Tottenham hires Thomas Frank as coach, luring him from Premier League rival Brentford

LONDON (AP) - Tottenham hired Thomas Frank as head coach on Thursday after the Danish coach ended his nearly decade-long stay at Brentford.

The 51-year-old Frank will replace Ange Postecoglou, who was fired last week despite leading Tottenham to its first trophy in 17 years with a win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Frank joined Brentford in December 2016 and has been manager since 2018. He has established a reputation as a tactically flexible and shrewd coach who has improved players, especially those of a lower profile or who have not performed at other clubs.

At Tottenham, he will have a squad of higher quality - albeit one that finished below Brentford in the Premier League last season - and will be managing in the Champions League for the first time.

In that sense, it's a slight gamble from Spurs. Indeed, Frank has never won a trophy in his managerial career.

However, having had Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho at the helm for spells since 2019, even those managers with elite-level pedigree have found it tough to lead Tottenham to success and Frank at least has plenty of Premier League experience.

Brentford has played in the top flight since 2021 and consistently punched above its weight.