Thomas Frank isn't the Answer - This Manager is

With Tuesday mornings Fabrizio Romano round-up announcing that Brentford’s Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur is now “Here We Go” confirmed, Spurs fans now know who will be taking charge of what looks to be a substantial rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 season.

🚨⚪️ Thomas Frank will become new Spurs head coach, here we go!

Agreement done with the manager on contract terms and staff, Brentford set to release Frank for fee in the region of £10m.

He’s the replacement for Ange
Postecoglou. pic.twitter.com/1vZAJ3bbN6
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 10, 2025

Praised for being able to operate effectively on a small budget, Danish genius Frank transformed a rookie Bees side with no Premier League experience into an outfit that can pose as a troublesome foe to even the most established top flight sides.

However, taking over a fallen giant like Spurs and slowly reassembling a top four worthy squad is a different task altogether, and one that will be completely foreign to Frank, with the Dane taking a big reputational step up in his relatively short managerial career.

While his move to Spurs is now a near-cert, we at Football Park are always thinking of alternatives, and today's exercise is a compelling one: Had Daniel Levy gone a different direction for managerial candidates, who would top the list? Who has the best credentials to take an underdog side back to the top?

Former Napoli Hero Could Work Wonders at Spurs

There are a number of high quality managers currently without a club - Sergio Conceicao, Edin Terzic and Thiago Motta, to name a few, have the sort of profile that would likely succeed in North London.

But the candidate we believe could have made an immediate impact at Spurs only became available two days ago - had he made his availability public sooner, Daniel Levy could well have started negotiations with him.

🚨 Luciano Spalletti has been sacked as the head coach of Italy 🇮🇹❌ pic.twitter.com/qAX8A1K3Za
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 8, 2025

This man is Luciano Spalletti, former Serie A champion with Napoli and, until recently, head coach of the Italian national team.

Now, you may be thinking “why would Levy go for a manager who was just sacked after poor form, when Spurs have just done the exact same thing?” A totally sensible question, and one that you have every right to ask.

It's fair to say that Spalletti hasn’t covered himself in glory while in charge of his home nation - Euro 2024, where they were meant to be defending their title, was an unqualified catastrophe, and prior to their recent win over Moldova, they had failed to taste victory in four games, stretching back to November.

Claudio Ranieri has turned down the opportunity to succeed Luciano Spalletti as Italy head coach.

Ranieri was offered the chance to take on the role but is instead set to stay at Roma in an executive position above new coach Gian Piero Gasperini. pic.twitter.com/H5jFL9rNnm
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) June 10, 2025

However, his international credentials in this discussion pale in comparison to his club qualifications, which are front and centre of the CV anytime a manager is being considered.

What Spalletti’s experience dictates is that he is capable of taking a side stuck in mediocrity, and through subtle tactical tweaks and an intimate, personal approach, can make them world beaters, and more importantly, title winners.

Napoli's Luciano Spalletti won't forget winning the Scudetto with Napoli 🏆

(via valentinorussotattoo/IG) pic.twitter.com/T0NV4nvG8t
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 26, 2023

When he took over Napoli in the summer of 2021, I Partenopei had achieved fifth and sixth placed finishes in the last two seasons - they were certainly in better shape than Tottenham are now, but they were still a long way off the pace when it came to challenging for the Serie A title.

After a third placed finish in his first season, Spalletti finally decided it was time to invest. Having made just one fee-paying move in 2021/22, he pumped some much needed new blood into the squad, including the introduction of one Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for the small cost of just €13m.

Alongside him came a host of relative unknowns, including Leo Ostigard, Matheus Olivera, Frank Zambo-Anguissa, who had arrived on loan the previous season, and Kim-Min Jae. On the face of it, Spaletti had assembled a team of nobodies, and it looked unlikely that a team with so little high-profile talent would be able to finish top four, let alone challenge for the title.

How Would Spalletti translate to Tottenham?

However, Spalletti’s band of brothers shocked world football, and coasted to their third ever Serie title, winning it by a 16 point margin to Lazio.

🇮🇹🎇 The City of Napoli is awake.
Champions of Italy

Victor Osimhen Napoli Naples Champion of Italy #Hushpuppi Ndobele Top 4 Mac Allister Weghorst After 33 Wike Taraji Brighton pic.twitter.com/t3EWStbdbc
— Naija Nest (@NaijaNest) May 5, 2023

In truth, they were given a helping hand by AC Milan, Inter and Juventus, all of whom had underwhelming seasons, with much of each side's campaign spent tripping up another rival, handing Napoli an unassailable lead.

However, Spalletti proved himself to be a world class manager - having spent €79m on talent that few had any knowledge of, he created a system, atmosphere and belief that brought the top flight title to Naples for the first time since 1990.

Spurs are a side that would benefit hugely from Spalletti’s experience right now. The club atmosphere will be at an all-time low after Ange Postecoglou’s unceremonious sacking, and though they are, on paper, a rich side, it is money that owner Levy seemingly refuses to spend.

Spalletti’s eye for cheap talent and ability to unify the team would be incredibly beneficial to Spurs during the off-season. Having him at the wheel during the summer would give the side crucial time to build a relationship with him, and with Levy’s aversion to heavy spending, Spalletti would be able to demonstrate his eye for good value deals, which we have discussed in a piece specifically discussing how the Spurs rebuild should be approached.

Spalletti: “Kvaratskhelia doesn’t need managing. His unpredictability allows him to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. He’s an asset for us. Players like him don’t need specific instructions, he can get the ball, beat his man and produce a match-winning moment” pic.twitter.com/bIrt8yMSQk
— Patrick Kendrick (@patrickendrick) January 3, 2023

Of course, Spurs are a side that need a little more work than the Napoli side Spalletti took over four years ago. They may be the reigning Europa League champions, but a 17th placed finish underlined all the problems that their European campaign threatened to cover up, laying them bare for the footballing world to see.

With squad depth needed in midfield, more consistent, less injury prone players required in defence, and with higher quality attacking options absolutely paramount to Spurs success, it remains to be seen if Thomas Frank can successfully oversee a full scale rebuild of the side.

“good luck Thomas Frank, 18 months on the clock. Your time starts…NOW” pic.twitter.com/80hOVPHlXS
— 𝐀𝚴𝚴𝐀 ✨ (@THFCanna) June 10, 2025

Spalletti already boasts a successful rebuilding job in his career, and had his services become available a few days earlier, Spurs would have been clever to favour the 66 year old. His wealth of experience would encourage patience, which could even have seen a change in Levy’s chaotic approach to firing immediately unsuccessful managers.

This is not a criticism of Frank - The Dane is quite rightly regarded as a fantastic manager, who has deserved a shot at a top job for a number of seasons. However, many also think he could have declined the Spurs offer and waited for an opportunity at a more stable club - he is one of the most likeable coaches in the Premier League, and to see him fall as another victim to the Spurs regime would tug on everyone’s heart just a little bit.