Thomas Frank has promised his Tottenham side will play ‘aggressive, front-footed’ next season as he set his sights on more silverware.
The Dane swapped West London for North last week, putting pen to paper on a three-year deal, and will lead Spurs in their pursuit of a second title in as many seasons after they clinched the Europa League last year.
His predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, was often criticised for his stubborn commitment to an all-action offensive style, but, speaking after signing, Frank committed to doing the very same.
“The intention is to play aggressive front-footed football,” he declared in his first interview since signing. “I know the ethos and the history of the club is massive on attacking football, and I think there is a lot of attacking talent in the squad. I am very excited about that.
“They have clearly shown over the last two seasons, their ability to score goals is fantastic. I am very in on that. I love a team that is scoring goals, very, very big on principles. I want to build on that.”
While rumours abound that Frank Spurs are looking to sign attacking reinforcements, namely Brentford’s 20-goal winger Bryan Mbeumo, Frank gushed over his new squad, saying it has limitless potential to develop.
He went on: “Dominic Solanke, I am a big fan of him in terms of his abilities, I am sure we will make him score a lot of goals.
“[Rodrigo] Bentancur, [James] Maddison, of course, the younger ones as well, it is all players we need to develop and make perform at the highest level. [Lucas] Bergvall, Archie Gray, [Wilson] Odobert, [Destiny] Udogie, all of them have a high ceiling. You could mention the whole squad.
“It is always about winning. We need to make the team win on a Saturday, and a Tuesday, and a Saturday, and on Wednesday, but we also need to develop the individual players. That is down to me and my staff, and the players, how we work together on a day-to-day basis.”
Frank seems set to import his direct tactics from Brentford to N17, specifying that he expected his players to give their all in a high-risk style of play.
“I always say this one-liner, ‘if you don’t take risks, you also take risks.’ You need to play forward. If you don’t risk the ball, you can’t create anything. I am a big believer in that.
“The players need to be brave when we play, and they need to trust themselves. I will do my very best to install that trust.
“For me, if they lose the ball by trying, it is never a problem for me. But if they don’t work hard, I struggle more with that. If they do everything they can and lose the ball, it is no problem, but if they don’t work hard, that is my non-negotiable.”
Frank’s first competitive tie will bring with it a shot at silverware, coming in the UEFA Super Cup, where Spurs will face Paris Saint-Germain in Udine, Italy. Spurs will host Burnley in their Premier League opener.
