The Dane’s first press conference as Tottenham head coach took place on Friday – this is what we learned
How Tottenham perform under Thomas Frank is one of the great mysteries of the Premier League’s resumption, following a campaign of extreme highs and lows.
Spurs simultaneously had their best and worst season in years, winning the Europa League but finishing 17th in the table.
There was adulation from fans at the start and end of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham tenure, and a lot of angst, agitation and apathy in between.
Frank was full of praise for his predecessor, who he reiterated is a club “legend” for that night in Bilbao during his first press conference, but he will be keen to build on that trophy triumph while moving on from dismal domestic results.
Here are five clues Frank gave about how Spurs could be different:
Adaptable tactics
Postecoglou was frequently criticised for his reluctance to dial down his all-or-nothing Angeball tactics regardless of circumstances or game state, at least until the Europa League’s latter stages and final.
Conversely, Frank is renowned for his flexibility in terms of formation and playing style. In their early top-flight years, Brentford were often pragmatic, but they played more expansively last term, scoring 66 Premier League goals.
Spurs will be too, but “only when we need to be”, according to Frank.
“I want to play brave, aggressive and attacking football, and I’m convinced we’ll score a lot of goals, but we need to be able to defend if we want to win enough football matches,” he said.
More than once, Frank stressed the importance of adhering to Tottenham’s To Dare Is To Do maxim. Just don’t expect them to be quite so daring.
Players will be ‘more robust’
Injuries derailed and disrupted Spurs’s final season under Postecoglou.
An overhaul of the medical department has taken place this summer, and while Frank was eager not to get into last year’s injury crisis, he plans to make the squad “more robust”.
“Hopefully the way we train, building layers and building robustness into the players is going to be a big part in how we make them more available throughout the season,” Frank said.
“There will be a little bit of feeling sometimes with knowledge and numbers and all that about when to rotate and when to rest. That’s a big thing as well. We know that availability is crucial to having success.”
Frank spoke of the importance of competing on “all four fronts”, noting that Spurs have struggled to challenge in multiple competitions since 2018-19 when they reached the Champions League final and finished fourth in the Premier League.
Squad management will be key to ensuring that success is spread around.
A new captain for a new era?
Frank confirmed that Son Heung-min and Cristian Romero have “set the standards” in training and would both wear the armband for the first pre-season game against Reading. Both players have been linked with exits this summer.
However, somewhat intriguingly, he confirmed that he is yet to decide who his permanent captain will be by the start of the season.
Spurs face Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup on 13 August before hosting Burnley in the league three days later.
“I haven’t decided anything on that. I have a long list of bullet points I need to get through,” he said. “That will be my decision,” he added, rather than the players’ call.
Importance of set-pieces
Spurs had the fourth-worst set-piece record in the Premier League in 2024-25, and various clubs capitalised upon that vulnerability by hounding goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
By contrast, Frank’s Brentford had the best record, conceding just twice. The Bees have become such set-play masters that they have lost various coaches to “Big Six” clubs, while Keith Andrews has been promoted from set-piece coach to manager.
“No doubt set-pieces are very important. That’s another phase of a football match that you have to nail if you want to win it,” Frank said.
“It’s a key thing. If you want to be a good team, you need to be good in all phases, so that is an area that we will try and improve.”
Incorporating Kudus
It has been a slowish start to the transfer window for Spurs, with only two new signings – Ghanaian winger Mohammed Kudus from West Ham and Japanese defender Kota Takai – confirmed. Frank would not be drawn on the Morgan Gibbs-White saga.
More will arrive, but for now, Kudus is the only first-team-ready newcomer to the squad. Frank is confident he will add something different in the final third.
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On Kudus, he said: “I think he gives us a bit of that unpredictability in the game. His one-on-one actions are top, his slide passes are top, his finishing is very good.
“He is at almost the perfect age [24] to perform but also to take [a step to] the next level.”