‘What the f*** are you doing?' – Thomas Frank nearly quit to be a teacher when Spurs chief first offered him job

The Sun

21 hours ago

THOMAS FRANK will reunite with an old pal when he starts at Tottenham - having been offered a job by the same friend around 20 years ago.
The 51-year-old has replaced Ange Postecoglou at Spurs following the Europa League winner's dismissal.
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In doing so, he ended his seven-year spell with Brentford, where he was adored by fans.
With just a shoestring budget, Frank took Brentford from the Championship and turned them into a strong Premier League side.
The Dane's style of management has been admired by many clubs - including Manchester United, who reportedly considered him as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag last year.
But his new home will be North London - largely thanks to one man in particular.
Johan Lange, Tottenham 's technical director, has a relationship with Frank that dates back around two decades.
The former Brentford boss came close to quitting football altogether in his early thirties.
Frank had spoken to his wife, Nanna, about giving up on his dream of coaching and instead becoming a teacher.
That's when Lange came in.
Then working for Danish club B93 in Copenhagen, Lange approached Frank regarding a talent development position.
After some careful consideration, he declined.
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However, Frank went on to change his mind after being chastised by the instructor from his Uefa coaching course.
Speaking to the Telegraph five years ago, the ex-midfielder said: "He (Uefa instructor) called me and said, 'What the f*** are you doing? This is your dream job. You need to take it.'
"The rest is history."
Frank and Lange did not spend much time together at B93 but they would meet again at Lyngby, another Danish club, a few years later.
There, they would work alongside Niels Frederiksen and Kasper Hjulmand while honing their coaching craft.
Now, almost two decades on from that first job together, they are colleagues once again.
As the technical director of Tottenham, Lange would have played a role in bringing Frank to North London.
The former Brentford favourite is now tasked with carrying Tottenham up the Premier League table.
Despite winning the Europa League this term, the Lilywhites endured a terrible domestic season.
They finished the campaign 17th in the Premier League table, just one place above the relegation zone.
It was the club's poor form in the league which resulted in the dismissal of Postecoglou.
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