before the transfer, so it would make sense for Frank to emphasise his development in that position. While it may be a big ask to expect him to star in that role immediately next season, given how highly Frank’s previous club rated him, his long-term development could be geared towards settling as a No 6.

Frank constructed his midfield trio at Brentford similarly to Postecoglou: one destructive defensive midfielder, an energetic box-to-box No 8 and an advanced playmaker. Currently, the box-to-box role is most likely to be occupied by Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr or Lucas Bergvall, though they are all capable of playing deeper or more advanced.

Vitaly Janelt’s industry in midfield was an essential part of Brentford’s success under Frank, and he shares similar characteristics to Sarr, who demonstrated his energy and quality in the Europa League final win against Manchester United. Frank, who started his career in Denmark’s youth teams, is a developer of young talent, and he will surely see Sarr, 22, as a project with the potential to become an elite player in his position.

The same can be said for Bergvall, who was arguably Tottenham’s outstanding player of 2025 before suffering an ankle injury ahead of the Europa League semi-final. Frank may see Bergvall’s development as an attacking midfielder, but his physical capabilities and quality are ideal for the No 8 position as the incoming coach looks to develop his style with more technically gifted players.

Bissouma’s energy should also suit this position nicely, though he has a year left on his contract with an uncertain future. Bentancur, Bissouma’s midfield partner in the latter stages of the Europa League, appears a safe bet to start the season’s opening weeks in defensive midfield or at No 8 as Frank will look to lean on experienced heads, subject to transfer activity.

Attacking midfielders

While Frank has placed significant emphasis on structure in developing Brentford into a stable top-flight outfit, he has made concessions for outstanding creative talents. This season, he has gifted Mikkel Damsgaard the freedom to roam from his position and create opportunities for attackers, leading to comfortably his best season since signing for the west London club in 2022.

Should he offer the same privileges to James Maddison, the 28-year-old has the talent to be a constant match-winner for Spurs from that position and produce the level of performance he did in the early months of Postecoglou’s reign. Still, while Maddison has the quality to be the best player on a Premier League pitch on any given weekend, his form at Spurs and Leicester City previously has been streaky. But Frank, who dropped Toney towards the end of the 2023-24 season for poor form, is unafraid to bench underperforming stars.

Dejan Kulusevski, who starred in place of Maddison in attacking midfield before the turn of the year, will provide tough competition for the England international in that spot. The Sweden international can play on the right wing, but given Frank’s previous affection for Brennan Johnson and the development of Bryan Mbeumo into a goalscoring forward from that position, we may be more likely to see him as a No 10 moving forward.

Wingers

Frank has an impressive track record in improving wingers at Brentford, with Said Benrahma, Yoane Wissa, Kevin Schade, and Mbeumo all reaching new levels under the Dane. Tottenham have an exciting young core of wide attackers, and under Frank’s guidance, Wilson Odobert, Mikey Moore and Mathys Tel, who is contracted to Bayern Munich but could move permanently to Tottenham this summer, could all make significant strides towards reaching their potential.

Brennan Johnson could be another player who kicks on under Frank after a strong season in north London, where he finished as the club’s top scorer and grabbed the winner in the Europa League final. Frank courted Johnson heavily over several transfer windows, though he saw the Welsh forward as more of a 1v1 winger, as opposed to the goalscorer-type winger he developed into under Postecoglou. Mbeumo followed a similar arc, so Frank may continue developing him as a goalscorer rather than the traditional winger he previously envisioned.

Club captain Son Heung-min is arguably the most interesting player in the group, with his long-term future uncertain. Son has one year left on his contract and, after an indifferent season in north London last term, there is speculation that he may be on the move this summer.

If he stays in north London, it will be interesting to see if he retains the armband handed to him by Postecoglou, particularly if his on-the-pitch role is diminished. At Brentford, Christian Norgaard and Pontus Jansson wore the armband under Frank, traditional heart-on-the-sleeve ‘leader’ types. Son, however, is more mild-mannered and leads by example.

Still, as well as developing young talents, Frank has improved more senior players at Brentford. Should Son remain in north London, his new coach will look to station him in goalscoring positions where he can maximise his world-class finishing ability. The South Korean may not have the blistering pace he had three or four years ago, but given his experience and quality in the box, there could still be a prominent role for him.

Strikers

Dominic Solanke will enter his second season as Tottenham’s primary striker, and fans should be encouraged about his potential fit under Frank. Solanke profiles as a combination of England team-mates Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins, who both improved considerably as centre-forwards under their previous Brentford coach.

Like Toney, Solanke is a perfect outlet for the long balls Frank likes his goalkeeper to play. The 27-year-old is not just physically capable of competing with centre-backs on duels, but he has the technical quality to keep the ball and bring team-mates into play. Similarly to Watkins, Solanke can also run the channels and occupy defenders with his energy and incessant running. Given his proven track record at improving strikers, Solanke could be the biggest winner of all from Frank’s appointment.

While he has not reached his potential consistently in north London, Richarlison has many of the same qualities out of possession. He ended the 2024-25 season well, scoring two goals from his final six league appearances (one start) and could be in line for a breakout season as Spurs look to compete in the Premier League and Europe. Like Solanke, Frank may advise Richarlison to be more selfish and concentrate on getting into the box and letting others create.

Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

For more stories like this click here to follow The Athletic’s sports betting section and have them added to your feed.

Thomas Frank has been announced as Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager, bringing a brief search for Ange Postecoglou’s successor to a close.

Spurs moved quickly to secure the Dane, who has a long list of admirers throughout the Premier League. This article from The Athletic details many of his strong points, making it clear why Spurs were willing to part with around £10m to secure him and his support staff.

But a quick look at the betting markets would suggest that, at least in the bookmakers’ eyes, this appointment barely moves the needle in terms of Spurs’ chances of success. Their odds to win the 2025-26 Premier League title haven’t budged, while their chances of making the top four have been shortened ever so slightly, from around 11/2 to 5/1. The persona of Frank is moving the public – but it’s not swaying the markets. Why?

A step into the unknown

Sam Tighe

Despite Frank’s four years of experience and strong reputation within the game, this managerial appointment is a (relative) step into the unknown for Spurs.

Frank might even say that himself, given this season, he reportedly quipped, “I’d love to play like this” when discussing Brighton & Hove Albion’s swashbuckling playing style. He then admitted “I’d need another £100m, though,” per The Independent.

He did a phenomenal job not only keeping Brentford in the league but, at times, in the hunt for Europe, too. He did so by playing realistic football: reactive, counter-attacking and physical, with a focus on set pieces. In all four of his campaigns, the team averaged between 43.3 per cent and 47.7 per cent of possession per game. Their PPDA (passes allowed per defensive action; a statistic used to measure how aggressive teams press) always stayed between 10 and 12, indicating relative passiveness off the ball.

This is not only very different from the way his predecessor, Postecoglou, typically operated, but also quite antithetical to how the current top six operate: focused on possession, control and structured attack.

Based on his comments, the higher calibre of player he will now coach and the enhanced budget, he’s set to roll out a more Brighton-esque style. He gets all summer to plot it out, with no disruptions caused by missing superstars on international duty.

I’m excited to see what it looks like because, quite literally, I have no idea what it will look like. We have nothing to point to and say “that’s what Spurs are getting,” aside from perhaps some scraps left on the cutting room floor from his promotion season in 2021.

The players aren’t just pawns

Brett Koremenos

As I mentioned earlier, evaluating a manager working for a club that excels at player recruitment is challenging. Very few head coaches possess the skills to add value to their teams; most are often just a direct reflection of the talent at hand.

Spurs’ existing pool, however, isn’t among England’s elite. It’s easy to point to this season’s 17th-placed finish and conclude that the Lillywhites significantly underperformed across the board. But Postecoglou’s dishevelled cohort were quite unfortunate.

Though the team tied for 15th place in expected goal (xG) differential per 90 minutes, they were far more unlucky than bad at the start of the year. Then, as injuries started to mount and the UEFA Europa League became the sole focus, there was a noticeable decline in output – which is why Frank is now at the helm.

Postecoglou may have been a bit rigid in his tactical approach, but he wasn’t entirely to blame for Spurs’ forgettable domestic campaign. Son Heung-min is about to turn 33, having played over 33,000 league minutes. James Maddison is an excellent player but was only able to start 21 matches in the league this season.

For most teams, the midfield is the engine and Spurs have been sputtering in that area for a while. Yves Bissouma was hailed as the next big thing upon his arrival in North London. Spoiler alert: he’s not. The rest of Spurs’ midfield this past season were either injured, too young or below a Champions League-level side. Frank might be a good manager, but there’s only so much a head coach can do when forced to deploy Rodrigo Bentancur in 26/38 league games.

Attackers Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke ranked 23rd and 28th in non-penalty expected goals + expected assists (xG+xA) in the league this year. That’s a solid foundation, but the club needs more proven stars to consistently compete in Europe. Frank could refine a few rough edges in training, but by and large, his impact on Spurs’ odds for success will be dwarfed by more important elements, such as summer transfer business and avoiding injuries.

More Thomas Frank stories

Tottenham next manager odds: Thomas Frank and Marco Silva frontrunners for Spurs job

Thomas Frank led Brentford to new heights. It’s no surprise he’s the leading contender for Tottenham job

Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Frank as head coach on a three-year contract through to 2028.

Frank succeeds Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked by Spurs last Friday, and leaves Brentford after seven years in charge.

Frank is the 13th permanent manager to work under Daniel Levy and reunited with Spurs’ technical director Johan Lange, a fellow Dane with whom he briefly worked at Danish outfit Lyngby Boldklub.

As reported by The Athletic earlier on Thursday, Frank will be assisted at Spurs by Justin Cochrane at Spurs, with the highly-rated 43-year-old one of three members of Brentford’s backroom staff to follow the Dane across London – along with coach Chris Haslam and analyst Joe Newton. Andreas Georgson also joins as assistant head coach following his departure from Manchester United.

A Spurs statement read: “In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. 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 emerged as the leading candidate to replace Postecoglou, who was sacked on June 6 despite leading the north London club to their first trophy in 17 years when they defeated Manchester United to win the Europa League 16 days earlier.

Postecoglou oversaw Tottenham’s worst Premier League campaign in their history, finishing 17th on 38 points and losing 22 of their 38 games.

Frank joined Brentford in 2016, initially as an assistant coach, and was promoted to head coach in October 2018 when Dean Smith left for Aston Villa.

He led the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2021 and has kept the Bees in mid-table and away from relegation, despite the departures of star players including forwards Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney.

Brentford finished 10th last season, nine points off the European places, and were twice beaten by Postecoglou’s Spurs.

Frank’s first competitive fixture in charge of Tottenham will be the UEFA Super Cup, where Europa League champions take on Champions League-winners Paris Saint-Germain on August 13 at The Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy.

Frank’s representatives held talks with Manchester United and Chelsea in the summer of 2024, before he was again linked with the job at Old Trafford following the sacking of Erik ten Hag in October 2024.

Frank leaves as a Brentford legend

Frank lost eight of his first 10 games in charge of Brentford but managed to stabilise the team and they finished 11th in the Championship in 2018-19, his maiden season in charge.

Brentford reached the Championship play-off final in Frank’s first full campaign but they lost 2-1 to Fulham after extra-time. Brentford returned to Wembley the following year and beat Swansea City 2-0 to earn promotion to the Premier League.

They were widely expected to flirt with relegation, but memorably beat Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season and finished 13th. Frank’s coaching helped his young squad, including Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and David Raya, to excel at a higher level, while he convinced Cristian Eriksen to join them on a short-term contract.

Brentford’s second season in the top-flight under Frank was phenomenal. They thrashed Manchester United 4-0 at home and were the only side to beat future champions Manchester City twice. Toney scored 20 goals in 33 appearances and became Brentford’s first England international since Les Smith in 1939.

Brentford’s third year in the Premier League was disrupted by injuries but they bounced back stronger this season. They finished 10th and had three players reach double figures for goals (Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade).

Frank’s impact at Brentford has been huge and he will probably be recognised with a statue outside their stadium in the future. He has a fantastic connection with the fanbase, the players love him and he has a great relationship with the owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes.

Replacing Frank will be a difficult challenge for Brentford.

What would Frank bring to Spurs?

Tottenham’s transfer policy has changed since Johan Lange became their sporting director in November 2023 and now they mainly focus on signing players under the age of 23, including Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert.

Frank has an excellent track record of developing talent, including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Mbeumo, which can be traced back to his time in charge of Denmark’s youth-sides, so he would be a great fit for this young Spurs squad.

Lange and Frank have previously worked together at Danish side Lygnby which will help. When Lange was Aston Villa’s sporting director, he considered hiring Frank to replace Steven Gerrard before Unai Emery was appointed.

Frank prefers to use a 4-3-3 formation but is more flexible than Postecoglou. During Brentford’s first two seasons in the Premier League, he regularly deployed a 3-5-2 formation against better-quality opposition and used long balls and set-pieces to good effect.

Brentford have evolved and now mainly play out from the back and press opponents high up the pitch. A switch to a 4-2-3-1 system this season to extract the best out of attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard highlighted Frank’s willingness to make subtle tweaks for the benefit of the team.

One of the biggest challenges for Frank would be adjusting to European competition. His only experience in UEFA competitions is reaching the preliminary rounds of the Europa League with Brondby, so it would be a steep learning curve jumping straight into the Champions League.

(Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are set to seal the appointment of Thomas Frank as head coach after managing to secure the highly-rated Justin Cochrane as his assistant.

Spurs agreed terms with Frank following the departure of Ange Postecoglou and contacted Brentford earlier this week to hold talks relating to compensation and staff.

The deal was held up by the situation of Cochrane, who Brentford wanted to keep and had admiration from elsewhere — but he decided to join Tottenham.

Cochrane is regarded among the most promising coaches in the English game and will stay part of the national team set-up on a part-time basis under Thomas Tuchel, after being appointed in February.

The 43-year-old spent almost a decade as a youth coach at Spurs earlier in his career and has worked for the past three seasons with Frank. He saw the Englishman as a vital part on his new team.

They will be joined by coach Chris Haslam and analyst Joe Newton.

Haslam is Brentford’s head of athletic performance and has worked for the club for more than a decade across two spells. Newton, the first team analyst, has been with the club since 2019.

Three members of Postecoglou’s backroom staff, Mile Jedinak, Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo, left Spurs with the Australian but his former assistant, Matt Wells, and goalkeeping coach Rob Burch remained at the club.

Ryan Mason, who was also part of Postecoglou’s team, joined West Bromwich Albion as head coach before the 59-year-old’s dismissal.

Cochrane began his professional coaching career at Spurs, first joining the club in 2009 when he was still a player in the National League and spending the next nine years in their academy.

On leaving Tottenham, he worked for three years in England’s youth set-up, coaching the national team’s Under-15, U-16 and U-17 sides, and also spent a year working in Manchester United’s academy before joining the Bees.

Meet Frank’s backroom staff

Justin Cochrane

Cochrane represented a number of clubs in the lower divisions of English football during his playing career, including Queens Park Rangers, Crewe Alexandra and Millwall. He was born in London but made over 10 appearances for the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

He first started coaching when he was still a teenager in QPR’s academy and set up a grassroots team for local children under the age of 10. Before he retired, Cochrane started volunteering with Tottenham’s youth teams. He worked in their academy alongside Matt Wells, who has spent the last two years on Ange Postecoglou’s backroom staff.

During his initial spell with Spurs, Cochrane helped to develop future England internationals Noni Madueke and Kyle Walker-Peters, as well as Oliver Skipp, Josh Onomah and Japhet Tanganga.

Cochrane then became England Under-15s head coach. In 2019, he completed his UEFA Pro Licence and was promoted to Under-16s before eventually taking over the Under-17s.

In June 2021, he left England to become Manchester United’s head of player development and coaching. He only spent 12 months with United before he was appointed as an assistant to Frank at Brentford. Over the last three years, Cochrane has taken on more responsibility. He coached the forwards with Frank, and helped Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa to become elite strikers. Cochrane was heavily involved in the planning of training sessions too.

He was highly-rated internally at Brentford and it will be a blow to lose him.

Chris Haslam

Haslam has worked for Brentford for over 10 years across two different spells, either side of a short stint at Wigan Athletic. Brentford were in League One when Haslam first joined the club and he has played a major role in their journey up the divisions.

He initially joined the Bees in 2010 and became their head of conditioning from 2011, joining the Latics three years later. Haslam returned after 12 months to work with the under-21s before he was promoted to head of athletic performance across the first-team and B team. Haslam’s role covers physical performance and sports science.

He is in constant communication with Frank on a matchday, and often acts as a liaison between the head coach and the fourth official.

Haslam has worked with the Danish men’s national team too, and was part of their backroom staff at last summer’s European Championship.

Joe Newton

Newton was in Tranmere Rovers’ academy before he was released in 2014 and enrolled on a sports science degree at Wrexham University. During his time at university, he was registered in Wrexham’s squad but spent time out on loan with non-League sides Colwyn Bay, Witton Albion and Newtown AFC.

He completed a masters in performance analysis at the University of Chester and worked for Welsh top-flight side The New Saints (TNS).

He joined Brentford as a first-team performance analyst in September 2019. He is responsible for producing reports and post-match analysis on how the team has performed. Newton has forged a strong bond with Frank over the past six years.

He has played a role in helping Brentford earn promotion to the Premier League and then flourish in the top-flight.

(Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)

The mayor of one of Australia’s biggest cities has asked Tottenham Hotspur to “reconsider” their decision to sack head coach Ange Postecoglou, adding they risk being “known as the team that is allergic to silverware”.

The 59-year-old Postecoglou, who was born in Greece but grew up in Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria, was relieved of his duties by Tottenham on Friday after two seasons at the helm.

He led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years when they won the Europa League on May 21 but oversaw a league campaign that ended with a 17th-place finish and 22 losses, both record lows for the club in the Premier League era.

Postecoglou spent the majority of his playing career with South Melbourne FC — a club founded by Greek immigrants and originally known as South Melbourne Hellas — and was head coach of the team between 1996 and 2000.

After leading Australia at the 2014 World Cup and winning the 2015 Asian Cup as head coach of the national team, Postecoglou remains popular in his home city and nation, with Lord Mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece even taking the step to publicly urge Tottenham to reverse their decision.

“On behalf of the people of Melbourne, and Premier League fans around the world, I call on Tottenham Hotspur to reconsider its decision to sack coach Ange Postecoglou,” said Mr Reece in a post on Instagram. “In Melbourne we have followed Ange’s career closely for decades.

“Never underestimate Ange’s determination to win, and his ability to carry teams to greatness. We have seen this time again over his career. This year Tottenham made history by winning the Europa League trophy — its first such win in 17 years. We will see further trophies if Ange is given the chance.

“Don’t let Tottenham be known as the team that is allergic to silverware. Let Ange lead the players onto greatness in next year’s Premier League campaign.”

Mr Reece is a member of Australia’s Labor Party and assumed his role in July 2024, before retaining it in the 2024 Melbourne City Council election.

Tottenham are yet to confirm Postecoglou’s replacement. The Athletic reported on Monday that the club had contacted Brentford as they seek to reach an agreement to appoint Thomas Frank as head coach.

(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Following the announcement that Tottenham Hotspur had parted ways with head coach Ange Postecoglou — the man who ended the club’s 17-year trophy drought — their attention quickly shifted to Brentford’s Thomas Frank.

The 51-year-old Dane has firmly established Brentford in the Premier League since earning promotion in 2021 but the Spurs job would represent a significant step up.

On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Adam Leventhal was joined by Tottenham writer Jay Harris and Seb Stafford-Bloor to discuss whether Frank is ready to take the reins at Spurs.

A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available to watch on YouTube below or listen via The Athletic FC Podcast’s feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Adam Leventhal: Seb, how do you think Frank will deal with the tumble dryer of Tottenham?

Seb Stafford-Bloor: I’ve never seen anything that makes me think he wouldn’t deal with it well. He seems to be a really balanced person, thoughtful and intelligent, and his man-management is very good. I don’t think there are many egos at Tottenham, even though Spurs players will be earning more in wages. But you’re not talking about going from Brentford to Real Madrid.

Where the difficulty lies is in the context of the situation. When the new season starts, there will be a lot of people in the stadium who still hanker after Ange Postecoglou, and who are still emotionally in Bilbao. You could make a case that this is one of the hardest times to become a new Tottenham head coach in recent memory.

If he can deliver quickly and show competence, flexibility, tactical acumen, and knock over a couple of big teams in the Champions League, people will get on board. Postecoglou would become this historic legacy figure who allowed a new era to happen.

It’s going to be hard because Tottenham’s summers are really difficult. It’s only June and people are already getting nervous. We’re already hearing conversations starting with comments like, ‘We haven’t done anything for two weeks, but look at what Manchester City are doing. Liverpool are about to sign Florian Wirtz and they’ve already signed Jeremie Frimpong, but Tottenham have done nothing’.

It doesn’t take much for people to get really nervous and negative, so these are the difficulties. But you just can’t know.

Jay Harris: Replacing Postecoglou is really tricky. Thomas Frank started badly at Brentford and at Brondby in Denmark, he didn’t win any of his first eight games there. But there’s no major international competition in Europe this summer, so he can go into pre-season and have a bit more time with the players.

They go on tour to Hong Kong and Korea, but they’re only there for a week, which is shorter than last year when they went for two weeks. But he will get a significant chunk of time to work with the players early doors. Whereas last year, I can remember a lot of Spurs players were all over the place. Cristian Romero reached the Copa America final, and lots of players got to the latter stages of the Euros, including Micky van de Ven. So that will help Thomas Frank.

I’m intrigued to see how he handles the media because when I covered Brentford for three years, he was always fantastic, very warm and very friendly. But a lot of the time, there were not that many people at those press conferences, especially for Brentford’s away games. I would often be the only Brentford reporter there. At Spurs, he’s going to have 10 or 12 people turn up every Friday to hear his thoughts, it’s going to go on for ages, and we’re going to pick the same wounds over and over again. So it’ll be interesting to see if he still bats those questions away and deals with them well, or if he finds that step up in focus and scrutiny challenging.

He’s said multiple times that he’s had ‘close to the perfect football life at Brentford’, and that he’d only leave if it was for a special project. Well, it’s fair to say Spurs is going to be a difficult project, and I don’t think he’ll have ‘close to the perfect football life’ anymore. But he will have the right attitude and try to make a success of it.

You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.

(Top photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact with Brentford as they seek to appoint Thomas Frank as head coach — and the north London side hope to reach an agreement in the next 48 hours.

Frank, 51, quickly emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Ange Postecoglou following his exit on Friday and terms with the Dane are in place.

There is a healthy relationship between the clubs and negotiations will centre on the cost of releasing Frank, plus the backroom staff who will join him, which is expected to be in the region of £10million ($13.5m, €11.8m).

Tottenham announced that Postecoglou had been sacked despite the 59-year-old winning the Europa League title and ending the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy. Postecoglou’s future had been in doubt for months, following a Premier League season in which Spurs lost 22 of their 38 games and finished 17th, their worst league finish since 1976-77.

“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride,” Postecoglou said in a statement published by his representatives following Friday’s news of his departure. “The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.”

Frank took over with Brentford in the Championship in 2018 and got them promoted to the Premier League in 2021. Since then, Brentford have become an established top-flight side, finishing 13th, ninth, 16th and now 10th this season.

Postecoglou was warmly received by the Spurs fans at their Europa League trophy parade and during their final Premier League game, the 4-1 home defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion. He admitted after the match that he was still in the dark about his long-term future, despite the historic triumph in Bilbao.

The Australian was appointed as Tottenham head coach in June 2023, signing a three-year deal with a fourth as an option. In his first season, Spurs finished fifth in the league, but this campaign they were disrupted by a severe injury crisis during which they lost almost the entire first team. Postecoglou then prioritised the Europa League as Spurs’ only way to win a trophy, eliminating AZ Alkmaar, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt in the knock-out rounds before beating Manchester United 1-0 in the final.

How much of an impact has Frank made at Brentford?

Analysis by Jay Harris

Frank joined Brentford as an assistant coach in December 2016 and the long-term plan was for him to replace Dean Smith, which happened two years later when the latter moved to Aston Villa. Frank lost eight of his first 10 games in charge but managed to stabilise the side and they finished 11th in the Championship in 2018-19.

Brentford reached the Championship play-off final in Frank’s first full season but they lost 2-1 to Fulham after extra time. They returned to Wembley the following year and beat Swansea City 2-0 to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Many observers expected Brentford to get relegated but they memorably beat Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season and finished 13th. Frank’s coaching helped his young squad, including Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and David Raya, to excel at a higher level while he convinced Christian Eriksen to join them on a short-term contract.

Brentford’s second season in the top-flight under Frank was phenomenal. They thrashed Manchester United 4-0 at home and were the only side to beat then champions Manchester City twice. Toney scored 20 goals in 33 appearances and became Brentford’s first England international since Les Smith in 1939.

Brentford’s third year in the Premier League was disrupted by injuries but they bounced back stronger this season. They finished 10th had three players reach double figures for goals (Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade).

Frank’s impact at Brentford has been huge and he will probably have a statue outside their stadium in the future. He has a fantastic connection with the fanbase, the players love him and he has a great relationship with the owner Matthew Benham, director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes. Replacing Frank will be a difficult challenge for Brentford.

What would Frank bring to Spurs?

Tottenham’s transfer policy has changed since Johan Lange became their sporting director in November 2023 and now they mainly focus on signing players under the age of 23, including Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert.

Frank has an excellent track record of developing talent, including Ollie Watkins, Toney and Mbeumo, which can be traced back to his time in charge of Denmark’s youth sides, so he could be a great fit for this young Spurs squad.

Lange and Frank have previously worked together at Danish side Lygnby which would help. When Lange was Aston Villa’s sporting director, he considered hiring Frank to replace Steven Gerrard before Unai Emery was appointed.

Frank prefers to use a 4-3-3 formation but is more flexible than Postecoglou. During Brentford’s first two seasons in the Premier League, he regularly used a 3-5-2 formation against better-quality opposition and used long balls and set-pieces to good effect.

Brentford have evolved and now mainly play out from the back and press opponents high up the pitch. A switch to a 4-2-3-1 system in 2024-25 to extract the best out of attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard highlights how he is more than willing to make subtle tweaks to his principles for the benefit of the team.

One of the biggest challenges for Frank would be adjusting to European competition. He reached the preliminary rounds of the Europa League with Brondby but not the main stage of the competition, so it would be a steep learning curve jumping straight into the Champions League.

(Top photo: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic’s daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox.

Hello! CR7 and the 2026 World Cup. It’s a date.

On the way:

🏆 Ronaldo’s Nations League glory

💭 Frank tipped for Spurs job

💰 Chelsea bid for Gittens

👶 Toddler’s MLS pitch invasion

Master beats apprentice: Ronaldo leads Portugal to Nations League win over Yamal’s Spain

If there was any doubt about whether Cristiano Ronaldo believes he has another World Cup in him — and let’s be real, there’s none — we can park it here. The tears flowed after his 138th international goal (below) helped Portugal beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final last night. He just can’t get enough.

The debate over his value to Portugal will rage, and it’s hard not to side with those who think Portugal coach Roberto Martinez is allowing the tail to wag the dog by accommodating Ronaldo at every turn. These days, the odd goal struggles to mask the forward’s broader, more limited impact — but he’s not going anywhere, and the die is cast.

FIFA won’t be able to market his face at this year’s Club World Cup — Ronaldo revealed over the weekend that he has turned down offers to play in it, indicating that he might stay with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia — but FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, can count on having him at the 2026 World Cup. The tournament is shaping up to be the closing chapter in the Ronaldo-Lionel Messi story, after which Portugal, Argentina and the game at large can move on.

A pleasing evening for Portugal was a subdued one for Lamine Yamal, and the old timer in 40-year-old Ronaldo must have enjoyed putting the teenager in his place (even if it was Nuno Mendes who kept a lid on the Spain prodigy). Logic says that Martinez could build a slicker, better line-up if he was brave enough to bench his untouchable No 7 — but there’s no way Ronaldo heads for the hills without giving football’s biggest prize one last crack.

Spalletti announces own sacking

One man we won’t be seeing at next year’s World Cup: Italy coach Luciano Spalletti. He’s finished, in tremendously ridiculous circumstances.

His side were trounced 3-0 by Erling Haaland’s Norway in a World Cup qualifier on Friday, and Spalletti took it upon himself at a press conference yesterday to announce he had been sacked. The laughable caveat is that he’ll take charge of another match against visitors Moldova tonight first. Sounds like a plan.

The Italians are in a full-on meltdown phase. It started when Inter centre-back Francesco Acerbi declined a call-up for this batch of fixtures, implying that Spalletti was disrespecting him. It got weirder when Spalletti’s predecessor, Roberto Mancini, liked a post by Acerbi explaining his reasoning on Instagram. Spalletti was asked by the media if he felt betrayed and reacted to the question by storming out of his briefing.

A reset is called for and it’s coming, but not before he shreds his last scrap of dignity.

Pochettino rules out Spurs return

Reassuring news for those who think Mauricio Pochettino will get the USMNT in order. He’s not interested in throwing his name in the hat for the vacant job at Tottenham Hotspur (hold that thought, readers), and if he has any unfinished business back at his former club in north London, a third defeat in a row leaves him with just as much on the U.S. front.

His depleted squad didn’t seem too downbeat about a 2-1 loss to Turkey on Saturday, although they’ll cringe a little when they watch some of their defending back. Replays of the defeat will be less sleep-inducing than the 1-0 win for England away to tiny Andorra which had Thomas Tuchel stewing over a lack of spark and imagination.

It’s funny: international management was cast as a change of pace for Tuchel and Pochettino, two men breaking away from the exhausting cut-and-thrust of the club scene. Both are discovering that their new environment brings new challenges, and its own set of frustrations.

Here’s a regrettable story from the Scotland camp. On Friday, and owing to a long injury list, they gave a first international appearance to goalkeeper Cieran Slicker. The 22-year-old, who is on the books of Ipswich Town, has never appeared in a league game at club level and, perhaps predictably, his outing was a disaster. Scotland lost 3-1 to visitors Iceland and Slicker was at fault for all three goals (the second is below). They do say you don’t forget your debut.

News round-up

Frenkie de Jong is closing in on a new contract with Barcelona. As it stands, the playmaker would be a free agent in 2026.

He was heavily linked with the Rangers job but Davide Ancelotti is sticking with father Carlo after all. Brazil have appointed him as national-team assistant to his old man.

After the disaster of his brief reign at a Southampton side who ended up relegated, Ivan Juric has landed on his feet by securing the head coach’s gig at Atalanta. The boss he’s replacing, Gian Piero Gasperini, is taking over at Roma.

Uriah Rennie, the Premier League’s first Black referee, who officiated more than 300 top-flight matches, has died at the age of 65. Illness had left him paralysed from the waist down.

🖱️ Most clicked in Friday’s TAFC: Philipp Lahm on Wirtz and Musiala.

Transfer talk

Chelsea are at it again. Not content with adding Liam Delap to their forward line, while simultaneously courting Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike, they’ve gone after Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens. The England Under-21 winger is ready to sign a seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge, if Chelsea can reach an agreement with Dortmund first (I know this sounds back to front, but it’s how the industry operates).

Day by day, the transfer market keeps churning the deals out. FIFA’s pre-Club World Cup window closes tomorrow and we’ve seen more early action than any of us anticipated, with buyers and sellers as enthusiastic as each other.

Liverpool’s bid for Florian Wirtz is now up to £113million ($153m), which would involve a guaranteed payment of £100m to Bayer Leverkusen. The wrangling is getting interesting because Leverkusen want closer to £130m but Liverpool don’t want to go that high. At the same time, Wirtz has two years left on his contract, and would cost nothing like as much next summer. It’s a classic game of brinkmanship.

A far cheaper move, and a savvy one, will be Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea to Arsenal, for a fee of just £5m. He won’t displace David Raya as first choice but after a strong season on loan at Bournemouth, he’s excellent cover at a pretty negligible price. All we’re waiting for at the Emirates Stadium now is the arrival of that elusive centre-forward.

Cup not enough: Postecoglou pays for Spurs’ league form, Frank favourite for job

The end was nigh for Ange Postecoglou, and the bell tolled on Friday. Of all the analysis I’ve read about his sacking by Tottenham Hotspur, Michael Cox’s did the best job of hitting the nail on the head. Postecoglou ticked short-term boxes — a rip-roaring start, a trophy as his parting gift — but long-term, incremental progress was missing, which makes moving on the sensible decision.

Thomas Frank is the leading candidate to replace him at Spurs, and Frank has long-termism in his favour. He’s just through season seven as head coach at Brentford, a team who have cracked the enigma of Premier League sustainability. Bear in mind that they were a League Two (fourth tier) club as recently as 2009, and a club whose new home stadium is about a quarter the size of Tottenham’s. Brentford are all about the build, with Frank as their architect.

They recruit intelligently and have done for years, but Frank maximises the impact of those transfers. They’ve made healthy profits on numerous players, and they’re in a position to do so again with Bryan Mbeumo (signed for £5.8m, now attracting an offer of £55m from Manchester United). Frank is also a fairly rare example of a coach who won promotion from the Championship and not only survived in the Premier League, but got better.

To some extent, he’s a safer bet than Postecoglou was when Spurs hired the Australian from Scotland’s Celtic in 2023. After a long stretch in his current role, Frank will be minded to take himself out of his comfort zone, and he said as much in this interview last year. Brentford will have the luxury of naming their price — but they’ll know that Frank to Tottenham makes a lot of sense.

Quiz answer

We asked you on Friday to name the three teams who have beaten England more than they’ve lost to them. They are Brazil, Uruguay and Italy. If only the English could catch Italy at a bad time…

Catch a match

(Selected games, times ET/UK)

UEFA World Cup qualifying: Belgium vs Wales, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, Amazon Prime/BBC; Croatia vs Czech Republic, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, ViX/Amazon Prime; Italy vs Moldova, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Fubo, ViX/Amazon Prime.

And finally…

I didn’t see anybody outdoing a raccoon in the MLS pitch-invading stakes, but I was wrong. On Saturday night, an actual toddler appeared from nowhere as Chicago Fire were in the process of annihilating D.C. United, shuffling goalward before a crowd member (their parent, presumably) rapidly intervened.

D.C. leaked like a sieve in a 7-1 defeat, with a level of defending a two-year-old would have punished. You can forgive the kid for wanting to get in on the act.

(Top photo: Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)