Thomas Frank has admitted that there are two things he would ask of a club that showed an interest in luring him away from Brentford.
The 51-year-old Danish manager has enjoyed a wealth of success since stepping into the world of management in 2008, first taking the reins of his nation's youth setup at U16, U17 and U19 level before trying his hand at club management in 2013. Frank made the move to Brondby 11 years ago before replacing Dean Smith at Brentford in October 2018.
And over the course of the past six years, Frank has impressed fans of the west London outfit, helping the Bees achieve promotion from the Championship in the 2020/21 campaign via the play-offs, and keeping the side in the English top flight ever since. And while the manager has admitted time and time again that he's incredibly content with Brentford at present, the ever-changing landscape of football could mean that larger clubs come knocking for him should he continue to make waves.
Frank appeared on a recent installment of the High Performance podcast from the Brentford dressing room, when he was asked what questions he would pose to prospective new clubs should they show an interest in him. He explained: "I think a couple of things. One, I've said it a million times, I'm very, very happy here. If I ever should go to another club, I think it's difficult sometimes to be in a position to ask the right questions.
"You definitely need to do due diligence yourself. You need to pick your chairman. That can be difficult because it's not that often that you've got the possibility to choose between three clubs, there's maybe two or three managers in the world that can do that. So more normal managers, if that club comes and we think it is interesting enough, then it's maybe not an option for us to chose the chairman if we want that challenge.
"This is a general thing I will say now, it's not for me, I think for any football head coach or manager, of course, the ownership/chairman is important. I think the club you're going into, can you instantly improve it? Is there low-hanging fruits, or is it difficult to raise the bar? And is their finances good?
"Can you get the players in and out you want to? I think that's the key." While Frank repeatedly insisted that he is incredibly happy at Brentford, he also admitted that there's a part of him that could potentially one day consider a change of aspiration. He added: "I think there's a part of me that thinks that one day, maybe I need to try something different.
"Is that a bigger club, Champions League, bigger challenge? I don't know. The flip side of me is thinking, because I think I'm a little bit different - I don't know, of course I don't know all my colleagues, their family lives and social life - but I'm a very social person. I love that part of life as well, being together with friends and family and being able to travel and all that.
"I'm working very hard at Brentford, but I'm in a club where everything is working. Everything I've been a part of building is you know, all the processes. And then last year, I'm not saying we were fighting relegation but it's not going completely the way we thought.
Ange Postecoglou has hit a drought with Spurs
Ange Postecoglou has hit a rough patch with Spurs (Image: Getty Images)
"So okay then, it's a little bit tougher, but there's a lot of things in this club where it's easier than you going into another club where you need to build the culture, you need to build everything, all that. So that's probably the two questions I need to ask myself. And plus Brentford, maybe there is extra layers.
"Who knows what will happen in the future when we can do even more? I think that's probably the two questions I'm asking myself. So now I'm just thinking 'What is it that I want in life?'. Is that constant chasing, which I already do a little bit - to want to do better, and better, and better?"
One club that Frank has been linked with time and time again comes in the form of Spurs, who are struggling to find their groove under new boss Ange Postecoglou at present. The Australian-Greek gaffer arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer as a replacement for Antonio Conte, with the Lilywhites finishing a lacklustre fifth in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign.
And Postecoglou's start to the current season has been far from straightforward, with his side languishing in 11th place following six wins, two draws and seven losses from their first 15 played. Despite winning just one of their last five Premier League games - a shock 4-0 thrashing of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City - Postecoglou isn't under any serious threat of being given his walking papers from Daniel Levy just yet.
The chairman is aware that Postecoglou has been stricken with injuries, with the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert all currently sidelined, and is set to give his manager more time to turn the tide in north London. Postecoglou also found himself targeted by tension after Spurs' 1-0 loss to Bournemouth earlier this month, booed as he approached the traveling fans after full time - showing unrest within the club's fanbase following a string of disappointing results.
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