This summer, Thomas Frank decided to take the big step. The Dane is like Kjetil Knutsen, Bodø/Glimt’s coach who sees no reason to leave the club he has so much success with. Frank was brought to Brentford from Brøndby in 2016, first as an assistant, then head coach from 2018. It was not until 2025 that the Dane chose to accept a big club, after initially turning down two of the world’s ten biggest clubs. Frank simply saw no reason to leave his success at “little” Brentford for a prestigious job.
This summer it was Tottenham, but in a new book, “Diary from the Premier League: The story of Denmark’s biggest coaching name”, Frank talks about two very special meetings on May 24, 2024.
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First, he had a conversation with Manchester United’s club owner, Jim Ratcliffe, in a garage in London, before things got a little more luxurious when Chelsea invited him to a meeting at the Mayfair Hotel near Hyde Park.
“To be part of a conversation with two of the ten biggest clubs in the world – two hours apart – is quite unique,” Thomas Frank tells TV 2 Sport.
Thomas Frank ended up staying at Brentford for another season, while the two big clubs chose to look for other coaches. Chelsea had sacked Mauricio Pochettino just days before they met Thomas Frank, but they chose to hire Enzo Maresca.
At Manchester United, Erik ten Hag remained coach at the start of the season before the Dutchman was sacked, with Ruben Amorim as his replacement.
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Thomas Frank is the coach who has cracked the English football code through meticulous work since 2016. Imagine if the Dane had taken over Man Utd in the summer of 2024…?
