Thomas Frank said on Friday that he had “left a big piece of my heart” at Brentford after accepting the challenge of reviving Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League fortunes.
Spurs officially announced the 51-year-old Dane as their new head coach on Thursday, appointing him on a three-year contract following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou.
Frank leaves Brentford after a transformative seven-year spell, during which he won 136 of 317 matches and famously led the club to Premier League promotion in 2021 — their first top-flight campaign in over seven decades.
In a heartfelt message on Brentford’s website, Frank wrote: “The time has come for me to move on. But even as I leave, I know I’ve left a big piece of my heart at Brentford — not just with the football club, but with the community and, of course, the incredible and loyal supporters.
I want to express my profound gratitude to the club for giving me the opportunity to live my dream, and to everyone who made this journey so memorable.”
Calling it a privilege to be part of such a “special community,” Frank added:
“Whatever we’ve achieved, we’ve done it together — with unity, courage, spirit, and ambition at every level. Every contribution has been invaluable. I’m not just leaving a football club — I’m saying goodbye to friends whose support I will carry with me always.”
Frank becomes Tottenham’s fourth permanent manager since 2021 and is now tasked with restoring the club to Premier League contention.
Despite a difficult domestic season under Postecoglou — which saw Spurs finish 17th, with 22 losses in 38 games — the club salvaged pride by winning the Europa League final in Bilbao, beating Manchester United 1–0 and securing a return to the Champions League.
That European triumph marked Tottenham’s first major trophy in 41 years, fulfilling Postecoglou’s claim that he “always wins silverware in his second season.” However, it was not enough to save his job after such a dismal league campaign.
Frank’s Brentford, by contrast, finished seventh — 18 points ahead of Spurs — underscoring the scale of the task he now faces at his new club.
