Thomas Frank's seven-point Tottenham plan: Beat the mutiny, win a trophy... and hijack Man Utd's move for Bryan Mbeumo!

Postecoglou's sacking certainly didn't come as a result of player power, quite the opposite. The dressing room largely adored and respected the Australian, even when results and performances increased pressure on them, as best publicly showcased by the outpouring of love for him on many of the squad's social media accounts over the last few days.

After Postecoglou's dismissal was confirmed, reports soon followed of discontent among the first team given the gaffer's almost universal popularity, with some players even said to be considering their futures over the ordeal. Vice-captain Cristian Romero, who was named Europa League Player of the Season and was integral to that cup run, was reportedly eager to remain at Spurs had Postecoglou stayed, but could now pursue a move to Atletico Madrid.

Frank has to right that ship, get the more senior members of his new team back onside and convince them they will be stronger going forward. If Tottenham are to get up and go again, there must be mutual respect between manager and players.

Frank is one of football's most gifted orators, even though English is only his second language. That gift of the gab got him to Brentford in the first place, firstly as an assistant coach before landing the top job when manager Dean Smith was poached by Aston Villa. Even through a run of eight losses in his first 10 games, Frank survived because of how he had won over the board, dressing room and supporters in other aspects.

The Dane boasts a charisma that is not quite as bold as Postecoglou's, but is endearing all the same. He hooks you in with wit and charm, but keeps you in with his purpose of speech and enchanting dad-like mannerism. With some corners of the Spurs fanbase still furious over Postecoglou's exit, Frank will have to brush up on his magic again to win them over too.

This is a move that could already be in the works. Though it was recently reported that Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo would like to join Manchester United this summer, Frank is said to have asked the Spurs hierarchy to step in to try and sign him instead. Now, if the Cameroonian sticks to his £250,000-a-week wage demands, then that will certainly prove tricky for Tottenham to try and pull off. What they have in their favour is the promise of Champions League football and the manager who has nurtured Mbeumo through the majority of his career so far.

Mbeumo arrived at Brentford back when they were still playing at Griffin Park, as one part of their recruitment drive to bring in talent from the lower leagues of France. He did not take too long to adapt to the Championship and soon formed a formidable trio with winger Said Benrahma and striker Ollie Watkins. When those two were sold in the summer of 2020, Mbeumo then developed a prolific partnership with Ivan Toney, and the England target man still affectionately refers to his former team-mate as his 'son'.

Five years later, Mbeumo is easily one of the Premier League's best and most versatile attackers. Not only does he provide tangible output - with only Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland bettering his tally of 20 goals last season - but Frank has always shouted from the rooftops of Mbeumo's work rate and team ethic as the key reason behind his success. This would be a character signing as much as one on ability.

During the 2020s, Tottenham have become pushovers again defensively. Under Mauricio Pochettino, there was a four-year stretch where Spurs conceded an average of 34 goals per Premier League campaign, but that number has almost doubled to 63 over the last three seasons.

Tottenham simply aren't going to be seen as a serious threat to the teams at the top of the league unless that changes. Pochettino's side were famed for their intense pressing and free-scoring attack, but it was built on a steady defence with strong principles.

This is the solidity that Frank needs to strive for, and given his Brentford team's reputation as a team who won't be shoved over - Ben Chilwell once said playing at the Gtech Community Stadium was 'like hell on Earth' - you'd expect him to make that one of his top priorities. Along with champions Liverpool and runners-up Arsenal, Brentford were the only other Premier League team not to lose a game by more than two goals in 2024-25.

The good news for Frank is, as Postecoglou-defenders will not let anyone forget, Tottenham are fairly formidable when their first-choice defence of Pedro Porro, Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie are all available. With a little more strength in depth and with a high line that is not as aggressive as before, this task could be simpler than first anticipated.

Another understated aspect of the Pochettino era was his willingness to change formation and style depending on opponent and context. For 99 per cent of Postecoglou's tenure, he had one way of playing and didn't waver, irrespective of the challenge ahead or the players at his disposal. Ironically, it was his switch to a more defensive approach that won Spurs the Europa League.

Frank utilised every formation imaginable at some point or another in seven years at Brentford. Per The Athletic, he used all of 4-2-3-1 (24 games), 4-4-3 (nine games), 4-4-2 (two games), 3-4-3 (two games), 5-3-2 (two games) and 3-5-2 (one game) in 2024-25 alone.

During their days in the Championship, the Bees played an expansive and entertaining brand of football, before devising a simpler plan based on decisive moments upon their arrival in the top-flight. Across four seasons in the Premier League, Frank sought to open his side back up again, and he leaves Brentford having turned them into one of the division's most reliable teams and among very best in the final third, as they scored 66 goals in 2024-25.

Whether Postecoglou should absorb the majority of the blame for Tottenham's injury crisis through his second season is hard to definitively say, but it's fair to assume his training ground methodology and desire for his teams to continually sprint in their pressing contributed to it in some regard. An inability to keep the squad fresh led to Spurs effectively throwing away the middle third of 2024-25, and completely disregarded the last leg of their Premier League campaign, leading to their record-low finish of 17th.

The club outlined in their statement confirming Postecoglou's exit that they want his successor to be able to juggle four competitions in the same season. Frank may not have experience of European football, but he managed campaigns spanning over 50 matches when Brentford were in the second tier and is responsible for their deepest-ever cup run, falling - ironically - to Tottenham in the semi-finals of the 2020-21 Carabao Cup. If this is truly a long-term appointment, then Frank should be granted time to figure the balancing act out.

What better way for Frank to begin life at Spurs than with a trophy, eh? His first competitive match falls on August 13, with Tottenham facing Champions League-winners Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup in Udine.

Winning cures all, and Frank leading his new side to an unlikely triumph over the best team in Europe would ignite his tenure in a way never before seen by the manager of Spurs. The most likely route to victory would come in the form of his more stubborn game-plans, one not too different to that Postecoglou's side used to oust Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Frank can look forward to coaching in the Champions League for the first time, a far cry from his days as an assistant in the Championship, even further from those a teacher in the Danish countryside. But he's earned the right to take to this stage. There's a roadmap for Frank's Tottenham to be successful, both immediately and in the long run.