Thomas Frank held his first press conference as Tottenham Hotspur head coach on Friday afternoon as he tackled plenty of topics ahead of the pre-season friendly at Reading on Saturday.
The 51-year-old was speaking to the media for the first time since being appointed as head coach last month to replace Ange Postecoglou and Frank already has two new faces through the door in Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and Kota Takai from Kawasaki Frontale, after giving the thumbs up to Mathys Tel's loan move from Bayern Munich becoming a permanent one.
Tottenham are also trying to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest but that £60million move is currently shrouded in legal matters concerning the 25-year-old's release clause.
Other topics for Frank to tackle in his first press conference were the future of Spurs captain Son Heung-min as he enters the final 11 months of his contract as well as vice-captain Cristian Romero, who has been linked with a move to La Liga.
Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to Frank on his debut in front of the Spurs media. Here's the full transcript from the press conference at Hotspur Way as the Dane began with his own message before the questions begin.
(Addressing the room) First one thing from me and on behalf of everyone from Tottenham, our condolences go to the families and loved ones of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva and everyone at Liverpool. I just wanted to make that statement first.
How have your first five weeks been at Spurs?
It’s the easy part now, the honeymoon. Everyone is happy, the sun is shining. We haven’t played a game yet but it’s super exciting. It’s a massive club. A huge club in England and the world. I’m super excited. Everyone has been kind and friendly. Open minded. It feels good and the best thing is it feels natural. Why not, it’s what I have done for so many years. It is football. It’s good players. It’s preparing them with a good staff and make sure we are ready to hit the ground running.
Spurs sacked five managers during your time at Brentford - does that worry you?
Only five? I like to challenge myself. I have the privilege of I have never been sacked before. That is one of the reasons why I took the job. I get a little bit more risk in my daily life. Coming to a big club, there are pressures. We need to perform because it is we. It’s me, it’s the staff the players, the staff and everyone we need to do that together. I like the ambitions. Everything I do, every decision I have made so far is for the long term. It’s not about surviving one game or one year or 18 months or whatever the average is. It’s for the long run.
Can you tell us anything about Morgan Gibbs-White?
I will not speak about players who are not mine. I think I have two exceptions, and they are getting older, Ronaldo and Messi. The rest I will just speak about the players who are inside Tottenham.
How is the mood around the club as the emotional connection the players had with Ange was clear?
First and foremost, I have said before, Ange will forever be a legend here at Tottenham. He is one of three who has won a European trophy and the first in 41 years. Unbelievable, fantastic achievement. I see happy players, positive, smiling, energy, training well. Good vibe around the placer and there should be — they have just won the Europa League. Going into a new season and in football, it’s about dreaming and hoping. That’s what we do.
How important is a good pre-season?
A good pre-season is very good. There’s a few things. One thing we need to hit the physical targets, so we need to make sure they are very fit. We need to make them strong and robust so we can go through a long season, hopefully competing in four tournaments. That’s the plan. That’s the biggest thing. The second biggest thing is getting the principles I want into the players. We train to get better and the friendlies we use to get better. Of course we would like to win. It would be nice to win. The next one is Reading and that is the most important one. That is the purpose of the pre-season. Touch wood, have everyone available for the Super Cup on August 13.
What do you think Mohammed Kudus will bring to the squad?
I think it's a great signing from the club. Top work from Daniel, Vinai and Johan in getting a very good player in early in the pre-season so we can start working with him. I think he gives us a bit of that unpredictability in the game. I think he's one-on-one actions are top, I think he's slide passes are top, I think his finishing is very good. He is almost the perfect age to perform but also to take the next level.
Is the challenge higher because Spurs won a trophy last season?
I don't know. I think it was extremely positive that they won, that gave them that fantastic trophy that this club deserves and they needed. My aim is that we can hopefully add to that. The first thing and the first aim is that we need to be able to compete in all four tournaments and do it on a consistent level. That's got to be the ambition that we build towards because I think 2019 was the last season where the club managed to compete in more than one competition. That's got to be the aim. We need to be able to compete in the Premier League, we need to be able to compete in the Champions League in Europe and also in the cups.
"That is a very high demand but that's got to be the aim. If we can compete, there's maybe a chance that you can hopefully end top. But we need to be able to build to compete first.
How excited are you with the resources at Spurs and where you can take them?
Super excited. I think there's a fantastic training ground, a fantastic stadium, so all the facilities are top. We just need to build from there. I think it's a very exciting squad with a good mix between some experience and some very talented players, but also players that are in a good age that can take the next step. Super excited about my biggest, biggest task - to maximise the potential in the players in the team. If you maximise that, it will give you a better opportunity for competing. If you can compete, you can hopefully win something. It's my job to maximise things.
How did Thomas Frank end up at Tottenham?
Very good question, I think you need to ask the guys who hired me. Of course it's big names, I'm very proud to sit in this chair and be part of the next chapter in Tottenham's history. I'll do everything every day to work towards hopefully taking this club to new heights. That's the ambition. If I was not ambitious, I would not sit here. So I'm excited and looking forward to it.
How hard was the decision to leave Brentford for Spurs?
In a way it was very difficult, in a way it was very easy. Very difficult because I'm a person that goes all in when I'm in. In every relationship - work, friendship, marriage, whatever it is. I go all in. And when you go all in working at a football club, you get attached. I had a fantastic time at Brentford with fantastic people - from staff, players, fans, everything. Really, really loved my time there.
But I also felt that maybe it was time to challenge myself and get another opportunity. And then when a club of Tottenham's magnitude are knocking on your door and would like you to be in front of it and be part of hopefully a successful journey, then I couldn't turn it down.
There's been speculation around your captain Son Heung-min and your vice-captain Cristian Romero, can I get your thoughts on those two players and whether you're banking on them for next season?
Two top players, Sonny, been here 10 years, finally got his his well deserved trophy in the summer. So important for the team and the club. Cristian Romeo, World Cup winner, Europa League winner, Copa America winner, very, very important for us as well. Both have trained well, setting the standards out there on the training pitch and both will play tomorrow so I'm very happy.
During your time at Brentford, your team was very adaptable, have you got a specific idea of the style of play that you want to play here at Spurs?
Yeah, I'm very, very clear in all the principles I have in, I can say, every phase of the game. What I will like to see from the team and the players is I want us to be brave. I want us to be very aggressive, and I want to attack. I think brave is absolutely linked in 'to dare is to do'. If you're not brave, it's very, very difficult to achieve anything.
I think it's very important that we take risk, because if you don't take risk, you also take risk, so that brave to dare is to do, I think is crucial. I think the aggressivity, that's crucial if you want to win something or achieve something, because if you're not aggressive in duels, on and off the ball, it's difficult. It's a very competitive game and of course you need to attack.
Can I ask you about your history with Johan Lange and your working relationship now you're back together at Spurs?
Johan has done very well, going first to Villa as the technical director and now coming to Tottenham. Yeah, I know him from back then in Denmark. In Denmark, you know, it's a small country, so you know each other if you've been, how can I say, growing up through the system. He's a very good guy.
There was an image going round earlier this week of long throw auditions, who was successful in the auditions?
Let's see. I believe that not only maximising the players' potential and team potential, we need to do what we can to make sure we have enough threats from everywhere on the pitch and that's one area, set pieces.
When you took over from Dean Smith at Brentford, you were very much under the radar, not many people knew who you were, now you're not under the radar, everybody knows who you are, what pressure does that put on you on day one of the season as Spurs manager?
I don't know. I think it's natural, it's a good pressure. The interesting thing is it's not when when you are in it, it's something I've done for many years. I'm very aware that it's a big club, there's more scrutiny and there will be more scrutiny because, as I said to the staff, the first day here when we had a meeting with all the the staff in here, I promise you one thing. One thing is 100% sure, we will lose football matches.
I haven't seen a team that is not losing any football matches. There is Arsenal, that we can't mention, in the Premier League. So I made my first rookie mistake there. And there was Preston back in the day I think those were the only two teams in a Premier League season. Then they probably lost in the cup and in the cup lost the games.
So that will happen, of course. That will be a natural, pressure, but the daily work is natural and I think the biggest pressure is the pressure I would put on myself.
You said you want your style of play to be aggressive and attacking, how do you do that without losing 22 Premier League football matches in the season?
I think I said brave first. Brave is on the ball but also off the ball, how we defend, let's say in high pressure, for example, but I also said aggressive and also attacking. Those are the three good buzzwords that I will continue, you know, I'm quite consistent in my messages, but I also started saying I have principles for all the phases. That means also when we defend low, when we defend middle, and when we defend high, and how we defend the box. So I think that's quite important that we do that. If you want to win enough football matches, we need to be a well-rounded team.
You mentioned this is still your honeymoon period, you had a good marriage at Brentford with Matthew Benham and Cliff Crown and everybody else, how is your marriage going to work out with Daniel Levy?
Marriage is a strong wording I would say. I don't think I'll go that far. I'm only married to my wife, Nanna, but I had a fantastic relationship there's no doubt about that with Phil Giles and Matthew Benham, John Varney, and Lee Dykes, and I'm expecting and we'll work on getting as a good relationship to Daniel, Vinai and Johan. I think I'm pretty good with people, so I'm very optimistic about that.
There are a few players at the club you tried to sign before like Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson, how good is it to work with them now? Are there any others in the squad you wished you had before?
Definitely good to see Archie Gray and Brennan. It was not a secret. You guys apparently know everything. I have still not figured out that information but of course when it comes to Tottenham no one finds out anything, right? It’s all top secret and nothing slips out (laughs). No, so good to work with them, two fantastic footballers and two good people. Off top of my head, I think it was not possible with them.
Back to Sonny and Romero, have you had any conversations with them about their future?
My expectation is all the players are here and they are training well. That is what I am focusing on and again very impressed by them. They set the standards and train hard. As I said, they are playing tomorrow, that’s a good indicator that they are here.
There are some players with serious injuries – Maddison, Kulusevski and Dragusin – any ideas when we’ll see them back in action?
Maddison is the closest one. He is part-training with the team so that is very positive and obviously a key player. Dragusin and Kulusevski a little bit further I think.
On Son, have you decided who your captain will be?
Good question. I haven’t decided anything on that. I have a long list of bullet points I need to get through and I take them in the right order. He was the captain last year and when we played two 45s tomorrow, Son and Romero will be the two captains, but I haven’t made a final decision.
Will it be your decision or the players vote?
That will be my decision.
You want to challenge on all four fronts, how hard is it to do that with the money City are spending, Liverpool are spending, Chelsea, Arsenal are spending?
That is of course tough. I think it is fair to say those three clubs are a tiny bit ahead right now. I am not focusing too much on them, I am focusing on us and what we can do. Can we get closer and compete in all situations? I think it’s a good first step. How close is that? I will not answer that. Let’s play some games and talk about it then. I think we have a good squad, I am pretty sure we can build something stronger over the next years and get closer.
You said you're making decisions for the long-term but are you confident you’ll get time for those decisions to pay off?
Yes, if I wasn’t then I shouldn’t take the job. I had very good conversations with Daniel, Vinai and Johan, they were very positive. I am in general a positive and optimistic guy, I think personally that is better to be that than too pessimistic because I think it’s very difficult to achieve anything or achieve anything big and do things that were not possible before if you’re not optimistic. Of course also realistic and know what good looks like, know that the three teams you mentioned are ahead of us right now. I know how we should look to get there, but let’s take one step at a time.
What are your first memories of Tottenham growing up, would have been 10 or 11 for the 1984 UEFA Cup, maybe a bit too early?
That was probably too early for me in 84. What I remember of that summer was more the Euros with Denmark. We were in it for the first time with all due respect! I think when it really picked up was the League Cup we won. I can’t remember the year but with Allan Nielsen playing. Yeah 99? So I remember that. That is probably the strongest memory.
