Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is happy at Brentford but hasn't ruled out a future step up (Image: Getty)
Thomas Frank has explained the key factors needed to entice him away from his current position at Brentford - including money and power. The 51-year-old has had a successful managerial career since 2008, starting with Denmark's U16, U17 and U19 teams, before transitioning to club management in 2013.
He first managed Brondby before succeeding Dean Smith at Brentford in October 2018. Over the past six years, Frank has won over the Bees' faithful by leading the team to promotion from the Championship in the 2020/21 season via the play-offs and maintaining their Premier League status since then.
Despite repeatedly expressing his satisfaction with his role in west London, Frank acknowledges that the dynamic nature of football could lead to larger clubs showing interest if his success continues. Speaking on the High Performance podcast from the Brentford dressing room, Frank was asked what questions he would ask potential new clubs.
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He said: "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."
Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou has hit a bad spell with Tottenham (Image: Getty Images)
The Dane also discussed his conditions that he believes any new manager should consider before joining a new club. Frank continued: "This is a general thing I will say now, it's not [just] 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."
Despite his contentment at Brentford, Frank did not rule out future ambitions, as he said: "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.
"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.
Spurs
Spurs have had an inconsistent season so far (Image: Getty)
"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?"
Frank has repeatedly been linked with a move to Spurs, who are currently struggling under the leadership of manager Ange Postecoglou. The Australian-Greek coach took over at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer, replacing Antonio Conte, guiding the Lilywhites to a fifth-placed finish in the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Postecoglou's start to the current campaign has been anything but smooth, with Spurs sitting in 11th place after securing six victories, two draws and suffering seven defeats in their first 15 matches. Despite only winning one of their last five Premier League fixtures - a surprising 4-0 demolition of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City - Postecoglou is not yet in danger of receiving his marching orders from chairman Daniel Levy.
Levy recognises that Postecoglou has been hampered by injuries, with the likes of Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert currently out of action, and is prepared to give his manager more time to reverse the club's fortunes. However, following Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth earlier this month, Postecoglou was booed by the travelling supporters, indicating growing dissatisfaction among the fanbase.