Thomas Frank makes bold Ange Postecoglou claim in first interview as Spurs manager | OneFootball

Thomas Frank has branded Ange Postecoglou as a Tottenham “legend” in his first interview since being appointed as the Aussie’s successor.

Postecoglou was sacked despite ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for a trophy after a dismal Premier League season which saw Spurs finish 17th.

Frank was sounded out as Tottenham’s top target after taking Brentford from the Championship and turning them into an established Premier League side in seven years.

The Dane has been sure to pay tribute to Postecoglou when speaking for the first time since his arrival, hailing his predecessor as someone whose legacy will live on forever.

"I think Ange has done something special. He'll forever be a legend in Tottenham," Frank said.

"It's important to understand we all stand on the shoulders of others. I'm going in on the foundation Ange built, and his coaching staff, and I'm very humble about that. I'll do my very best to continue the great work he put in.

"The feeling, the excitement, the joy and the happiness in the fans' faces, the pictures were 'wow'. Hopefully, we can create more of those moments. That will be the ultimate dream: to do that and build on that."

Frank joined Brentford in 2016 as assistant head coach and replaced Dean Smith as head coach two years later. He oversaw a remarkable rise in the Bees’ fortunes, guiding them to promotion to the top flight in 2021, and he holds the record for most wins in his first 200 games at the club, with 90.

They reached the Championship play-off final at the end of the 2019-20 season, losing to Fulham, but beat Swansea City in the final the following year, and have solidly established themselves as a Premier League side with 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th-place finishes since promotion.

After earning a reputation as one of the most highly-rated managers in the league, Frank has revealed what attracted him to the Spurs job.

"It's a good squad,” he added. “It's an exciting, massive club with massive potential. So, it's just super, super exciting.

"I had very good conversations and meetings with [Daniel Levy, Vinai Venkatesham, and Johan Lange] where we discussed everything in depth - details about the club structure, processes - and of course I came with my views on things, how I saw it, my ideas, and the way I want to do things and how I try to build a team and a club.

Levy has replaced Ange Postecoglou with former Brentford boss Thomas Frank (AP)

"There'll be ups and downs - right now, it's a fairytale. Everyone's happy, the sun is shining, it's fantastic.

"We haven't played one game yet. Hopefully, we'll win a lot. We'll work very hard every single day to make sure we create as many magic moments for the fans and put them together and at the end of the season, we'll have had a very good season."