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Among the many things this column is waiting for — a result in the Manchester City vs Premier League cage fight, Fenway Sports Group to buy a Spanish team, Gianni Infantino to give a press conference — none has been imminent for quite as long as a takeover at Tottenham Hotspur.

Much like soccer has been the fastest-growing sport in the United States for half a century, Spurs have been the next big English club on the block for a decade.

In that time, Spurs have built the best multi-purpose stadium in Europe and sold lots of shirts, but won only one trophy. During the same period, the Premier League has become majority-owned by American billionaires and Tottenham’s billionaire former majority-owner, British businessman Joe Lewis, has put his shares into a family trust, pleaded guilty to insider trading, and celebrated his 88th birthday.

This is a fruit ripe for picking and every investor, private-equity firm and sovereign wealth fund looking for a prize asset in the world’s most popular domestic football league has kicked the tyres at Spurs, taken the tour and run the numbers.

So, why hasn’t anyone bought them yet?

Well, one big reason is that the club has been run by Lewis’ business partner, Daniel Levy, since 2001 and he owns just over a quarter of the club’s shares. Most experts believe Spurs are worth about £3billion ($4bn), or perhaps a bit more now that they are back in the Champions League and the likes of Beyonce are filling the stadium over the summer. But Levy wants £3.75billion, another $1billion at today’s exchange rate.

Quite the gap, then, but not so wide that you cannot start haggling, which is why the Spurs takeover story re-emerges every few months and will continue to do so until someone hits Levy’s number, which may have to come down a tad when Joe Lewis’ family decide they want their inheritances.

None of this is particularly shocking and has been widely reported, but The Athletic has been told by several potential suitors that there are two under-reported factors which may influence where this meeting of minds will come.

The first is that not everybody sees the same potential in Tottenham — the north London district, not the club — that Levy and Lewis did. Spurs are by far the biggest attraction in an area that has not seen much gentrification. It is also usually an hour’s taxi ride from the West End hotels and restaurants that the Premier League’s overseas ownership class enjoy.

And the second is the £775million in private placement notes that Levy used to refinance the cost of building the stadium. The size of that debt is not the problem, as the additional revenue from the club’s new home is more than meeting the interest payments. The issue is that Levy, thanks to his good timing and great salesmanship, got a sweet deal when those notes were sold to asset managers, investment firms and pension funds in 2021.

Spurs issued nine tranches of notes, with a range of repayment dates from 2035 to 2051 and interest rates between 2.49 per cent and 3.02 per cent. According to the club’s most recent accounts, Spurs had total borrowings of £851.5m at the end of June 2024, at an average rate of 2.79 per cent and average maturity of almost 19 years.

This means Spurs are paying an interest rate that is lower than inflation. So, in financial terms, they are not really paying any interest at all. This is great for Spurs but terrible for everyone who holds that debt, which is why they are all hoping for a takeover, too, so they can exercise their change-of-control clauses, get their money back and do something else with it.

The club’s new owners would have no problem finding other people — and perhaps even the same people — with whom to refinance the debt. It will just cost them about £20million a year more at the current rates, which adds up over 19 years.

However, neither of those two issues — Spurs’ location or Levy’s luck with the interest rate cycle — are permanent or insurmountable. London is a city of villages that have ebbed and flowed in appeal over the centuries, and any extra interest payments could be covered by a naming rights deal. Interest rates are also meant to be coming down.

So, sit tight, takeover watchers. Spurs will be bought by someone, at some point.

Not the boldest of predictions, maybe, but it is the best we can do.

The big Wrexham valuation debate

On the subject of valuation gaps, Spurs’ is a hairline fracture compared to the gaping chasm at Wrexham or, more accurately, the debate about Wrexham’s valuation on this column’s favourite social-media channel, LinkedIn.

It all started earlier this month with a Bloomberg report headlined “Wrexham AFC Weighs Raising Funds at £350 Million Valuation”. Citing unnamed sources, the report said the newly promoted Championship club were talking to advisers about selling a minority stake to boost the playing budget and pay for a new stand.

Sensible stuff, right? And entirely in keeping with what the club’s owners have said they would do and — in fact — have already done, as they sold a stake to the New York-based Allyn family last October.

But that deal was at a valuation of £100million ($135million). OK, Wrexham were still a League One side back then, but it was a record for a third-tier side. So are we really suggesting they have more than tripled in value in less than nine months?

The answer is of course not… or perhaps, because Wrexham are unlike any other club in the English football pyramid.

First, they are Welsh. Second, they are the subject of a very popular Disney-made docuseries. And third, and we feel this column deserves a pat on the back for not mentioning this sooner, they are owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

For those among you who only have time in their lives for football, McElhenney is an American TV actor, producer and writer, and Reynolds is one of the world’s best-paid actors and most recognisable faces. They bought the then-fifth-tier club for £2m in 2021, but three straight promotions, all charted in heart-warming fashion by Disney’s cameras, have brought them to the gates of the Premier League.

But come on, £350m?!? That’s not far off half a billion U.S. dollars. Most English Football League clubs are lucky to be valued at double their annual turnover. In Wrexham’s case, that would be £70m based on last season’s earnings or £100m on next season’s projected earnings.

The top Premier League clubs are valued at about five times their turnover, which reflects the league’s mega media-rights deals, as well as their huge stadiums, global fanbases and access to European football. For Wrexham’s touted price tag to make sense, you would need to apply a revenue multiple that only the most popular American franchises, in the biggest leagues, can command.

But Wrexham is not Los Angeles, and the Championship is not the National Football League. Hence the arguments on LinkedIn.

Of those, the most interesting has been between Alexander Jarvis, the founder of Abu Dhabi-based Blackbridge Sports LLC, and former Charlton manager and Southampton vice-chairman Les Reed.

Jarvis, who recently advised an American group on their purchase of a small stake in Portugal’s Benfica, among other deals, has written two posts about the Wrexham valuation, calling it “a total clown show”, “football’s most outrageous over-valuation”, and “a gamble on celebrity and hype that completely ignores the hard realities of running a football club in the Championship”.

Plenty of people have replied to him saying they agree, including William Storey, who is best known for a collapsed sponsorship deal with F1 team Haas and several failed bids for football teams. He might not be the best referee, then.

Reed, who has been Wrexham’s “football strategy consultant” since 2021, hit back with a post that pointed out Jarvis & Co “have never actually experienced running a club, let alone a club in the Championship”, before noting that Southampton’s former owners, the Liebherr family, eventually sold their shares in the club for close to 10 times their initial investment, which is impressive but not quite the point Jarvis was making about multiples of turnover.

Reed continued by raising the examples of Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton, three clubs who have invested heavily to become “sustainable” Premier League clubs, and asked “why would serious investors not want a stake” in Wrexham’s “journey” towards the same destination.

So, who is right? The guy trying to earn his crust by advising on football takeovers, or the chap who works for Wrexham?

Well, according to this column’s panel of secret football finance experts, it depends on whether Wrexham should be valued as a regular football club or if they have transcended that status and are now a global entertainment brand. If it is the former, they are worth about £100m, which is the valuation the Allyns came in at. If it is the latter, well, why not?

However, even that more conservative valuation is highly vulnerable to what is known in business as “key person risk”. If Rob and Ryan are struck by lightning, get bored, fall out, get sick or lose a court case, will Wrexham look so transcendent?

It is a good debate and there is only one way to settle it: the price someone actually pays for a stake in the club.

Divide and… continue?

While very few clubs are as exposed to key person risk as Wrexham, all are vulnerable to any weakening in demand for the right to broadcast or stream their matches.

If you had to pick one reason valuations have kept rising in the big leagues on both sides of the Atlantic, it is that live sport has been a must-have for TV executives. This means their sports counterparts have only needed two rival broadcasters in any market to create an auction.

So, this month’s news that New York-based media giant Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is splitting into two separate companies has prompted an outpouring of speculation about what it might mean for sport. So far, there is no real consensus.

For those who have missed this story, WBD was formed in 2022 by an expensive merger between two multinational media conglomerates, WarnerMedia and Discovery. But the company’s bosses have now decided to put all the cool, still-growing stuff in one company, Streaming & Studios, so it is not held back by the profitable-but-in-decline TV channels.

The latter are being boxed up in a company called Global Networks and, just in case you did not work out which one of these two entities is the sexy one, it will be run by WBD’s head beancounter, while the chief executive is getting the company that makes Batman, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. And just to underline that message, all of WBD’s merger-related debt is being passed to the dowdier daughter.

If there is any agreement on what this means for the sports industry, it is that any impact will be felt first in the United States, where WBD’s streaming platform Max has struggled to find its place in a congested market, despite having a decent range of sports to offer. Does this mean that sport is no longer a must-have for any self-respecting media offering, or has WBD just packaged it badly?

The main sports brand is TNT Sports, which is joining the gang in managed decline at Global Networks. It has been part of the Max bundle but has recently lost its NBA rights after a 40-year connection with the league. It still has some baseball, college basketball, ice hockey and motorsport, but it does not have any NFL, so it is more of a nice-to-have than a must-have for most American sports fans.

The picture in the UK is a little different, as TNT Sports does have what most British armchair sports fans consider to be essential viewing, namely a package of Premier League rights and near-exclusive rights to UEFA’s club competitions. TNT Sports acquired the football when it formed a 50/50 joint venture with BT Sports in 2022, which united BT’s menu of football, rugby and assorted North American pastimes with Eurosport’s smorgasbord of cycling, tennis and the snowy stuff we watch once every four years in the Winter Olympics.

And then, just to confuse you even further, WBD’s streaming offer in the UK and Europe has been Discovery+, although it has started to turn that off and replace it with Max. Oh, and BT has also been trying, unsuccessfully, to sell its 50 per cent of TNT Sports, which really means that WBD has declined to pay BT’s price for the rest of the business.

To make some sense of all this, this column asked four media analysts for their takes on the WBD split.

Dan Harraghy of Ampere Analysis does not see any impact for WBD’s UK operations until HBO Max launches in early 2026. For him, the real lesson of this tale is the tension “between the high value placed on sports rights by linear TV players” and the negative outlook for traditional broadcasting, which would explain why so many leagues have stopped seeing growth in the value of their rights.

Even the mighty Premier League has had to throw in more content, spread out over the weekend, to get the same amount of money from its domestic partners.

Independent analyst Paolo Pescatore thinks the split will highlight something he has been saying for a while: TNT Sports is “an entity in slow, painful decline”. He thinks the joint venture was “poorly executed”, with subscriber numbers falling and losses rising, which is why nobody has bought that 50 per cent stake in the business. Pescatore also believes the rising cost of watching sport, coupled with confusion over where to watch it, has driven the rise in digital piracy.

Sports rights consultant Pierre Maes said he cannot see signs of any positive strategy for building an attractive streaming product in the UK and Europe, and dismisses the WBD split as a “desperate move to calm down the stock market”.

But the BBC’s former head of sports rights, David Murray, is a bit more optimistic.

“My initial view is that it’s probably a good thing for sport,” he said. “I never got their strategy of wanting to bundle the likes of HBO with TNT Sport. So, in theory, the Discovery+ proposition can be a lot more focused, which should keep the price lower and allow it to cut through more than it would have done as part of a broader bundle.”

Lower prices and more focus on providing a great sports product should be a benefit to consumers and sports rights-holders, as digital piracy is probably the number one threat to professional sport as we know it.

Missed deadline dashes Drogheda’s dream

Speaking of good times gone bad, we cannot have an edition of this column without a new cautionary tale about multi-club ownership (MCO).

This one concerns Irish club Drogheda United, who have just lost their appeal against a UEFA decision to prevent them taking part in next season’s Conference League, a prize they thought they had earned with their FAI Cup victory last November, because their American owners Trivela also have a stake in Danish side Silkeborg, who qualified for the same competition.

Under UEFA rules, two teams with common ownership cannot play in the same competition and any clash is avoided by removing the team that finished lowest in its league. In this case, UEFA looked at Drogheda United’s ninth-place finish in 2024 versus Silkeborg’s seventh-place finish this year.

Trivela took its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, claiming that neither the Football Association of Ireland nor UEFA told the Alabama-based group that European football’s governing body had moved forward the date for owners of MCO groups to create enough separation between their teams so they can potentially compete against each other.

Until this year, owners had until the start of June to dilute their shareholdings in one club or put all of their shares in a blind trust, but UEFA shifted that deadline to the start of March.

Drogheda United, of course, are not the only side to miss this memo, as FA Cup winners Crystal Palace are still waiting to find out if they will be allowed to take their place in the Europa League alongside their co-owner John Textor’s French side Lyon.

The two cases are not identical, as there is no dispute that Drogheda and Silkeborg are controlled by the same owner, whereas Textor has never had that much sway at Palace, but Trivela’s travails demonstrate that UEFA is getting increasingly strict with MCO groups.

“We are totally gutted by this outcome for the club, its players, its staff and its supporters,” Trivela co-founder Ben Boycott tells The Athletic.

“To all of them, I’m deeply sorry that we’re going through this. We genuinely felt we had a compelling case before CAS, a point somewhat reinforced in the observation that this appears to have been a split (2-1) decision among the arbitrators.”

Trivela has committed to filling the €500,000 (£425,000) hole in Drogheda United’s budget left by the removal of European football, but is still processing what Boycott believes was a “very harsh decision which ignored a number of mitigating factors and months of good-faith efforts on our part to come to a solution with UEFA”.

It has been a tough few weeks for Trivela as their English outfit, Walsall, were 12 points clear at the top of League Two with 11 games to go, only to lose form and end up in the play-offs, where they rallied to beat Chesterfield in the semi-finals, only to lose 1-0 at Wembley to AFC Wimbledon.

More clubs equal more opportunities for disappointment.

Regulator reaches final straight

And let us wrap up this edition of the Business of Football with another column staple: an update on the arrival of English football’s independent regulator.

We will keep this short and sweet — it really is coming now.

For the first time since this process started in 2021, something has happened ahead of schedule. On Tuesday, the Football Governance Bill passed through the committee stage of the legislative process, without requiring the three further days that had been scheduled for debate.

The next step is the report stage, then the third reading of the bill in the House of Commons, before moving to a final consideration of amendments and royal assent. But with the Conservative Party’s Premier League-backed rearguard action running out of puff, the bill’s supporters are confident it will become law before the politicians break up for their summer recess on July 22.

Which means we can all start moaning about the regulator’s shortcomings from next season.

(Top photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Lucas Bergvall may be the Premier League’s best teenager.

A year on from joining Tottenham Hotspur from Djurgarden in his native Sweden for £8.5million ($10.8m), his reputation has increased to such a degree that should Spurs inconceivably consider moving him on, they could justifiably demand a tenfold increase.

The 19-year-old collected a clean sweep of the club’s player of the season awards, becoming the first teenager since Glenn Hoddle to do so, and is viewed as an essential part of the present and future. The arrival of Thomas Frank, a proven developer of young players, should only help Bergvall.

So, how has he not made the shortlist for the PFA’s Young Player of the Season award?

Before arguing Bergvall’s case, this is not in any way intended to diminish the excellent young players who are under consideration. Liam Delap and Dean Huijsen earned moves to Chelsea and Real Madrid, respectively, off the back of excellent debut Premier League seasons with Ipswich Town and Bournemouth. Milos Kerkez looks set to leave Bournemouth for Liverpool too.

Morgan Rogers is now a star player for Aston Villa and an established England international, and Myles Lewis-Skelly appears to be on his way to becoming Arsenal and England’s left-back for years to come. His team-mate Ethan Nwaneri lit up the Emirates Stadium with sparks of his exceptional talent, scoring nine goals from 37 appearances in all competitions.

They are all worthy candidates for an award won by Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Dele Alli (twice) — after all, it’s voted for by the players. Still, Bergvall’s omission indicates they have somehow overlooked his quality and potential.

His influence is not underrated in the stands at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As rumours circulated on social media of his ankle injury before the Europa League semi-final, fans panicked as if they were losing a key player. That’s because they were. As evidenced by his awards, Bergvall was Spurs’ outstanding player and a key part of their Europa League success.

Statistics can only go so far in quantifying the value of a player like Bergvall, for whom almost everything about playing in midfield at Premier League level comes naturally. He had a pass completion rate of 89 per cent in his debut season, only marginally beaten by Yves Bissouma (89.3) among Spurs midfielders to have started 10 games or more.

Compared to players in Europe’s top five leagues and the Champions League, Bergvall ranks within the 85th percentile or higher for progressive carries (2.12), successful take-ons (1.62) and interceptions (1.62) per 90 minutes.

While unfamiliar to most English fans on his arrival, Tottenham had to fight off significant interest from Newcastle United and Eintracht Frankfurt. Barcelona sporting director Deco even had lunch with him and his family to convince him to leave Sweden for the Camp Nou.

His season really kicked into gear in early January during the 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, with Bergvall scoring a late winner shortly after escaping a second yellow card.

From that point, the gifted, physically imposing (affectionately described as a “lump” by team-mate James Maddison) teenager became Ange Postecoglou’s most reliable midfielder.

At his technical best, he’s a dribbler who can skip past challenges and weave through midfield. When needed, he can lean on his physical qualities and be destructive between both boxes and has the quality to be a match-winner in the final third. He may end up as the deep-lying controller that was seen sparingly, where he demonstrated an ability to control matches from deep and navigate the opposition press with composure and vision.

“I don’t think he’s left (Dejan Kulusevski’s) side since he’s been here, and Deki (Kulusevski) is in the gym all the time,” former head coach Postecoglou said in March. “He’s a great role model for him, and if nothing else, Deki has forced him to get in there and work hard on his game.

“He’s also an outstanding technical player. His technical proficiency is still his greatest asset. He’s growing; you’ve got to remember he’s only just turned 19. He’s still a very young man, and if he keeps building up physically as well, to the standard you need in the Premier League, particularly in that midfield position, if you have that physical ability and that technical proficiency, then you’ve got a decent player on your hands.”

It is testament to his progress that he is already capable of fulfilling these roles to a high standard with so much to come too.

That he only made 11 starts in the Premier League (Nwaneri made 11) is perhaps justification enough to overlook him. Bergvall was sidelined at the end of the season and had he taken the Europa League final by the scruff of the neck in the manner that he did in the quarter-finals against Frankfurt, his peers may have included him.

Next season and with such a high ceiling, it is not implausible that we will be talking about him as a contender for the main award after a second-season leap.

(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

The main reason nearly a week passed between Tottenham Hotspur sacking Ange Postecoglou and announcing Thomas Frank as his successor was because negotiations with Brentford over the Dane’s backroom staff had dragged on.

Everybody had assumed Claus Norgaard would accompany Frank across London. After Brian Riemer left Brentford in December 2022 to become Anderlecht’s head coach, Norgaard arrived as Frank’s second in command. The pair had known each other since 2007 when Frank taught Norgaard on a coaching course run by Danish football’s governing body (DBU). They worked together with Denmark’s youth teams before Norgaard supported Frank during his three years in charge of Brondby.

Frank could not take all of his assistant coaches with him to Tottenham, and he prioritised poaching someone else.

Justin Cochrane joined Brentford’s first-team set-up in June 2022 after leaving his role as head of player development and coaching in Manchester United’s academy.

Senior figures at Brentford liked the idea of grooming Cochrane to be Frank’s long-term successor. What they did not anticipate was the 43-year-old following Frank to Spurs, along with head of athletic performance Chris Haslam and analyst Joe Newton.

The fact Brentford were so disappointed to have lost Cochrane is an indication of exactly how good a coach Spurs have just added to their staff…

Brentford were one of only four teams in the Premier League last season to have three players reach double figures for goals. Bryan Mbeumo led the way with 20, Yoane Wissa was close behind on 19, while Kevin Schade scored 11 times.

Mbeumo’s haul came from an expected goals (xG) total of 12.3, which means he massively overperformed. During the 2021-22 season, Brentford’s first in the top flight, the Cameroon international only scored four goals from an xG of 9.3. Cochrane can take some credit for helping him to become more clinical.

Cochrane planned training sessions at Brentford. He would design drills around the tactical set-up of their next opponent or based on what skills he felt individuals needed to improve. Along with Frank, he mainly focused on the attacking unit. It was their duty to push Mbeumo, Wissa and Schade to a higher level with regular finishing drills.

Frank assigns each of his assistants with around six players to look after. They are responsible for analysing that individual’s performances and discussing areas of improvement. They are encouraged to have conversations about their personal lives, too. It was Norgaard’s idea to convert Keane Lewis-Potter from a winger into a left-back. Despite playing in an unfamiliar position, Lewis-Potter was one of Brentford’s most consistent performers last season. Lewis-Potter was one of the players Cochrane looked after and he helped the 24-year-old to adapt.

“Justin has done very well for us here,” Frank said at a press conference in April. “He came in with responsibility for the offensive part of the game, giving input to myself, the coaching staff and the players around everything from build-up to phase two to phase three and the breakthroughs. He’s been a big part of that, planning the training week, and developing individual players. He’s developed very well the last couple of years.”

There are loads of other examples of Cochrane making small adjustments which have a positive impact. When Brentford beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 in April 2023, Josh Dasilva came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner. Dasilva’s trademark finish was a curling left-footed shot towards the far corner but he surprised goalkeeper Keylor Navas by aiming for the near post. Cochrane pushed Dasilva to add variety to his strikes.

“I was just saying to Justin, we worked on that (finish) yesterday (in training),” Dasilva told Brentford’s website. “I always go far post and yesterday the mannequin was set in a way where I couldn’t go far post and I had to go near post.”

During his time with Manchester United, Cochrane crossed paths with future England international Kobbie Mainoo and Argentina’s Alejandro Garnacho. They both started United’s 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the 2022 FA Youth Cup final and Garnacho scored twice. Cochrane encouraged Garnacho to avoid constantly chopping inside onto his stronger right foot to shoot. The winger scored United’s third goal in stoppage time by cutting onto his right before going back towards the left to trick the defender. Garnacho’s left-footed shot took a deflection and ricocheted past Forest’s goalkeeper Aaron Bott. One small piece of advice from Cochrane helped him to become less predictable.

Brennan Johnson was the only player to reach double digits for Spurs in the top flight last season, with 11. It feels likely that Cochrane will try and help Tottenham’s attackers to become more efficient in the opposition box.

Cochrane started his coaching career as a teenager in Queens Park Rangers’ academy when he set up a grassroots team for local children under the age of 10. Cochrane only made one appearance for QPR before he went on to represent Crewe Alexandra and a variety of non-League sides including Boreham Wood, Aldershot Town and Hayes & Yeading United. He grew up in north London but played internationally for Antigua & Barbuda.

Before he retired, Cochrane started volunteering in Tottenham’s academy at 27. He worked under Chris Ramsey and John McDermott, alongside Matt Wells and two future Premier League managers in Kieran McKenna and Scott Parker. He crossed paths and learned from Mauricio Pochettino too.

McDermott spent over a decade with Spurs before he joined the Football Association in March 2020 and he played a role in Cochrane becoming part of Thomas Tuchel’s backroom staff with England earlier this year. Cochrane will continue to help Tuchel in the build-up to and at next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada alongside his duties with Spurs.

Cochrane oversaw the development of future England internationals Kyle Walker-Peters and Noni Madueke in his first spell at Spurs, as well as Dane Scarlett, Oliver Skipp and Marcus Edwards. Scarlett made 22 appearances on loan at Oxford United in the first half of last season before he returned to Spurs. The 21-year-old scored in a 3-0 victory over Elfsborg in the Europa League but only played five times in total. Perhaps Cochrane’s influence could help him to become more established in the first-team squad.

Cochrane has spoken in interviews about the importance of the ‘Vibe Scale’ which, despite sounding like an R&B song from the 1990s, is actually his way of recognising what the squad needs at the beginning of each day and reacting accordingly to their emotional, physical and mental states. Cochrane has worked in academies, in first-team environments and at international level so he understands how to connect with players who have different levels of experience.

Luke Amos, who now plays for Perth Glory in Australia, spent 14 years at Tottenham and worked under Cochrane. The midfielder praised his former coach’s vibrant “energy” and enthusiasm.

“He reminded us that football is about fun, but you need to train properly,” Amos told The Athletic in 2022. “I’ve never seen him lose his head, but if training wasn’t right or someone was being sloppy, he would definitely tell them. He sets high demands. That’s what the best coaches do.

“He is so good to work with and you can always approach him. Everyone connected with him easily. He was my coach at different age groups. He is not going to be the same with me when I was 14 and when I’m 20 — he adapts. When I was going through a few things, Justin would help out — like my mentality and not getting too frustrated — because that is something I definitely struggled with when I was younger.”

Cochrane used to watch Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Champions League and design training sessions for Spurs’ academy prospects based on what he had seen. Now he needs to prepare for the possibility of facing teams of that magnitude in that competition next season.

In 2017, Cochrane graduated from The Open University with a degree in business, leadership and management. After nine years with Spurs, he became the England Under-15s head coach after seeing an advert online. He worked with then England first-team manager Gareth Southgate, his assistant, Steve Holland, and other age-group coaches including Steve Cooper and Kevin Betsy. Cochrane had played for Crewe when Holland was a member of the backroom staff.

In 2019, he completed his UEFA Pro Licence, was promoted to under-16s head coach and helped England win the UEFA Under-16 Development Tournament. The following year, he was appointed as the under-17s head coach and youth development phase lead. He helped to nurture lots of different players, including Newcastle United full-back Lewis Hall and Manchester City’s Rico Lewis.

He supported then head coach Aidy Boothroyd at the Under-21 Euros in 2019. England were eliminated at the group stage after losing twice and their squad included Dominic Solanke and James Maddison. Like Frank, Cochrane’s track record of developing talent would have appealed to Spurs.

The other members of staff Frank is bringing to Spurs are Haslam, Newton and Andreas Georgson. They will join forces with Wells and Rob Burch who, like Cochrane, both have a long association with Spurs. Ironically, Wells was Fulham’s assistant manager when they beat Frank’s Brentford in the 2020 Championship play-off final.

Haslam is one of Frank’s most trusted allies. He spent over a decade at Brentford across two different spells and was there for the entirety of Frank’s reign. Haslam’s role covered physical performance and sports science. He would be in constant communication with Frank on a match day and suggested substitutions. He often acted as a liaison between Frank and the fourth official. He also worked with Denmark at last summer’s European Championship.

Newton was in Tranmere Rovers’ academy before being released and studying for 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 Master’s degree in performance analysis at the University of Chester and worked for Welsh top-flight side The New Saints.

He joined Brentford as a first-team analyst in September 2019, early in Frank’s first full season in charge. He sits in the stands on a matchday and will debrief on how the team performed afterwards. He would sometimes be accompanied in the stands by Cochrane. They would be tasked with spotting anything the opposition team are doing which is different to what they expected.

Georgson spent last year as Manchester United’s set-piece coach, a role he previously held at Southampton, Arsenal and Brentford. He worked at Brentford during the 2019-20 season when they finished third in the Championship and lost the play-off final, before he was recruited by Arsenal. He also spent a year as technical director of Swedish side Malmo.

Spurs did not have a specialist set-piece coach last season but Nick Montgomery could often be seen giving players instructions from the touchline at corners and free kicks.

Frank refers to his coaching staff as his ‘SWAT team’. It is a bonus that he has been able to bring three people with him from Brentford and another former colleague in Georgson. He faces a huge challenge at Spurs but has surrounded himself with a strong group of assistants.

Top photo: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Frank kick off the 2025-26 season at home to newly-promoted Burnley and face a visit to Manchester City on matchday two.

Frank will be at the helm after replacing Ange Postecoglou as head coach earlier this month. That came despite Postecoglou having led the club to their first silverware — the Europa League — in 17 years.

Frank’s first competitive north London derby in charge takes place at the Emirates Stadium on November 22, with the reverse fixture at Spurs scheduled for February 21.

The Dane will face former club Brentford twice in December – at home on the 6th and in west London on the 30th.

Tottenham’s final game of the campaign is the trip to Everton’s new stadium.

Their Europa league win last season ended their trophy drought of 17 years but could not cover up their worst ever Premier League finish of 17th. Spurs will hope to move further away from the relegation zone in 2025-26 with their new manager.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 2025-26 Premier League fixtures

All times in BST/GMT

Analysis

Thomas Frank gets underway at Tottenham Hotspur in front of a home crowd against newly promoted Burnley on August 16.

The following week, Spurs travel to Manchester City (23/08) in what promises to be the Dane’s first major test.

November looks set to be a particularly tricky month for Tottenham, with a two-game home stand against Chelsea (1/11) and Manchester United (8/11) followed by a trip to local rivals Arsenal (22/11).

Spurs’ last game before Christmas will be against the champions Liverpool, while their new-year celebrations will (hopefully) kick off early against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on December 30.

Perhaps Spurs’ most challenging stretch of the season will come at the end of January and into February, where they are scheduled to face City (31/01), United (07/02), Newcastle United (11/02), and Arsenal (21/02).

All four of those sides will harbour ambitions to challenge for European places next season, so this four-game stretch may prove defining in Tottenham’s drive to significantly improve on their 17th-placed finish last season and join them in the race.

For the second successive term, Spurs will finish their league season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank will no doubt be keen to end the 2025/26 season in style against Everton (24/05).

Key dates for the 2025-26 season

The exceptional pre-Club World Cup transfer window opened on June 1 and closed nine days later on June 10.

The summer window re-opened on June 16, while the cut-off date for the 2024-25 profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) reporting period coming at the end of the month on June 30. The window closes on Monday, September 1, at 11pm BST (6pm ET).

The winter transfer window opens on Thursday, January 1, and closes on Monday, February 2.

The new Premier League season gets underway on the weekend of August 15-17, a week after the Community Shield on August 8, when league champions Liverpool face FA Cup winners Crystal Palace.

The final match round will be played on Sunday, May 24, 2026, when all 10 matches will kick off simultaneously as usual.

Premier League clubs will enter the FA Cup at the third round, which begins on Saturday, January 10. The Carabao Cup will begin in mid-August, with Premier League teams not playing in Europe entering in the second round, which starts in the week commencing August 25, and the remaining seven clubs receiving a bye to the third round, which takes place in the weeks commencing September 15 and 22.

What about the Champions League?

Spurs qualified for the Champions League after winning the Europa League last season. The 2025-26 Champions League marks the second season of the expanded format, with the 36-team competition again beginning with a league phase consisting of eight fixtures against eight different teams before the knockout stages.

The Champions League final takes place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

League phase draw: August 28

Matchday 1: September 16/18

Matchday 2: September 30–October 1

Matchday 3: October 21/22

Matchday 4: November 4/5

Matchday 5: November 25/26

Matchday 6: December 9/10

Matchday 7: January 20/21

Matchday 8: January 28

Knockout round play-off: February 17/18 & 24/25

Last 16: March 10/11 & 17/18

Quarter-final: April 7/8 & 14/15

Semi-final: April 28/28 & May 4/5

Final: May 30

(Photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has described the decision to sack Ange Postecoglou as “emotionally difficult.”

Postecoglou became Spurs’ head coach in June 2023 and he led them to a fifth-placed finish during his first season. Tottenham suffered from a crippling injury crisis during his second year in charge which negatively impacted their domestic form. Spurs lost 22 games under Postecoglou and finished 17th but they won their first piece of silverware since 2008 with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Postecoglou was sacked by Spurs 16 days after lifting that trophy in Bilbao and on the second anniversary of his appointment. Thomas Frank was announced as the new head coach last week.

In a rare interview, conducted alongside new chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, published on the club’s YouTube channel, Levy explained why Postecoglou left.

“I’m very grateful to Ange,” Levy said. “I don’t regret appointing Ange. In his first season we finished fifth and in the second season we were over the moon to win a trophy but we need to compete in all competitions. We felt that we needed a change.

“I have got an excellent relationship with him and told him he will always be a part of our history. Himself and his family are always welcome back. It was a collective decision. It wasn’t my decision. We do everything together. Emotionally it was difficult but we believe we have made the right decision for the club.”

Venkatesham described the “thorough” process behind hiring Frank.

Spurs identified 10 key characteristics which they felt a manager needed to possess to be successful and analysed more than 30 candidates before Frank emerged as their first choice. Venkatesham specifically praised Frank’s track record of developing young talent after he improved Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Ivan Toney during his time with Brentford and previously worked with Denmark’s youth teams.

“Whenever you have a new coach it is always a fresh start,” Levy said. “You have different ideas. We want to build on the success of winning a trophy last season. One of the things that stood out to me with Thomas — clearly highly intelligent, great communicator, super human being plus all of the other technical aspects that are important.”

Frank’s first competitive game in charge of Spurs will be the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain on August 13. Before that, Spurs head to Hong Kong and South Korea for a pre-season tour where they will face Arsenal and Newcastle United.

(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur are in contact with Manor Solomon after the winger was left stranded in Israel due to the conflict with Iran.

Solomon, who spent last season on loan in the Championship with Leeds United, returned to his homeland for his wedding but is now unable to leave after the Israeli military closed airspace to civilian traffic until further notice.

Solomon and his long-term partner, Dana Voshina, were due to go on their honeymoon this week but it is now unclear when they will be allowed to travel.

A Tottenham spokesperson said: “We are constantly in regular dialogue with all our players regarding their wellbeing and welfare.”

Solomon is not due back at Spurs until the start of pre-season in July, when he will be aiming to make an impression on new head coach Thomas Frank.

The 25-year-old winger represented his country in a 3-1 away victory over Estonia in a World Cup qualifier on June 6.

He was left out of their squad for a friendly against Slovakia four days later and then returned to Israel to get married to Voshina, with the ceremony taking place on Thursday last week.

On June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Iran and the countries have since been exchanging missile attacks.

The British Foreign Office has put Israel on the “red list”, advising against all travel.

Solomon joined Spurs from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in July 2023 but his first season in north London was cut short when he underwent knee surgery in October that year, ultimately ruling him out for the remainder of the campaign.

The Israel international was a hit at Elland Road last season, directly contributing to 22 goals in 39 appearances in the Championship (10 goals, 12 assists), as Daniel Farke’s side won the title with 100 points.

In January, Solomon told The Athletic that Voshina had persuaded him to join Leeds.

“She’s been amazing,” he said. “We’re getting married in the summer. We’ve been together for six-and-a-half years, so it’s quite a long journey. She’s been with me in Ukraine, in Fulham, in Tottenham, and especially here.

“I can say something here I’ve never said before in interviews: she pushed me to come to Leeds. In the beginning, when I heard Leeds, I knew it was a big club but I said, ‘It’s second division, I don’t know. After a long injury, to go to the Championship, it can be risky; it can be hard because everyone knows the Championship is a really tough league’.

(Photo: James Worsfold/Getty Images)

Thomas Frank has been announced as Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach. He spent nearly seven years in charge of Brentford and guided them from the Championship into the Premier League.

But his latest role will be the biggest challenge of Frank’s career. He has no experience of European competition and Spurs are competing in the Champions League next season, while sections of the fanbase and some of the players are upset about Ange Postecoglou’s sacking.

I covered Brentford’s first three seasons in the Premier League and saw plenty of evidence to suggest he can be a success in north London. Here are the nine key things I learned from watching him up close…

He turns good players into stars

The list of players who have significantly improved under Frank is a long one. Ollie Watkins transformed from a left-winger into a potent centre-forward. Ivan Toney became an England international, while David Raya evolved into one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and earned a move to Arsenal.

Bryan Mbeumo only scored four goals in 35 appearances during Brentford’s first season in the top flight. He has since become their star player, scoring 20 times last season. Only Mohamed Salah (29), Alexander Isak (23) and Erling Haaland (22) scored more.

Mikkel Damsgaard struggled with injuries during his first two years with Brentford, but Frank kept believing in him. Frank switched to a 4-2-3-1 system for the 2024-25 campaign, which brought the best out of Damsgaard as he registered 10 assists, the joint-fourth highest in the division.

Frank encourages his players to do a lot of individual work on their biggest strengths and weaknesses. He is excellent at subtly tweaking his tactics to maximise a player’s potential.

Kristoffer Ajer is a great example of this. Brentford signed Ajer from Celtic in July 2021 to mainly play as a centre-back. The Norway international’s powerful, surging runs from deep mean he is a fantastic option at right-back and that is where he has produced his best performances.

His attention to small details makes a big difference

Frank gave Toney a crucial piece of advice when the forward first joined Brentford from Peterborough back in August 2020.

“I tried too hard to try to get the ball in the box,” Toney told The Athletic in July 2021. “I was trying to do things I wouldn’t normally do. But Thomas spoke to me and said, ‘Just anticipate where the ball is going to be and where it should be. Nine times out of 10, it doesn’t come there, but the 10th time it does. You get a chance and that’s the chance you need’.

“That was key and I took that on board. That one bit of advice made me score a lot.”

In games when Brentford dominated possession and needed to break down a low block, Frank would drop midfielder Vitaly Janelt into the left-sided centre-back role to give them better precision and control on the ball from defence. Then he could deploy a more attacking midfielder ahead of him.

Depending on the strength of the opposition, he would alternate between 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 during their first two years in the Premier League. They recorded two victories over Man City in the 2022-23 campaign by eliminating the supply to Erling Haaland. Frank empowers set-piece coaches and Brentford created lots of chances from throw-ins too.

It is this attention to detail that will help him to make a positive impact at Spurs.

He’s not afraid to make bold substitutions

Brentford recorded some incredible results under Frank, including beating Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad in November 2022. Brentford took the lead through Toney but Man City were on top after Phil Foden’s equaliser in first-half stoppage time.

Frank could have tried to hold on for a point, but he saw an opportunity to win. He sent on Yoane Wissa and Josh Dasilva, and both played a key role in Toney’s late winner.

The previous year, Brentford were losing at home to fellow newly promoted Watford. Marcus Forss came off the bench to set up Pontus Jansson’s equaliser, while fellow substitute Saman Ghoddos won a penalty in the 96th minute that Mbeumo converted. Frank’s aggressive substitutions saw Brentford come from behind in the final 10 minutes to secure a crucial victory.

He is proactive and always thinking of ways to disrupt the opposition.

Brentford fans absolutely adored him

Frank had an excellent relationship with Brentford’s fanbase and would take the entire team with him on a lap of appreciation after every home game. Before their play-off semi-final second leg against Bournemouth in May 2021, he ran around the entire stadium and whipped up the crowd. Following Brentford’s famous 2-0 victory over Arsenal on the opening day of the 2021-22 season, he celebrated with a young supporter called Woody, who has Down’s syndrome.

Brentford’s fanbase sing that they are “just a bus stop in Hounslow”. This was originally a mocking chant aimed at them by Queens Park Rangers supporters, which they now consider to be a badge of honour as it highlights their humble beginnings.

Frank would often talk about it in his press conferences, which only endeared him to the supporters even more. He will hope to build a similar bond with Tottenham’s fans.

… and so did his players

One of the biggest differences between Frank and his predecessor Postecoglou, is the way they manage relationships with their players. The reaction from Tottenham’s squad to Postecoglou’s dismissal showed that they held a lot of affection for him, but the Australian still liked to keep his distance.

He let his assistants take training and did not enjoy small talk. This was all done on purpose, so he could make team selections without emotional attachment. Frank is the complete opposite. He is warm, friendly and goes out of his way to make players and staff feel welcome.

When Nathan Collins made a couple of high-profile errors in a 4-1 defeat against his former club Wolverhampton Wanderers, Frank called him on the way home to offer his support and reiterate he trusted the defender.

In an interview with The Athletic last year, former Brentford captain Jansson described Frank as a “friend for life and the best coach I ever worked with”.

“What a fantastic person he is,” the defender said. “He comes into rooms and gives people energy. I came here as a guy who wanted to show off and shine. I became a leader and people remember me as a good captain and a good person. The way he changed me, I will never forget.”

He might rival Ange for powers of persuasion

Just like Postecoglou was known to make crucial phone calls that would convince a target to join his club, Frank played an active role in Brentford’s recruitment strategy. He would explain to a potential new signing where they would fit into the starting XI, how their attributes would complement his team-mates and identify areas for improvement.

Toney harboured doubts about joining Brentford in the summer of 2020, but Frank convinced him and told the forward he would score at least 25 times. Toney broke the Championship goalscoring record with 31 goals in 45 appearances.

Frank’s close relationship with Christian Eriksen was vital to the former Spurs midfielder joining Brentford in January 2022 — six months after he had suffered a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at the European Championship. Frank coached Eriksen when he was in charge of Denmark’s youth teams and changed Brentford’s tactics to suit him.

He is even willing to interrupt time with his family to convince a player to join his club. “The first time I spoke to Pontus (Jansson), I was in Denmark,” Frank said in April 2023. “I was visiting my oldest daughter’s boarding school. I was trying to sell this fantastic project on the phone and my wife got angry at me that it took too long, but it was a very good call with Pontus, who felt the project and ambitions we had were a perfect match for him.”

He empowers his staff when it comes to big decisions

Frank has a strong bond with his backroom staff and places a lot of trust in them. He takes the group out for dinner multiple times a year and they regularly watch Champions League games together — now they can look forward to being in that competition with Spurs next season. He is open-minded to their suggestions but will always have the ultimate say.

For example, it was assistant Claus Norgaard’s idea to convert Keane Lewis-Potter from a left-winger into a full-back. Lewis-Potter was one of Brentford’s most consistent performers last season as he flourished in the unfamiliar position.

“Lots of leaders have a view on things they won’t change, but if you give (Frank) evidence and explain why it might make a difference, then he is all in,” Ben Ryan, Brentford’s performance director, told The Athletic’s audio documentary Access All Areas: Brentford in July 2023. “It is an important part of our success that he has the fluidity to be able to make brave decisions if he thinks it’s going to help us get better.”

Padel courts, circuit training and runs past the White House

Part of the reason why Frank has such a good relationship with other members of staff is that he genuinely cares about them. He asked Brentford to install a padel court when they upgraded their training ground in 2022 and he would regularly play against his assistant, Justin Cochrane, the head of athletic performance, Chris Haslam, and head of player care, Barney Bossom. Haslam, Cochrane and analyst Joe Newton are following Frank to Spurs.

He regularly took part in circuit training sessions in the gym with up to 15 staff members. In May 2022, he ran a training session for Brentford women’s first team and B team. During Brentford’s pre-season tour of the United States in 2023, when they took part in the Premier League’s Summer Series, he went on a run, including past the White House, every morning with staff. Brian Riemer, Frank’s former assistant who is now Denmark’s head coach, even lived with Frank’s family during his four-year spell with Brentford.

Despite Brentford’s success, Frank has stayed down-to-earth. He was late for their first game in the Premier League because he picked up his parents from the airport and their flight had been delayed.

He keeps a photo on his desk of Brentford’s former technical director Robert Rowan, who passed away in November 2018 at the age of 28 after suffering a fatal cardiomyopathy episode in his sleep. Frank and Rowan only worked together for a couple of years but became close friends.

He does not like to lose…

There have been a couple of occasions when Frank has lost his temper, including when he was sent off for confronting Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves when Wolves beat Brentford in January 2022.

He had to be separated from Swansea City defender Conor Roberts in stoppage time of their Championship play-off semi-final second leg in July 2020. Brentford were leading 3-2 on aggregate and Frank picked the ball up before dropping it behind his back when it went out of play for a throw-in. Frank reacted angrily to Roberts’ barging past him to retrieve the ball.

He seems to have learned his lesson though and remains relatively calm after defeats now. He looks for the positives but can acknowledge when his team has underperformed. He will often say that “my body is burning” but likes to take 24 hours to process his emotions after every result.

He will speak to referees and the fourth official during games but does not tend to moan about controversial VAR decisions. Frank probably won’t create as many headlines as Postecoglou, but he is thought-provoking and enjoys cracking jokes in press conferences.

(Top photo: The Athletic)

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