Football London

Thomas Frank is bringing someone to Tottenham who made a big impact at Brentford despite only spending a season with him before spells at Arsenal and Manchester United.

This week it was announced that among Frank's new Spurs coaches would be the versatile Andreas Georgson as a first team assistant coach. The 43-year-old Swede has racked up experience across top clubs in the game over the past decade, particularly in the past five years.

Georgson's journey began at Malmo in his homeland where he held various jobs within the academy as he worked through his qualifications, including coaching and scouting, before moving up into the first team set-up under former Brentford head coach Uwe Rosler. Then in 2019, after building contacts at Brentford while travelling during his UEFA Pro Licence work, he joined Frank at the Bees in a new role as Head of Set Pieces and Individual Development.

Georgson was only there for less than a year but his work was hailed as a huge success for the Championship club during that time and so much so that Arsenal stepped in and took him across London for a year in a similar role. He would later depart for technical roles at Malmo before the Premier League called again with a brief spell at Southampton as a coach and set-piece coach.

A brief tenure as head coach of Lillestrom preceded another year in the English top flight when Erik ten Hag took him to Manchester United to improve what they were doing with their set-piece work. With the arrival of Ruben Amorim, so Georgson switched focus to more general coaching and eventually left the club at the end of the season.

The Swede has a wide range of coaching abilities and football.london understands that at Tottenham he will have set-pieces and restarts as just two of the areas he will be responsible for under Frank. His versatility and broad background will be used by the new Spurs head coach to fit in around however the Dane forms the rest of his coaching set-up, which is still being finalised. In Georgson, he has someone who can take on further duties beyond set-pieces if required.

The club have had issues though with set-pieces in recent years, even if improvements were made in the numbers when the now departed Nick Montgomery began working on them at both ends of the pitch last season. Georgson will arrive though with expertise in the field and specialism within his wider coaching knowledge. Spurs did this previously with Gianni Vio during Antonio Conte's time and it had a big impact at set plays.

In an interview with Training Ground Guru in 2022, Georgson explained his methods in getting his ideas on set-pieces across to the group and gave a sense of how it will work at Tottenham.

"It’s a lot about selling to them – ‘If we spend time on this it will really help you in the game and it will help the team.’ It’s a lot about being a salesman, because set-pieces are boring to begin with. Try to make it fun, try to do it in context and try to motivate the players," he said.

"It takes patience and it takes motivation from the players, because they would rather take 20 shots after a session. That is so much more passionate for them and more fun. Players didn’t become footballers to understand how to avoid a block, but it is still highly effective to know.

"Detailed work [on set-pieces] is really boring, it doesn’t come from passion, it just really helps if you can improve your role in the team in this specific area. There are not so many specialists out there that I think will be efficient. You need to find the right man or woman to do it and if you’re going to do it there must be full buy-in – including from the manager – so that everyone accepts we are going to spend time and effort on this.

"I’m not sure every team needs to have [a set-piece coach]. I think every team needs to have a strong set-piece process. Whether you build that with your assistant or a specialist is not the key thing. There needs to be a thought-through process of how to improve it over time."

Georgson will also use his experience across north London at Arsenal to improve what he does at Spurs because he admits he made mistakes to begin with under Mikel Arteta.

"If I look back at the first couple of months [there] I got it wrong. That affected our quality on the attacking side [with set-pieces]. I came in with, I think, a too big level of detail in the set-piece process. In the beginning it was impossible for the players to take it all in," he said.

"I came from Brentford. They had worked for many years very deep into set-pieces and made it part of their identity. I think Arsenal at that point was more of a traditional club in terms of what level of focus set-pieces got. I didn’t get it right in terms of how big and flexible to make the set-piece process, so we struggled quite hard to be effective attacking wise, but became really strong defensively.

"The attacking process was too detailed, too flexible and too big, because that was the system I was used to from before. I realised that the players at Brentford were used to that, they had done that for many years, and they were not so stressed by the fact that my plan was quite detailed.

"For Brentford we had a really flexible system, and since the players could handle the amount of information and keeping the timing and execution it was really beneficial, because you become so unpredictable. If you are going to have the flexible system you have to build it over time.

"There is no tradition in football to place that much emphasis and remember that big a playbook, that has to take time to build and gradually build your DNA as a team. The method I came in with [at Arsenal] was really wide, many different routines, many different systems to surprise the opponent, but the problem is if you then surprise yourself it’s not so good! Then you lose the quality of execution and organisation instead.

"Football is a really dynamic game. To build a style of play that the players can understand and follow, without losing the freedom and intuition to play this random game over big spaces, you always have to find a balance of how much information and detail the players should have to deal with to perform at the top of their potential."

Arsenal have become known for their set-piece strength in the years since and many suggest that the defensive improvements began during Georgson's time with them.

"First of all I didn’t solve anything, the players solved it, 100%. On the defensive structure, the level of detail was probably perfect. It was not too flexible, it was quite firm, and we did the same things week after week to improve step by step," he said back in 2022. "Hopefully I gave them some guidance and we did some detailed work that I think is not common in football – that you work details in marking, details in avoiding a block or doing your specific role.

"With the defensive side we really managed to find a process that can go all over the season, so the players get reminded in a good frequency about the small details they should keep doing. I made sure the principle was as clear as possible. Then the key people in the process – some players in our hybrid defence – I actually fed back with them after every game. And on the pitch I took the stance that I do something after every session set piece wise.

"If I hadn’t worked with the markers for a while then I might spend 10 minutes with them on marking techniques and situations, but that could then go a month until I did it the next time. So maybe the next chance I brought some of the zonal players to remind them of the principles, the next time maybe a few of the attacking players to do one of the routines we thought could be happening in the next game. Once we got the attacking process starting and to build gradually, that process also started to become strong."

That Frank has grabbed the opportunity to bring Georgson back into the fold after losing him to Arsenal years ago shows what he believes the Swede can achieve at Tottenham. All eyes will be on next season and the fruits of his labours in selling set-pieces to the Spurs stars.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale is reportedly in line to be the face of a United States-based takeover of English Football League side Plymouth Argyle.

Bale, who featured for Spurs between 2007 and 2013 then again in a homecoming loan spell in the 2020/21 season, retired from the sport two years ago.

He has since taken up occasional punditry opportunities but now, as The Telegraph report, the 35-year-old is set to be the surprise face of a takeover bid of The Pilgrims.

They explain how several sources close to the ongoing talks confirm a US private equity group partnering with Bale is currently in talks not only for a small stake, but full control at Home Park.

Argyle chairman Simon Hallett, who first invested back in 2016, has been looking for fresh investment in the club for at least a year.

He had agreed in principle to sell a stake of the club though that deal fell through last month, now Bale and his US partners have been able to swoop in.

It is unclear how the former Spurs star has become involved in this potential new takeover bid as he has no past connection to Plymouth, though it has been common practice of late for US-based groups to align themselves with huge names in sport.

Most recently, Bale's former teammate at what was then White Hart Lane, Luka Modric, partnered with a rival US investment team to become a co-owner of Swansea City in the Championship.

Promoted to that division last season, American Football legend Tom Brady has become a co-owner of Birmingham City.

But at the time of Bale's proposed involvement in a takeover of Argyle, they are headed back down to League One having finished bottom of the second tier last season.

To begin the 2024/25 campaign, Wayne Rooney was appointed manager. The England and Manchester United legend lost 13 of his 23 league matches in charge before being sacked on New Years Eve last year.

His replacement Miron Muslic was unsuccessful in his rescue mission but inspired confidence he was the correct man for the long-term, then ended up a frosty exit to German club Schalke 04.

Former Premier League midfielder Tom Cleverley has subsequently been placed in charge after he was let go by Watford at the end of the recent season.

Manchester United are said to be still confident of signing Bryan Mbeumo this summer transfer window, despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

Brentford turned down a £55million opening offer from Man Utd, earlier this month, but a second bid has yet to happen. Interest from Spurs is emerging in the meantime after appointing Thomas Frank as their new head coach as the replacement for Ange Postecoglou - who they relieved of his duties.

Antoine Semenyo, Eberechi Eze, Mbeumo, Tyler Dibling and Yoane Wissa are all of interest to Tottenham.

Man Utd also reputedly admire many of those same attacking players.

None more so than Mbeumo and that feeling is stated to be mutual. Our colleagues at The Manchester Evening News report that the player has told confidants the only move he wants is to Man Utd.

Their goalkeeper, Andre Onana - who plays alongside Mbeumo for the Cameroon national team - is even said to have advised his compatriot to join the club. That has reputedly played a role in swaying the forward.

They, though, acknowledge Spurs are aggressively pursuing the player, undeterred by not being regarded as the frontrunners despite the presence of Frank. Their sources claim that Tottenham are "going hard" for Mbeumo and suggest the north London club are even willing to offer him a higher salary than Man Utd.

The player fielded questions about his future while attending the Canadian Grand Prix.

"It [transfer speculation] is a bit new for me, I would say," Mbeumo said to Sky Sports. "I think it can be the life of a footballer, so you need to accept it."

Asked about Frank, he said: "He's done so much for me. He literally trusted me from the start.

"I think he developed the team so well. He developed me as a human and a player, as well, so can only wish him all the best, and I'm sure he's going to do well."

Thomas Frank has a big Tottenham Hotspur squad to grapple with as he starts his time at the club and he must whittle it down while adding new quality to it.

For the Dane faces a season which brings Champions League football as the club hierarchy made it clear that they expect the squad to challenge on multiple fronts this season with a clear reference to former boss Ange Postecoglou prioritising the Europa League, which Spurs won, and the Carabao Cup, in which they reached the semi-finals.

So Frank, with the help of technical director Johan Lange, must put together a big squad strong enough to compete across all four competitions, while also attempting to keep on the right side of the foreign player and homegrown rules that Spurs struggle with, especially in European competition.

With Timo Werner, Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman heading off and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg about to depart to Marseille, here's a look at the squad left for Frank and what we think could happen to each player and whether they will be sold, kept or loaned out.

Let's start with the goalkeepers and work our way forward through all of the 39 first team player that made an appearance last season or were out on loan.

Guglielmo Vicario

Vicario had a couple of wobbles last season but he also had some big games and has shown his leadership, never more so than playing on with a broken ankle at Manchester City to ensure Spurs kept a clean sheet in the 4-0 win. The Italian has strong competition now in the goalkeeping department and that should push him on next season as will the need to impress Frank. KEEP

Antonin Kinksy

A new arrival at Tottenham this year with a long contract and plenty of time to stake his claim. The Czech goalkeeper is only 22 years old and will be looking to catch the eye of the new head coach whenever he gets the chance this season with plenty of games on offer across all four competitions. KEEP

Brandon Austin

Finally got his chance and Austin didn't let anyone down. As the club's only real senior homegrown player he's going to be pushing for more minutes this season. KEEP

Josh Keeley

Had a brilliant, eye-catching loan at Leyton Orient and earned himself his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad this month. A new contract and a loan beckons as Spurs look to get the 22-year-old game time to continue his development. LOAN

Cristian Romero

Much depends on the offers that actually come in for the World Cup winner. With two years left on his contract, £40million bids are not going to cut it for a defender voted 'player of the tournament' in the Europa League. Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone might have declared his desire to sign Romero but ultimately the Spanish club would need to put their money where his mouth is and it's unclear whether that will happen this summer. The Argentine struggled with availability last season but in the big games he showed he's a top drawer defender and Frank will know that. KEEP

Micky van de Ven

Another who struggled for availability last season with those hamstring problems but he will be hoping they're behind him after a strong end to the campaign, that amazing goal line clearance in the final and his first international goal for the Netherlands. At just 24, Van de Ven has got so much more room for growth. KEEP

Ashley Phillips

Phillips never really got a look-in under Postecoglou but he's had two much-praised loans at Plymouth and Stoke. Still just 19 until later this month, Frank will want to have a proper look at the big centre-back. The sheer number of centre-backs at the club with more arriving could mean another loan for him but the teenager is getting closer to becoming a Premier League defender. LOAN

Radu Dragusin

Some good moments and some iffy ones in an often makeshift backline last season before that cruciate ligament injury. It's going to take him a while to get back to full fitness and then sharpness which rules out a summer exit anyway and Frank will want to take a proper look at him. KEEP

Luka Vuskovic

Vuskovic finally arrives at Spurs this summer, two years after they signed him from Hajduk Split and Frank will be excited to see where he's at. He scored seven goals and provided three assists at Westerlo in 36 appearances despite being a teenage centre-back. You would imagine Tottenham will keep the 18-year-old in the fold, learning from others, until at least January before deciding whether a loan spell for the remainder of the season would be more helpful for him. KEEP

Kevin Danso

Overall it was a positive introduction to life at Tottenham for Danso and the Austria international played his part in the final stages of that night in Bilbao. His mentality, leadership and strength could be key for Frank to tap into this season across the competitions. KEEP

Alfie Dorrington

Dorrington is now a Scottish Cup winner after helping Aberdeen overcome Celtic at Hampden Park last month and the 20-year-old centre-back made big strides last season with that loan after making his Spurs and Premier League debut earlier this season in the win at Southampton. Another loan beckons for a player with time on his hands and a long contract until 2029. LOAN

Pedro Porro

Up there in the conversation for Spurs' best player of the season. He played 51 of the 60 matches and registered a remarkable 4,130 minutes of football which is almost 700 more than the next man Dejan Kulusevski. Porro also provided nine assists and four goals from right-back and should be a crucial part of Frank's team going forward and a perfect wing-back when he switches to a back three at times. KEEP

Destiny Udogie

Just 22 and needs to contribute more going forward like Porro does but the young Italian left-back has got so much potential and put in some big performances as the season came to a close. KEEP

Djed Spence

What a turnaround for Spence at the club and he'll be getting a manager in Frank who wanted to sign him for Brentford at the time Spurs got him from Middlesbrough. The Dane will be a good coach to keep developing the full-back who can play in various roles for him. KEEP

Ben Davies

Spurs took up the option to extend Davies' contract by its final year and that could mean that either he has another 12 months in his career at the club or simply they wanted to get a little bit of money if he heads off this summer. The Welshman ended up playing 28 times last season but chances are likely to be limited again barring another injury crisis. After 11 years of service in N17, the 32-year-old has earned the chance to decide his own fate. WHATEVER HE WANTS

Archie Gray

Nothing to debate here. The 19-year-old played a remarkable 46 times in his debut Premier League season with the fifth most minutes in the team (3,244) and much of that was spent as a centre-back, a role he'd never played in before. Frank wanted the £40million teenager at Brentford last summer and will have big plans for the England U21 international. KEEP

Pape Matar Sarr

Still just 22, the Senegal international is part of the plans for the future and while last season was mixed for him as it was for the team, he did turn up in some big moments. He bagged six goals and three assists in his 55 games, the most appearances by anyone in the squad by a distance. KEEP

Yves Bissouma

The Mali international came good in the final few Europa League matches but this was a difficult season for Bissouma. He's just not consistent enough and turns 29 this summer while reaching the final 12 months of his contract. It feels like the time to part ways unless Frank firmly believes he can unlock fully what Postecoglou could only do occasionally despite his mutual affection for the midfielder. SELL

Alfie Devine

It's a difficult one with Devine because there's clearly ability there and he had a good season with Vuskovic at Westerlo, but will he ever break through at the club due to the numbers in his position? The 20-year-old has impressed in the past two pre-seasons at Tottenham and will be looking to do so again for Frank this time around. With two years left on his contract, the midfielder is probably due another deal, but would need to see a future for himself rather than just heading out on a third loan. He is a homegrown player for Spurs but sticking around purely for that might not be helpful to his development. LOAN

Rodrigo Bentancur

At times he looked more like his old pre-ACL injury self and probably did enough over the season to earn a new contract with the most minutes played of any central midfielder. If not he will depart as he's in the final 12 months of his contract but if it's a straight shootout between him and Bissouma, he's shown far more to warrant being kept. KEEP

Callum Olusesi

Made his Spurs debut in the final minutes of the win at Hoffenheim and the 18-year-old central midfielder will be looking to impress this summer on the training pitches whenever called upon by Frank. He scored five goals in 11 games for the U21s last season during their difficult campaign and is ready for a step up, which might be in the shape of a loan. LOAN

James Maddison

About to take on an even busier home life with the announcement that he's got a second set of twins on the way with his wife to make it five children to keep an eye on. On the pitch we might not see Maddison until a way into pre-season following his knee injury. He should be a big cog in Frank's midfield though when he's fit. KEEP

Lucas Bergvall

No point wasting time here. Voted Spurs' player of the season in his debut campaign and at 19-years-old he's going to become a star. KEEP

Jamie Donley

Donley will have interest galore after a standout year at Leyton Orient with 19 goal involvements in 52 matches across a busy season in which he helped the O's to the League One play-off final. Now a senior Northern Ireland international, the 20-year-old will be looking to wow Frank in pre-season. He has time on his side though and if it's not helpful to keep him as a homegrown player then a loan to the Championship beckons. LOAN

Dejan Kulusevski

He was Spurs' best player without a doubt before being overplayed and then injured. Racked up the second most minutes behind Porro and managed 21 goal involvements in 50 matches. He excelled in the deeper role in midfield and will be able to play for Frank there or in multiple roles in a 4-2-3-1 or even as a support striker when the Dane goes with a front pairing. KEEP

Manor Solomon

Solomon helped Leeds win the Championship and scored the goal that sealed it. He racked up 23 goal involvements in 41 matches for the Elland Road side. The Israel international wants to stay and impress Frank but for a player signed on a free, Tottenham will know they can get good value for him after a big season in the second flight. Much will depend on the new head coach's verdict. SELL

Wilson Odobert

A season fragmented by that serious hamstring injury and the Frenchman only played 1,008 minutes, scoring three times in 21 appearances. However, the 20-year-old has plenty of talent and Frank will get a fitter, fresher, sharper version of him this summer once he's rested after the European U21 Championships. KEEP

Son Heung-min

Now in the final 12 months of his contract and even without being at his best last season the South Korean managed 23 direct goal involvements in 46 matches. Frank will have his say on his plans for the Tottenham captain but ultimately, like Davies, Son has done more than enough for the club to decide what comes next for him. Much could also depend on what offers come in for him. WHATEVER HE WANTS

Mikey Moore

A breakthrough season for the 17-year-old around that lengthy illness and there were some promising moments, like the game against AZ and the goal against Elfsborg, but he also needs to grow stronger and develop, as he naturally will, to ensure he can make more of an impact in the Premier League. The ideal solution would be a loan for him this season to get plenty of minutes, but the club are likely to want to keep him around as a homegrown B list player. LOAN

Bryan Gil

Gil is fully expecting to depart Spurs this summer after a season at Girona where he enjoyed a decent time there, playing Champions League football, until he suffered a knee injury in March that required surgery. The 24-year-old winger's contract comes to an end next year and both the Spaniard and Spurs are looking to go their separate ways. SELL

Brennan Johnson

The club's top scorer with 25 goal involvements in 51 matches across the season and don't underestimate the fact that Frank was very keen to take him to Brentford when he signed for Spurs. Could be utilised on the right in a 4-2-3-1 or alongside a striker in a front pairing. The 24-year-old could have an even bigger impact under the Dane if his build-up play develops to match his eye for goal. KEEP

Damola Ajayi

A debut and a goal on that special night against Elfsborg and although he didn't get another sniff at a chance, that evening should serve the 19-year-old well to get some pre-season minutes and hopefully his first loan move. LOAN

Mathys Tel

This one has already been decided after Frank did plenty of analysis on the French youngster and was happy to give the green light to a cheaper deal for Tel to arrive permanently from Bayern Munich. football.london reported this week that Frank was excited by the prospect of working with 20-year-old, who he believes he can improve and could be more suited to his system as it gives freedom to its wide players and allows them to come in off the line to link up play. KEEP

Yang Min-hyeok

Yang got plenty of experience of English football at QPR in the Championship with the 19-year-old playing 14 times and scoring twice with one assist. There's an acceptance that the South Korean teenager is a raw talent and a decision will be made this summer whether another loan is the best thing for him to continue to develop. It seems likely. LOAN

Richarlison

This is such a tough one. There's no doubting that whenever Richarlison plays he mostly makes an impact. However, the key is getting him out on that pitch because his availability due to injury has been horrendous since signing for Spurs in 2022. He's in a good place right now, fit again and has just become a father, having only just returned to the Brazil squad as well. If it can be shown that he's physically fine now for the long term then Frank might want to keep him. If there are any fears that a season that brought only four Premier League starts will be repeated then offers will have to be looked at. It's worth remembering also that he only has two years left on his contract. SELL

Will Lankshear

Lankshear had his dream moment with his first senior goal against Galatasaray only to get sent off for a second yellow card in the second half. The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut and got a loan to West Brom, which wasn't as successful but the fans there took to him and with Ryan Mason now in charge at the Baggies, it could be a good place to return to. Frank will take a look at him - and he starred last summer in pre-season - but another loan might do him the world of good. LOAN

Dominic Solanke

For a man who suffered from a lack of service and missed a couple of months with a knee injury, his haul of 24 goal involvements in 45 matches was more than decent for a first season at a new club. The England international is going to be a big player for Spurs and with better service next season could easily hit 25 goals for the Dane. KEEP

Dane Scarlett

A deciding season for the 21-year-old striker awaits after a loan at Oxford last time out that had its moments but was mostly a struggle to get minutes before returning to Spurs and then scoring his first goal for the club. Groin surgery ended his chances of building on that in the final months of the season but as a homegrown player Frank might give serious consideration to keeping Scarlett around this season, at least until January. It's a big pre-season for him after not particularly impressing a year ago. KEEP

Alejo Veliz

Veliz just hasn't been able to make his mark at Tottenham and neither has anything really clicked during the 21-year-old striker's two loan spells at Sevilla and Espanyol. There has been talk of a return to Rosario Central this summer where Veliz scored plenty of goals as a teenager. The Argentine has got four years left on his contract but it's difficult to see him breaking into the first team set-up. SELL

Cristian Romero could be one of the big-name departures from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

It is no secret that the vice-captain was a big fan of Ange Postecoglou, and even before the Australian was sacked, with rumours circulating around his future in N17, Romero openly stated that Spurs would be better "sticking together".

Romero was one of the few not to wish Postecoglou well immediately after his sacking by Daniel Levy, although he did pass on his well wishes in the end - interestingly just hours after Thomas Frank was appointed as his successor in north London.

The centre-back has been linked with a transfer away from Spurs in the past, with Real Madrid known to be admirers. But he also has admirers across the Spanish city now too.

Atletico Madrid are thought to be keen on signing the 27-year-old this summer, with Tottenham expecting around £60million to sell the defender. However, there are also talks over extending the defender's contract with Spurs.

Romero has already admitted he would like to play in La Liga. Speaking to journalist Gaston Edul, Romero said: "I'd love to play in La Liga. I'd love to play in La Liga. I like watching a lot of games, and I have a lot of teammates who play there in Spain, and we watch them. It's one of the leagues I'd like to play in."

And now, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has admitted he would love to sign Romero. Speaking to Ole, Simeone said: "Do I want Cristian Romero? Obviously! He’s a great player."

It is unusual for manager to speak out so openly about players from different teams, but Simeone is not your typical manager. His quotes, however, are sure to rile Levy, who will play hardball over a price for Romero given the very public flirtation with a move.

Romero has two years remaining on his current Tottenham contract and now would be the time to get the best financial package if Spurs were in any way inclined to sell.

New Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has already made his thoughts on two Spurs players clear by trying to sign them for Brentford in the past.

The appointment of Frank as Spurs' new head coach was confirmed on Thursday. The Danish manager has taken over from Ange Postecoglou on a three-year contract after Daniel Levy activated the £10million release clause in his contract.

Frank's impressive tenure at the Gtech Community Stadium lasted nearly seven years, with some of his assistant coaches now set to join him in his move to north London.

As he prepares for Champions League football, Frank will be keen to quickly identify his key players and bring in new signings of his choice. And the 51-year-old will be delighted to now work with two players he nearly brought to Brentford in recent years.

Frank and Brentford had shown long-standing interest in Brennan Johnson during his stint with Nottingham Forest in the Championship. They had several bids rejected by Forest in the January window of 2022.

Brentford made another strong push to sign Johnson in the summer of 2023, with Frank viewing the then-22-year-old as a crucial part of his plans for the 2023/24 season following an eight-month ban for Ivan Toney.

The west London club reportedly had a £40m offer turned down, having fallen short of Forest's £50m asking price. Spurs eventually secured Johnson's signature by paying £47.5m to the east Midlands club before the summer transfer deadline.

Spurs managed to outmanoeuvre Frank's Brentford once again last summer by signing Archie Gray from Championship side Leeds United. The versatile youngster was on the verge of joining the Bees in a £40m deal before it fell through, as Leeds were dissatisfied with the structure of the deal proposed by Brentford.

That allowed Tottenham to swoop in and sign Gray from under Frank's nose. The 19-year-old featured prominently in the 2024/25 season, making 46 appearances across all competitions, primarily as a centre-back.

Gray will be aiming to progress further from August under Frank, who will now oversee his development - a year after missing out on him.

Frank is also eager to reunite with his star player from his time at Brentford, Bryan Mbeumo, with Tottenham initiating talks over a deal for the Cameroonian forward with their London rivals.

Mbeumo is one of the most in-demand Premier League players in this summer's transfer window following an outstanding season at Brentford, during which he netted 20 top-flight goals and provided seven assists.

After enjoying his most prolific campaign to date under Frank, the 25-year-old has become more intrigued by a Spurs move now, having been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks.

Mbeumo joined Brentford from French club Troyes six years ago for a then-record fee of £5.8m. Fast forward to the current transfer window and he's the subject of huge bids from both the Red Devils and Spurs.

United have had an offer of around £55m turned down by Brentford. And the Mirror report that Spurs' technical director Johan Lange has made the first official move towards reuniting Mbeumo and Frank, proposing a £65m deal plus £5m in add-ons to secure the Cameroon international.

New Tottenham assistant coach Justin Cochrane can see one key similarity between Thomas Frank and former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Frank was appointed on Thursday on a three-year deal to replace Ange Postecoglou after the Europa League-winning Australian was sacked six days beforehand. One of Frank's coaching staff who is joining him at Spurs is the highly-rated Cochrane, who was being eyed up as the 51-year-old's potential successor at Brentford.

Cochrane, 43, will be a familiar presence to those around Tottenham because he started his coaching journey within the club's academy, spending just short of a decade at Hotspur Way with the team's youth sides before leaving to work for England's youth set-up and then Manchester United before arriving at Brentford to work with Frank.

In an interview with the Training Ground Guru podcast two-and-a-half years ago, Cochrane gave an insight into working with the Dane and his own views on the game.

"Understanding talent and difference – Marcus Edwards, Noni Madueke, Alejandro Garnacho – I had to connect with them the same way I am having to now with Bryan Mbeumo and Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter. It’s the same process. It’s about soft skills, emotional intelligence, understanding yourself, listening skills and findings ways to connect with people. And it takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight," he said.

"It’s just being genuinely interested in them as human beings. Thomas Frank is probably the best I’ve seen – and Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate – of content and connection. They know their stuff, their tactics, their gameplay – and they know how to get the best out of people.

"Thomas Frank is outstanding with his details. He understands how to set up a team, a training session, and he’s brilliant at getting the best out of the players. You can see that – the players are at their max each week in the Premier League.

"Mauricio knew when players needed an arm round the shoulder, a kick up the backside, he was brilliant with them. Understanding emotional intelligence, understanding self."

Cochrane also spoke about his previous role at Tottenham which he would later leave to become head coach of England under-15s.

"I was doing my B License, along with Kieran McKenna (now Ipswich Town manager), Jim Hicks (now Head of Coaching at the PFA) and Paul Davis (now England U17s assistant). I knew Kieran was a professional at Spurs, but he had had an injury and was looking to move into coaching," he said.

"I think Jim and Kieran said to John McDermott (then Head of Academy Coaching and Player Development at Tottenham), ‘There’s a keen young coach who lives close to where we train and he’s interested.’

"I had an interview with John and got the job and then I worked closely with (Head of Player Development) Chris Ramsey and it changed the way I thought about football. Up until then, I thought, ‘We want to develop these players to win games and beat whoever we’re playing.’

"Chris really stripped me back and was like, ‘We want to play the right style and have the best players on the pitch – that will be a good predictor of future success.’ My coaching reflected that. I worked with the U11s, U12s, U14s, U16s and then the U23s at Tottenham."

Now Cochrane is back at Tottenham and will be hoping to make an impact in the Premier League and Champions League with Frank.

Bryan Mbeumo requested not to be asked about his future amid continued transfer links to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

On the back of scoring 20 Premier League goals for the Bees last season, Mbeumo has been linked with a big-money move away from the Gtech Community Stadium.

Spurs are understood to have joined the race for the Cameroon international following the appointment of Thomas Frank at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Frank's side have already wrapped up the signing of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich.

A bid from United worth £45million with a further £10m in add-ons fell short of Brentford's valuation of Mbeumo and talks are understood to be continuing. Mbeumo is said to be keen on a move to Old Trafford but Frank's arrival in north London could prove to be a crucial bargaining tool in a move.

On Sunday, Mbeumo was in the public eye for the first time this season with an interview with Sky Sports ahead of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix. During the interview, he discussed Frank's decision to move to Spurs.

"He has done so much for me," Mbeumo told Sky Sports. "He has trusted me from the start, developed the team so well, developed me as a human and a player so much and I wish him all the best and wish he is going to do well.

"He knows everything. He is really smart, he knows where he wants to bring the team and how he wants to play and he has been fantastic for Brentford.

"He is going to have some time to adapt. He will have more games and more expectations but I am sure he is going to do well."

At the start of the interview, Mbeumo respectfully asked not to be asked about his future this summer. However, he did say: "It’s a bit new for me but it is the life of a footballer so you need to accept it.”

Thomas Frank will have plenty on his plate as he gets to work at Tottenham Hotspur following his move from Brentford to replace Ange Postecoglou.

The 51-year-old was announced on Thursday as the new Spurs head coach and after some well-earned time off in both Denmark and Spain this summer, the Dane will officially get to work ahead of the 2025/26 season. He will no doubt already be plotting and planning for what the future holds to ensure he makes a quick start at the north London club after taking over from the trophy-winning Australian.

Frank has signed a three-year deal at Spurs, bringing to an end a near decade-long stay at Brentford, including six years as the head coach of the Bees as he helped them punch above their weight in the Premier League after earning promotion from the Championship.

Here are five things that we reckon will be on Frank's to-do list both now and when he eventually settles into his seat at his new office at Tottenham's Hotspur Way training complex.

Transfer talk

Frank will already be thinking about what his Tottenham squad will look like for the coming campaign and he will be having plenty of conversations with his fellow Dane and technical director Johan Lange. The pair knew each other from their time at Lyngby and maintained a close relationship. Lange had wanted to bring Frank to Aston Villa while he was there and played his part in bringing his compatriot to Spurs.

Now the duo will look to assemble a squad that can help the new head coach to succeed and be strong enough for the Champions League adventure ahead, while also strengthening Lange's position at the club with former managing director of football Fabio Paratici expected to return at some point in the months ahead.

Frank will be giving the green light to certain moves, as he did with Mathys Tel's loan spell being made permanent.

football.london understands Frank was excited by the prospect of working with the Frenchman, who he believes he can improve and the Dane studied the player himself and felt the move was a good one. There is a feeling that the 20-year-old could be more suited to Frank's system as it gives freedom to its wide players and allows them to come in off the line to link up play.

Frank will also be called on to talk to potential new signings, particularly any of his former players, with Spurs interested in Brentford attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa among others at his old club, a call from Frank to those he knows inside out and who respect him greatly, could go a long way to helping them make a decision if one is to be had.

The Dane will also have to speak to those he has not managed before and he will need to make a similar impact to Postecoglou, who had a way with words in such situations with potential signings. Frank is also a famed communicator so should be able to sell Tottenham and their Champions League lure next season.

Coach decisions

Frank will be joined at Tottenham from Brentford by first team assistant coach Justin Cochrane, Head of Performance and first team assistant coach Chris Haslam as well as first team coach analyst Joe Newton, while first team assistant coach Andreas Georgson links up after a spell at Manchester United and having previously worked with Frank at the Bees.

There is still space for further coaching additions and Matt Wells and Rob Burch, who were on Postecoglou's staff, have not left the club as of yet.

Cochrane is understood to be friends with Wells following their time together as coaches within Spurs' academy and he will also know Burch well. Wells was Postecoglou's number two last season and Burch the Australian's goalkeeping coach. Both men are highly regarded within Spurs and they and Frank will have decide whether they remain on his staff.

There are also suggestions that multiple trophy-winning Spurs U18s coach Stuart Lewis could potentially be involved in the new-look staff in some capacity. The 37-year-old has been making a name for himself within and outside the club with his development of youngsters who have progressed into the first team set-up, while winning three trophies in as many seasons with an exciting brand of football.

Son and Romero chats

As well as incoming players and coaches, Frank must decide which players he wants to remain at Tottenham and he will need to speak to two of the club's big stars who are at a crossroads in their time at the club.

The Dane will need to have a conversation with captain Son Heung-min, who football.london reported last week is more open to a move this summer than previously after having finally lifted that long-sought after trophy with the club. The South Korean turns 33 next month and has just a year left on his contract. His recent comments to media back in his homeland suggested a lack of clarity on what comes next for him.

Cristian Romero is also at a key point in his tenure at Tottenham. The centre-back has made no secret of his desire to play in La Liga at some point and his decision to finally post after six days about Postecoglou on social media within an hour of Frank being appointed as his new manager did not look to be the biggest endorsement of the new man from the outside.

The World Cup winner though has two years left on his contract and the hefty price Spurs would ask for the vice-captain this summer is unlikely to be a simple one for the likes of Atletico Madrid to reach.

Frank will need to make decisions on both players and also see what their thoughts are as key figures in the dressing room.

Work out how to start with a bang

With sections of the fanbase unsure on his appointment or perhaps more specifically Postecoglou's departure after finally ending that 17-year-old trophy drought, Frank will know he has to start the season well.

That hasn't previously been the way for the Dane as he did not win any of his first eight games at Brondby and then lost eight of his first 10 matches at Brentford. Tottenham, who change their head coach on average every 18 months, will not show anywhere near that level of patience.

The fans won't either after being told Postecoglou was sacked because the club wanted to compete on all fronts. That in itself will be a new experience for Frank, who has only 10 games of Europa League qualifying experience to his name a decade ago, and has never gone far in the FA Cup.

Pre-season will at least present more time to work with all of his squad as there is no international tournament this year which should help the new man get his ideas across to the group. There is no time to waste for Frank and he will find out what the Premier League schedule looks like when the fixtures are released on Wednesday.

Decide who leaves

It's not just about Frank's captain and vice-captain as he has plenty of decisions to make on other players who either had big roles to play last season or were away from the club.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma are both entering the final 12 months of their contracts at the north London club, offers could come in for others like Richarlison, and Frank must decide what happens with returning loan players like Manor Solomon, Bryan Gil and Alejo Veliz as well as youngsters with more of a future such as Luka Vuskovic, Yang Min-hyeok, Ashley Phillips, Jamie Donley, Josh Keeley, Alfie Devine, Will Lankshear, Alfie Dorrington and George Abbott.

Many of the young players will get a chance to impress early in pre-season before loan moves are either accepted or rejected. Frank has a lot to think about in the coming weeks and months ahead of that first competitive game and chance to win a trophy with the UEFA Super Cup against PSG in Udine in August.

Mathys Tel has become Tottenham's first signing of the Thomas Frank era and while he could be fully unleashed, another transfer completed recently is perfect for the Dane.

Spurs officially confirmed Frank as their new head coach from Brentford on Thursday and just over 72 hours later, another statement was released announcing the permanent arrival of Tel. The buy-option in his six-month loan from Bayern Munich was £45.7million (€55m), but Spurs have been able to purchase him for £29.7million (€35m).

Even with Tel joining, Spurs want to sign another winger and further additions are also expected in other areas of the pitch with a defensive midfielder one priority. If Atletico Madrid target Cristian Romero departs, a replacement at centre-back should come in.

Talks with Frank regarding his future and that of club captain's Son Heung-min is expected imminently as he is also one player that could depart. The South Korea international has just one year remaining on his contract.

On the training ground meanwhile, his immediate focus will be on getting the best out of the current group. A number of players will surely benefit from Frank's hands-on coaching approach along with his attacking tactics that saw Brentford score 66 Premier League goals last season - more than Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Despite their poor season, Spurs managed just two fewer with Brennan Johnson as their top scorer on 11. A further seven arrived in all competitions for the Welshman with one of those securing the Europa League.

Minus his goals, Johnson endured a difficult campaign but that a repeat of that may not happen under Frank. Just before Spurs swooped in to sign him from Nottingham Forest in a £47.5million deal, Brentford saw several bids rejected with one of those a club-record £40million offer.

To put in such an attempt clearly showed that Frank wanted him at the Gtech Community Stadium. While very different players, seeing how Bryan Mbeumo has thrived at right wing for Brentford, Johnson has the potential to reach similar heights under Frank.

The majority of his goals have come from being in the right place at the right time and if Frank can make that a more dangerous weapon while also developing his general play out wide, Tottenham could have one hell of a player on their hands.