Thomas Frank: Tottenham manager ‘in it for the long term’

Being Tottenham Hotspur manager has not recently aligned with job security, but new boss Thomas Frank is undaunted by recent history and says he is in it “for the long term”.

Speaking in his first news conference since joining in June, Frank joked that, having never been sacked, he took the Spurs job to “get a little bit more risk in his daily life”.

While Frank’s tone was light-hearted, there is no doubting the demands of the role have proved difficult in the past four years.

Spurs have had four managers since June 2021, with Nuno Espirito Santo lasting just four months, Antonio Conte 16 months and Ange Postecoglou – despite ending the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy by winning the Europa League – two years.

“Coming to a big club, there are pressures,” said the Dane. “I like the ambitions and everything I do – every decision I’ve made – is for the long term. It’s not about surviving 18 months, it’s for the long run.”

The 51-year-old said it was “extremely positive” for the club to have lifted the Europa League last season and, while he wants to bring more trophies, his main ambition is to ensure Spurs are able to compete on all fronts.

“[Winning the Europa League] gave them that fantastic trophy that this club deserved and needed,” he said.

“My aim is to add to that. The first aim is that we need to be able to compete in all four tournaments and do it consistently.”

Frank was speaking before Tottenham’s first pre-season game against League One side Reading at 15:00 BST on Saturday.