Tottenham Hotspur turned to Thomas Frank in the summer of 2025 to take charge after a dismal domestic campaign under Ange Postecoglou… but if anything, things went from bad to worse under the Dane.
Frank was announced as Tottenham Hotspur head coach in June 2025, signing a three-year deal after Postecoglou was given his marching orders following two seasons as Spurs boss.
Postecoglou had delivered Europa League success in his second season, but it was Tottenham’s Premier League performance that raised alarm bells. They finished the season in 17th.
Daniel Levy’s attention swiftly turned to Thomas Frank in the aftermath of the Australian’s sacking, with Frank’s record with Brentford convincing Levy he would be the ideal man to lead Tottenham into a new era.
Spurs activated Frank’s £10 million release clause to seal his arrival in North London, making him the 16th managerial appointment by Levy – and his last. Levy ended up leaving the club in September and Frank was not far behind, being sacked after only 244 days in charge.
So what happened? Where did it all go wrong?
What went wrong for Thomas Frank at Tottenham?
If anything, Frank’s very first competitive game in charge of Tottenham was a bit of a sign of what was to come.
In the UEFA Super Cup, Tottenham led PSG 2-0 with five minutes left after goals from Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Spurs went on to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, losing 4-3 on penalties.
Still, Tottenham went on to start the Premier League season well. They beat Burnley 3-0 at home, following that up with a 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad. At the start of November, they were sat 4th, only a point off second.
Come the end of November, they’d picked up only a sole point and dropped to 10th, booed off after a 2-1 defeat to Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. That marked Tottenham’s 10th home defeat of the calendar year and things would only get worse.
There were wins against Brentford and Crystal Palace in December, leaving Spurs 11th going into the new year – now seven points off the top four. The victory over Palace was Frank’s last in the league as Tottenham boss.
He did lead the club through the Champions League group stages, but a run of just four points from a possible 24 spelt the end for him. A 2-1 defeat against Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his final match in charge. The defeat left Tottenham 16th in the table and five points off the bottom three.
His reign as Tottenham boss was characterised by a team that regularly looked passive, unable to build from the back, devoid of creativity and ultimately were boring to watch. That did little to endear him to the fanbase, especially after the more entertaining, if not always successful, approach employed by Postecoglou.
Injuries were a factor, as well as some questionable moves in the transfer market, but, with football a results business and a fanbase starting to turn, the Tottenham hierarchy were left with little choice.
After eight months in charge, Frank was sacked.
Thomas Frank’s backstory
Thomas Frank was born on 9 October 1973 in Frederiksværk, Denmark.
Frank’s coaching career began at the grassroots level in Denmark, initially working with youth teams including Frederiksværk’s U8s and U12s before progressing to roles at Hvidovre, B93 and Lyngby. It was during these early years that he built a strong reputation for youth development.
He later took charge of Denmark’s U16 and U17 national sides, guiding the U17s to a semi-final finish at the European Championship and securing qualification for the U17 World Cup. Though he moved on to lead the U19s, he was unable to secure qualification with that side.
His first senior managerial position came with Brondby in 2013, where he delivered back-to-back top-four finishes before resigning in 2016 after public criticism from the club’s hierarchy.
Frank moved to Brentford later that year, initially as assistant manager, before stepping into the top job in 2018. While his managerial career to date has not brought major silverware, he did guide the Bees to promotion through winning the EFL Championship play-offs in 2021.
From there, he impressed as year after year Brentford proved themselves a solid Premier League outfit. He was nominated for Premier League Manager of the Season twice, for the 2021/22 and 2024/25 campaigns, as well as winning the DBU Coach of the year in 2022.
| Thomas Frank – Managerial Career, prior to joining Tottenham | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appointed-Until | Matches | W/D/L | Points Per Match |
| Brentford | 16/10/18-12/06/25 | 317 | 136/71/110 | 1.51 |
| Brondby IF | 11/06/13-09/03/16 | 103 | 46/29/28 | 1.62 |
| Denmark U19 | 01/07/12-10/06/13 | 6 | 4/0/2 | 2.00 |
| Denmark U17 | 01/07/11-30/06/13 | 11 | 8/3/0 | 2.45 |
| Denmark U16 | 01/07/08-03/11/11 | 2 | 0/0/2 | 0.00 |
What has Thomas Frank said about his time with Tottenham Hotspur?
It took some time to hear from Thomas Frank on his time at Tottenham. After a couple months, he’d still not spoken publicly, leading to some speculation as to whether there had been a clause preventing him from doing so.
Ekstra Bladet revealed they tried to contact Tottenham to confirm or deny this, but received no response.
Frank had turned down a number of requests for interviews following his exit, though his agent did reveal what he’s been up to since.
Allan Bak said: “He is going to relax a bit and visit friends and family. Still a little too early for interviews. He is enjoying himself with family and friends right now. Has decided to pull the plug and relax.”
Come the summer, with Frank about to be part of the BBC’s team for their coverage of the 2026 World Cup, he did release a statement, revealing he was not planning on taking a new job that summer.
“Come the summer, though, he revealed his plans for the future. Frank was part of the BBC’s team for their coverage for the 2026 World Cup. He revealed he had, had the chance to get back into work, but had decided he would not take a job in the summer.
“Leaving Tottenham has given me the chance to step back and reflect on my journey so far. Football management is a profession that demands complete commitment every single day, and periods like this are a rare opportunity to assess, learn and gain a fresh perspective,” said Frank.
He was very complimentary of Spurs, saying that while from the outside it may have looked like a time of many challenges, from within it had become “clear why the club is so special”, with Frank describing it as “full of talented people who work tirelessly every day.”
Frank said: “I have no doubt Tottenham has a bright future.”
Summing up, Frank looked ahead to the future, stating: “Football remains a huge part of who I am, and I have chosen to use this time productively. Over the coming months, besides spending time with family and friends, I will continue studying, observing and learning from other leaders both within sport and beyond it.”
He added he was looking forward to returning to work as a manager “when the time is right” and he’s ready to “embrace the job with great energy and dedication”.
Thomas Frank’s wife
Frank is married and has three children. Before relocating to London in 2016, his family lived in Hvidovre. he has also contributed as a pundit for the BBC’s Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026 coverage.