Tottenham boss Thomas Frank admits Saturday’s visit from his former club Brentford will be special, and he has no problem celebrating against them.
Frank left Brentford in the summer to take over at Spurs, having joined the west London club in 2016. The Danish coach masterminded promotion to the Premier League four years ago and can expect a warm reception from the away fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the 52-year-old had no hesitation when asked if he would celebrate.
“Yeah, I will,” Frank said.
“I think everyone respects the respect I have got for Brentford and for the fans and everyone before kick-off, after kick-off and after the final whistle. (But) in the 90 minutes plus, it’s all about one thing and do what we can to win the game.
“Of course it’s a little bit more special for me because I face Brentford where I’ve been for nine years. That’s almost a quarter of my life! I had a fantastic time there and I enjoyed every second of it. There’s a lot of people I will see on Saturday that I haven’t seen for a long time and I used to see them every day more or less, so that will be special of course as well.
“But today it has been preparation against the team. Players I know very well of course, small tweaks to what you could say I used to do, but a lot of the identity is the same in many ways, which makes it difficult in many ways. When the whistle goes, it’s all about getting three points and winning.”
A battling point at Newcastle on Tuesday ended a worrying run of three consecutive defeats, which had sparked questions about Frank’s long-term prospects at Tottenham. Spurs’ home form in the Premier League in 2025 has been poor and, while a large chunk was under Frank’s predecessor Ange Postecoglou, Frank has overseen four defeats in his seven league fixtures. Overall Tottenham have won only three of their last 21 home league matches, but Brentford have lost six times on the road this season.
“It will be a nice timing for us to get the three points on Saturday,” Frank added. “There’s only one way to do that, to put a good performance in there, work on the things we are constantly working on, phase two, phase three, constantly make it sharper, quicker. Not direct, but more penetration when we need to have that. Play with intensity, come out brave and I’m looking forward to the game.”