Tottenham: Thomas Frank outlines key principles as ambitions align with Daniel Levy after Europa League win | OneFootball

The former Brentford boss has been brought in to take Tottenham to the next level

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

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Five weeks on from his appointment as Tottenham's new head coach, Thomas Frank sat down and looked out at a packed auditorium.

"It’s the easy part now, the honeymoon," Frank said.

The weather is somewhat outside of his remit but the mood of those at the club, and the length of this honeymoon period, are factors very much in his control over the weeks and months ahead.

There were moments when Frank's humour did shine through, mentioning Arsenal's Invincible side and then immediately apologising for his "first rookie mistake".

He also joked that he had taken the Spurs job to have a "little bit more risk" in his life, having never previously been sacked.

New boss: Thomas Frank

SPURSPLAY

However, Frank was otherwise guarded and unwilling to give too much away. He flat-batted questions on Morgan Gibbs-White and Bryan Mbeumo, and did little to offer assurances on the future of Heung-min Son. Asked about the long-throw auditions that a social media post from Destiny Udogie inadvertently revealed, Frank spoke only about the need to maximise the team's potential.

He was more keen to address how he wants his Spurs side to play. Referring to the club's motto - 'To dare is to do' - Frank emphasised the three key principles he expects regardless of the the players on the pitch.

"What I will like to see from the team and the players is I want us to be brave, I want us to be very aggressive, and I want to attack," Frank said.

"I think brave is absolutely linked in 'to dare is to do'. If you're not brave, it's very, very difficult to achieve anything.

"I think it's very important that we take risk, because if you don't take risk, you also take risk, so that brave ‘to dare is to do’, I think is crucial."

If you're not brave, it's very, very difficult to achieve anything

Thomas Frank

Frank knows the honeymoon period can be brutally short and there is a particular need to hit the ground running at Spurs, having replaced a manager who delivered the club a first European trophy in 41 years.

The precedent has therefore been set that silverware alone will bring no guarantee of longevity. Chairman Daniel Levy has been vocal in setting the bar high, too, claiming the focus is on winning the Premier League and Champions League.

How realistic is that? “I share his ambitions for the club," Frank responded. "A club of this size should have that ambition. How far away we are is very difficult to say.

“But we should throw it forward and go for it. No doubt that needs to be the aim for the future. What are the odds for us winning the Premier League this season? I’m not allowed to gamble either . . . so I think we’re probably not favourites.

“Probably three teams at least are ahead of us — but we will do what we can to build a strong and competitive team.”

Frank declared that his ambition was to build a side capable of competing in four competitions, believing the club has not managed to challenge on more than one front since 2019.

He insisted he was making decisions for the long-term and not just for the next year or 18 months. He also stated he would not have taken the job had he not been convinced he would get the necessary time.

These were all the right answers for a manager to give. This, though, was the easy part.