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Justin Cochrane will return to Tottenham as Thomas Frank's right-hand man armed with plenty of knowledge of the squad the Dane will inherit.

Cochrane is one of the most highly-regarded coaches in the game right now and his move to Spurs was a blow to Brentford, who had been eyeing him up as a potential successor to Frank. The 43-year-old is also part of Thomas Tuchel's England set-up and is expected to remain so on a part-time basis while at Tottenham.

The former Manchester United development coach spent almost a decade at Spurs' academy as a coach before becoming England U15s head coach and completing his UEFA Pro Licence. Cochrane was also a UEFA technical observer last season, among a group of experienced coaches and former players who work with the UEFA performance analysis unit to produce reports on every one of the organisation's national-team and club competition.

That meant that Cochrane analysed Tottenham during their Europa League run and was actually featured in the matchday programme for the final in Bilbao.

That's because he had the task of examining the role of the full-backs in Tottenham's round of 16 second-leg victory against AZ Alkmaar and this is what he wrote about Pedro Porro and Djed Spence as well as the impact of the inverted full-back system.

"The full-backs are often narrow, which creates more passing options and makes the opposition close the inside, opening up passing lanes for the wide players to go one-on-one," he said. "The narrow full-backs also create central overloads. Once the ball goes wide, there is often a run into the half-space from an inverted full-back or the high No.8 if the full-back is lower.

"The full-back who goes inside must be technically good and able to operate in tight areas. They need to be offensive. The problem they face is the distance of their recovery if the ball has been lost. A full-back must have the ability to receive and play in tight spaces between lines - to play like a midfielder - a key attribute for playing as an inverted full-back.

"The timing of runs forward into the half-space is also important, while recovery runs are too. A player has to get back into position if the ball is turned over. We saw Spurs’ full-backs doing all three of these. When full-backs do invert, how does that affect the other players?

"The centre-backs no longer have an easy pass to a full-back and can sometimes pass straight to a winger. The other midfielders fill the spaces, but there is not a clear pattern. In the Spurs vs AZ game, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall often dropped into the spaces and looked for a forward pass."

Thomas Frank is now the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur. The Dane was confirmed as Ange Postecoglou's replacement on Thursday evening, penning a three-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 2024/25 season was certainly a mixed one from a Tottenham perspective and the hope will be that Frank can take the club forward and have them battling for a top-four finish once again. It wasn't all disappointment for Spurs last term as they did go on to lift the Europa League trophy with a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

Cup football will once again be very important to the club, with Frank having the opportunity to manage in the Champions League for the first time as a result of the team winning UEFA's second club competition.

Now that Frank is in position and will be getting straight down to work, all eyes will be on what the club do in the transfer market as they bid for a fast start. So far, Brentford duo Nathan Collins and Bryan Mbeumo have been linked with moves to Tottenham and a reunion with the 51-year-old.

So who exactly could Frank, Johan Lange and Tottenham target from Brentford this summer as they look to improve their playing squad? football.london takes a look below.

Nathan Collins

Collins has been linked with a move to Tottenham already. Talk of a potential move across the capital may start to crank up now given Cristian Romero's message in his emotional Instagram post about Postecoglou's departure.

Making a name for himself at Stoke City and Burnley prior to moving to Wolves in 2022, the 24-year-old has been a regular in the Brentford backline in the past two seasons, notably playing every single minute in the Premier League in 2024/25. Something which very much highlights his reliability, consistency and his fitness, he could be a smart addition for the Lilywhites due to their lack of numbers in the position across last term.

Vitaly Janelt/Christian Norgaard

Tottenham are still on the lookout for a No.6 to really take their midfield to the next level. Yves Bissouma is not the answer there due to his fluctuating form and he himself may move on this summer due to his contract status.

Both Vitaly Janelt and Christian Norgaard have been permanent fixtures in Frank's Brentford team and both give the team stability and protection. As Janelt only turned 27 last month and Norgaard is now 31, the former may be the better option for Spurs if they were to raid Brentford for a holding midfielder.

Speaking of Janelt last year after he won Brentford's players' player of the year gong, Frank said: “Vitaly has been hugely important for us during the four seasons he’s been here. He’s impacted massively the success we have had.

"This season he has started 36 games and came on in the 37th. He and Ethan [Pinnock] are unsung heroes. They never hit the headlines that much. Vitaly is the glue that makes everyone better: he never stops running, he is a leader and he is extremely important.”

Mikkel Damsgaard

Frank is also a huge fan of fellow Dane Mikkel Damsgaard. Coming to the attention of many with his sublime free-kick for Denmark in their Euro 2020 semi-final against England, the attacking midfielder really struggled to make an impact in his first two seasons at Brentford before wowing in 2024/25.

Damsgaard finished the season with three goals and 11 assists in 43 games in all competitions, duly picking up Brentford' supporters' player of the year and players' player of the year awards last month. Damsgaard's form was that good he even won Brentford's player of the month award four times in a row between October and January.

The 24-year-old is an outstanding player but Tottenham already have options in the attacking midfield role in James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. The Dane does give Frank options, though, as he can play on either flank and as a central midfielder.

Bryan Mbeumo

Mbeumo is the player Tottenham fans would love Frank to sign from Brentford this summer. Always a key player for the Bees following his move from Troyes in 2019, the Cameroon international went up another level or two in the 2024/25 season.

Unable to hit double figures in his previous three Premier League campaigns, Mbeumo registered 20 Premier League goals and he also contributed with nine assists across all competitions. Only 25 years of age, he could be a major player in the final third for Tottenham if they could beat Manchester United to his signature in a reported £60million deal.

Yoane Wissa

Tottenham may have splashed out big money on Dominic Solanke last summer but they may possibly be on the lookout for a new frontman ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. That may all depend on what happens with Richarlison after three difficult seasons in N17.

If Tottenham do want to bring in a new striker to add to Frank's squad, Yoane Wissa could be the perfect addition Just like Mbeumo, Wissa contributed 20 goals across the season and was a major player in Brentford's excellent form.

Wissa does turn 29 in September, though, and Spurs may want a younger player as they build towards the future. If they want someone for the here and now to add to the club's striker options, the DR Congo ace would be a good acquisition.

Kevin Schade

Tottenham could certainly do with upgrading their options out wide next season amid question marks over a number of players. It remains to be seen what the future holds for players such as Son Heung-min, Richarlison, Mathys Tel and Manor Solomon heading into the new term.

Kevin Schade enjoyed a very impressive season and made his mark with 12 goals and three assists across all competitions. Mainly playing from the left-wing but also able to play as a striker and from the right, the German has pace to burn and there could still be even more to come from him as he develops as a player.

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly launched a £70m bid to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, directly challenging Premier League rivals Manchester United for the attacker's signature.

The future of the 25-year-old has come into question as the summer transfer window opened, which was to be expected following his 20-goal haul in the Premier League last term.

Mbeumo had given United encouragement to make him their next recruit before his boss of six years at the Bees, Thomas Frank, moved to Spurs to replace Ange Postecoglou.

Now The Mirror are reporting that a first official step has been made towards reuniting player and manager with Spurs technical director Johan Lange offering up £65m plus £5m in add-ons to land the Cameroon international. It comes only hours after claims of first contact being made.

This alleged offer blows the one made by Old Trafford chiefs out of the water. Our sister title The Manchester Evening News say that rejected sum was £45m up front with £10m in add-ons.

In their hijack attempt, Spurs have the bonus of now possessing that personal connection to Mbeumo in the form of their new boss.

Before the summer whilst still in his old post, Frank had warned rivals that Mbeumo was 'going to be expensive', without revealing the exact fee Brentford are demanding.

It is claimed that Mbeumo still prefers a move to United but his connection with Frank is evidently strong is the new Spurs boss is intent on making the Cameroon international his first signing in the new job.

Especially after the 51-year-old vocalised his wish to continue working with the winger, before any of the latest developments came to light.

"I'm the head coach [of Brentford]. I want my best players to stay forever," the now-Spurs manager told Sky Sports.

"I know that Bryan is very happy being here at Brentford, he's thriving, doing well and playing fantastic. What happens in the future? I don't know.

"I've said many times: we are a selling club. But at the same time, we have to reinforce that there are 10 clubs in the world that aren't selling clubs.

"But I'm very happy he's here, and I'm convinced that Bryan will still be happy playing football here."

Should the bid fail, it has been reported that Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo will be another Premier League winger the club look towards to strengthen.

Mikey Moore has become the first Tottenham player to come out and speak about Thomas Frank's appointment as well as the exit of Ange Postecoglou.

The Dane was appointed as Spurs' new head coach on Thursday with a three-year contract and he will make the step up after six years in charge at Brentford, where he turned the Bees into an established Premier League side and one that delivered plenty of shocks to the bigger clubs.

Many players have come out with emotional messages both privately and publicly since the exit of the Europa League-winning Postecoglou and Moore paid tribute to the Australian while also expressing his excitement about getting back to the club after the European Under-19 Championships to start work under Frank.

The 17-year-old played 19 times in all competitions last season under Postecoglou and played five times in the Europa League before being on the bench for that night in Bilbao.

“With Ange, I’m thankful to him. He gave me an opportunity to go and show people what I could do," Moore told PA Sport. "Now I’m just excited to get back and hopefully go and impress the new manager. Try and show what I can do, really.

"I started away at Brentford, where obviously [Frank] was in charge, and I’ve played against his team before. I’ve heard that he’s a good man and he’s a good manager. One of the boys here [with the Under-19s] works under him and says good things about him, so I’m just excited to get going under him, really."

He added: "When I look back on the season, when I go back to (last) pre-season I didn’t ever expect to be in the position I was halfway through the season. But obviously it wasn’t all great, it didn’t all go to plan. I think there were certain parts in the season where I’ve not struggled, but had down moments.

"But when I look back on it it’s been a massive learning year for me, and it’s obviously come to an end now almost, and we came out successful. It’s a season I will always look back on and be proud of."

Moore scored his first goal for the club during the Europa League run and he admits he will always remember that night in Spain as Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought.

"It was a top experience – some of the best times of my life on that Wednesday night," Moore said. "Hopefully going on to win another medal and another trophy with these boys here would be a brilliant feeling, and experience for everyone.

"There’s some top players. We think we can go on and hopefully win the tournament. It’s been a good little build-up but excited to get into the games now."

Bryan Mbeumo has added more fuel to the transfer fire on social media, following new reports suggesting Tottenham Hotspur have intercepted his move to Manchester United. The Brentford forward is believed to have been swayed after Spurs confirmed Thomas Frank as Ange Postecoglou's successor on Thursday.

Earlier this summer, Mbeumo reportedly selected United as his preferred choice despite competing interest from Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham. However, that decision was made before Frank made the switch from Brentford to North London, and it's suggested that the Dane wants his star player to follow him.

United still believe they hold the upper hand but have yet to make a second bid after their initial £50million offer was turned down.

Brentford are allegedly holding out for £60m, and whether the Red Devils are prepared to meet that asking price could be the deciding factor, reports the Express.

Mbeumo didn't respond to Frank's departure from the Bees after nine years until Friday afternoon, amid Spurs' push to hijack United's move for the attacker.

The 25-year-old used his Instagram story to share Brentford's post confirming Frank's exit, captioning it with two prayer emojis.

It has done little to quell the growing speculation about his interest in joining his former manager at Spurs next season, with fans trying to interpret any hidden meaning.

Significant developments regarding Mbeumo's future are expected next week once the summer transfer window reopens on Monday, running until September 1.

Frank has been vocal about his eagerness to continue working with Mbeumo after six successful years together at Brentford. The 51-year-old even hinted that the feeling was mutual.

"I'm the head coach. I want my best players to stay forever," Frank told Sky Sports before the summer transfer window opened.

"I know that Bryan is very happy being here at Brentford, he's thriving, doing well and playing fantastic. What happens in the future? I don't know.

"I've said many times: we are a selling club. But at the same time, we have to reinforce that there are 10 clubs in the world that aren't selling clubs.

"So, of course, if the right price - and that's going to be expensive - is coming, then I'm sure the club will be open for it.

"But I'm very happy he's here, and I'm convinced that Bryan will still be happy playing football here."

Should Tottenham fail to secure Mbeumo, reports suggest they have their sights on Antoine Semenyo and Tyler Dibling as potential replacements.

Tottenham remain in talks with Bayern Munich over a deal to sign Mathys Tel, says the German club's sporting director Max Eberl.

Tel was signed on loan by Spurs in January with a reported €50million (£42.5million) option to buy the 20-year-old this summer. While the Frenchman fitted in well at the club amid a difficult season, the fact that he contributed three goals and one assist in 20 appearances made that price tag seem a little steep.

Tel had a trophy-laden season though having won the Europa League with Spurs but also playing in the first half of the campaign for Bayern who went on to win the Bundesliga.

Tottenham were expected to discuss a lower fee or the possibility of a further loan with an option to buy at the end of it for the attacker, who is currently playing for France at the European U21 Championships after being left out of Vincent Kompany's Club World Cup squad. Now Eberl has confirmed that discussions between the two clubs are taking place over the youngster's future.

"Mathys was at Tottenham for six months. He wanted to play in the U21 European championship with France, and we allowed him to," he is quoted by Sport Witness as saying to Abendzeitung München. "We’re talking to Tottenham, that’s no secret. We’ll see how that pans out."

Ange Postecoglou had been asked about Tel's future ahead of the final game of the season against Brighton last month but admitted that with his situation at the time he was none the wiser.

"I guess they're the kind of discussions that we start to need to have. But again, without myself gatecrashing meetings, I need to be invited to them, but we'll assess all those things," he said.

"Matty's done really well for us. We put him in a real difficult position in that as a young player who hadn't played a lot, probably wasn't fit enough, we just threw him straight in but he's handled it really well.

"I think he's been a real important contributor for us and he'll definitely play tomorrow at some point whether he starts or come off the bench. I'm sure those decisions we'll kind of look into post-season."

Thomas Frank is the new head coach at Tottenham and according to Spurs legend Jermain Defoe, every supporter should be excited.

There was plenty of consternation around Spurs when Ange Postecoglou was sacked last week, having delivered what he set out to achieve in his second season - a trophy.

Tottenham won the Europa League with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the final in Bilbao last month, ending a 17-year drought for silverware. In doing so, Spurs also qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season.

As a result, Defoe, who will be taking part in Soccer Aid this weekend, thinks it is a "good time to be at Tottenham".

The former striker could understand the club's decision to part ways with Postecoglou, despite the European success, because of the record worst 22 defeats in the Premier League in 2024/25.

And he had a message for the Tottenham fans when it came to Frank's appointment, having had first-hand experience of just what the former Brentford boss is capable of.

Defoe said: "I spent a day with him last season, went into Brentford with Justin Cochrane, spent a day just to watch training, see how they did things there and it was amazing, I was so impressed.

"Unbelievable man, unbelievable coach and for all the Tottenham fans listening, you've got a top manager there."

Frank signed a three-year deal to leave Brentford and become the new Spurs head coach, with Cochrane coming with him to N17. Chris Haslam and Joe Newton also joined the coaching team from the Bees, with Andreas Georgson arriving from Manchester United.

In confirming the deal, Spurs said in a statement: "In Thomas we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead."

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly held initial discussions with Brentford regarding a potential deal to sign Bryan Mbeumo.

Spurs appointing Thomas Frank as the club's new head coach a week after relieving Ange Postecoglou of his duties is said to have made the forward more intrigued in a move, offering Tottenham encouragement. Manchester United have reputedly been the player's preferred destination.

They made a £55million move for Mbeumo soon after the summer transfer window opened. Brentford, though, turned down that offer as they value the Cameroon international at over £60million, albeit talks are purportedly continuing between the two Premier League clubs.

Sky Sports have reported the expectation is Man United will make another bid for the player. Brentford reputedly rejected their opening offer before Spurs started talks to hire Frank, purportedly paying a £10million release clause in the coach's contract.

Mbeumo has no such clause in his deal but notably has not agreed on new terms since a four-year extension in January 2022. As such, that contract expires next summer, albeit Brentford can add on an additional year due to their club option in the deal.

While still in charge of the west London, Frank acknowledged they would be open to selling for a substantial fee. "Of course, if the right price - and that's going to be expensive - is coming, then I'm sure the club will be open for it," he said, speaking to Sky earlier this year.

Mbeumo, however, is not the only forward Tottenham are reportedly admirers of. Sky have reported that the club intensified their interest in Antoine Semenyo the week they sacked Postecoglou. Man United are, too, credited with an interest in the Ghana international.

It won't be too long until Mikel Arteta and his Arsenal side are back at the club's training base ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. A huge season for the Gunners, what the club do ahead of the big kick-off could prove key to what happens come May.

At present, Arsenal have three pre-season games in the calendar as they embark on a tour of Singapore and Hong Kong in July. AC Milan are up first for Arsenal at the National Stadium in Singapore on Wednesday, July 23, before they then face Newcastle United at the same venue four days later.

The Gunners' final match in Asia is a North London Derby showdown against Tottenham at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on Thursday, July 31. The game against their fierce rivals will allow Arteta to get an early glimpse of Thomas Frank's Tottenham side.

Frank was confirmed as Ange Postecoglou's successor on Thursday evening, penning a three-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until the summer of 2028. Following his remarkable work at Brentford, it was always going to be a matter of time before the 51-year-old made the step up and took on a bigger role.

Frank's Brentford team proved to be a tricky opponent for Arsenal, most notably winning 2-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium on their Premier League debut back in August 2021. Arteta's record may stand at six wins, two draws and one defeat in his meetings with the Dane but four of those victories were only by a single goal.

Back in April, the sides did play out a 1-1 draw after Yoane Wissa's 74th-minute strike cancelled out Thomas Partey's goal. As things stand right now, the North London Derby in Hong Kong will be Frank's first game as Tottenham head coach.

However, Spurs do have a couple of free weekends in the calendar prior to their Far East tour and another friendly or two could possibly be added before the derby clash. The game will certainly give Arteta an early indication of what his Arsenal team will be coming up against during the 2025/26 season.

Next campaign's fixtures are due to be released at 9am on Wednesday, June 18, with fans of both clubs immediately going to scan down the fixtures and find out when the first North London Derby of the season is. Arteta did have the upper hand over Postecoglou, Frank's predecessor, after winning three and drawing one of their four meetings over the past two campaigns.

The Spaniard will be looking to keep it that way as he embarks on yet another rivalry following more changes in the Tottenham managerial hotseat. Arteta already knows what he's going to face coming up against a Frank team but this time there will be a bit of extra needle given he is now in charge of their local rivals.

In what is an important summer for Arsenal, Arteta will be targeting a North London Derby win in Hong Kong and hoping it is a sign of things to come against Frank in 2025/26 and beyond.

Daniel Levy has not been quoted in either statement confirming Ange Postecoglou's sacking and Thomas Frank's subsequent appointment, but he has seemingly delivered a behind-the-scenes message to Cristian Romero.

Late on Thursday evening, Spurs confirmed that Frank would be the club's new head coach having signed a three-year contract with talks advancing very quickly after it was announced on Friday that Postecoglou had been relieved of his duties.

Almost every Tottenham player posted heartfelt messages in the aftermath of the news with James Maddison, Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma making their feelings perfectly clear.

The absence of a social media post from Romero was intriguing especially considering their strong bond and how the duo's respective future's appeared intertwined. However, a message from the Argentine did arrive and it came just an hour after a statement on Frank was released.

He said: "Ange, thank you for these two incredible seasons. You're a fantastic coach, but above all, a great person who deserves the best.

"From day one you paved the way despite the many obstacles that always existed and always will exist. Beyond everything, we won a trophy and went down in the history of this beautiful club, which is the only thing that matters. I wish you the best because you deserve the best, and thank you for everything."

With Postecoglou now gone, it is more than likely he will be joined by Romero in sealing an exit. Atletico Madrid are interested in signing the centre-back but are only prepared to pay £38.3million (€45m) which is less than what Spurs forked out to sign him from Atalanta.

Unsurprisingly, any official proposal in that region is unlikely to be accepted with Tottenham desperate to keep him. The latest update on his future has come from Marca via Sport Witness with Levy working to persuade him to sign a new contract at the club.

His current deal expires in 2027 and therefore this summer could be the best time to sell unless he does pen fresh terms. While that happening does look highly unlikely, a conversation between him and Frank could change his stance with Son Heung-min's future also a hotly debated topic.

The club captain sees his contract expire next summer and having finally won a trophy, there is a real chance he leaves before the 2025/26 season. Champions League football could be one bargaining chip in convincing both to stay, though.

However, Julian Alvarez is one of six Argentine international's in the Atletico squad that could convince Romero to join.