Tottenham stars react to Thomas Frank after controversial Ange Postecoglou sack
Thomas Frank’s appointment as the Tottenham head-coach following Ange Postecoglou’s surprise sacking has drawn a response from a pair of his new players.
Spurs beat Manchester United in the Europa League final last month to win their first major trophy in 17 years, but it was not enough to salvage Postecoglou’s job after a poor Premier League campaign.
Football Insider revealed on 1 June that chairman Daniel Levy was set to relieve Postecoglou of his duties, and Spurs made their official announcement of his departure five days later after Football Insider had also reported that Brentford boss Frank was in pole position to become their next head-coach.
The Dane was officially appointed by the Lilywhites on Thursday (12 June), putting pen to paper on a three-year contract to bring his nine-year association with the Bees to an end.
The situation has left a sour taste in the mouths of some Spurs players, though, after Micky van de Ven criticised the decision to sack Postecoglou in a recent interview, while Yves Bissouma made his feelings clear with an emotional message in support of his former boss after his exit was confirmed.
Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray react to Spurs’ Thomas Frank ‘journey’ message
Spurs announced Frank’s arrival with two posts to their Instagram page on Thursday (12 June), and the second detailed his path in football up to joining the club, with the caption saying: “Thomas Frank’s journey to Spurs.”
While there is clearly unrest in the Lilywhites’ camp over the decision to fire Postecoglou, two Spurs stars look to be pleased with his successor, with Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray each choosing to like the club’s post.
The Telegraph have previously claimed that chairman Levy is facing a revolt from the Tottenham squad after deciding to sack Postecoglou after their Europa League success, and while some players may remain displeased, both Dragusin and Gray seem to be looking forward to what the club can achieve under Frank.
Levy needs to back Frank in the summer transfer window or the worst could happen
Football Insider verdict
Tottenham have never been known to excessively spend on players under Levy’s stewardship, but he did back Postecoglou with big-money deals like Dominic Solanke for £65million [BBC] and Brennan Johnson for £47.5m [Sky Sports] in the last two summers, and a similar theme needs to follow with Frank this time around.
The Dane is going to want to change Spurs’ style of play to a more pragmatic, build-up-focused approach compared to his predecessor’s all-action tactics, and so will want to delve into the transfer market to bring in fresh faces that suit that set-up.
Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke recently revealed that Tottenham are planning to hijack Man United’s swoop for Bryan Mbeumo, and signing him would surely be an ideal way for Frank to start in North London, given the pair’s relationship and the way he brought the best out of the attacker at Brentford.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 38 | 20 | 7 |
Spurs are also well-positioned for a potential take-over by wealthy Qatari investors, according to football finance expert Dan Plumley’s report with Football Insider, so that could bode well for Frank as he looks to bolster his squad in numerous positions following Spurs’ injury issues last term.
Regardless of potential changes at the top, though, Tottenham have to back Frank with a sizeable transfer kitty this summer, as he already seems to be starting on the back foot with some of his existing players, and so they could find themselves at the wrong end of the table yet again if they do not give him funds to spend.