Inter Milan Suffer Major Injury Blow During Barcelona Clash – Argentina Superstar Out At Halftime With Thigh Problem
Lautaro Martinez had to come off at halftime during Inter Milan's 3-3 draw at Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
According to FCInterNews, El Toro will undergo further checks in the coming hours to understand the extent of the problem.
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Simone Inzaghi's side cannot catch a break this season.
Indeed, the Italian manager has just welcomed Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram back from injuries.
Both players were decisive tonight, with the Dutch star notching his first Champions League brace.
Inter Milan Captain Lautaro Martinez Picks Up Thigh Injury vs Barcelona
MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 12: Lautaro Martinez of FC Internazionale looks on during the warm up prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 12, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by)
Lautaro felt discomfort in the flexor muscles of his left thigh toward the end of the first half.
Despite staying on the pitch for a few more minutes, he had to stay in the locker room at the halftime interval.
Meanwhile, Mehdi Taremi, who took his place at the start of the second half, delivered another sub-par showing.
Therefore, Inzaghi will wait for El Toro's test results with bated breath as Inter face an intense season finale.
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New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
One regular day of Barcelona: Rashford's arrival and a pre-season tour thrown into chaos
On June 16, Barcelona announced their plan for a three-game tour of Japan and South Korea this summer, with games against Vissel Kobe on July 27, FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on August 4. The trip was to form a major part of the pre-season preparations for Hansi Flick's team before the 2025-26 campaign. A team that won the double in Spain last year (La Liga and Copa del Rey) and who reached the last four of the Champions League. Advertisement There was also an important commercial element. Barca have regularly visited the two countries in the past, and have a historically close relationship with Vissel Kobe, the Japanese team that club legend Andres Iniesta used to play for. Barca also faced them in 2019 and 2023. They were particularly interested in visiting Asia this summer, given they had travelled to the United States for the past two summers and felt they would have to compete with the Club World Cup if they returned there this time (they did not qualify for the tournament and their rivals Real Madrid got to the semi-finals). Those plans were thrown into chaos late on Wednesday, just hours before the team were scheduled to fly out to Japan, when Barca said they would not be travelling there over a row with promoters. After plenty of twists and turns on Thursday, late that evening, Barca finally confirmed they would be flying to Japan at 11am local time on Friday, with the squad list to be released shortly before. The Athletic spoke to sources around the club — from the boardroom to the dressing room — to break down a chaotic 24-hour period that began on a hugely positive note with the presentation of Marcus Rashford as a Barcelona player… On Wednesday night, Barca made Rashford's loan move from Manchester United official. Rashford's agents and sporting director Deco had stayed at the club's training facilities until the early hours finalising that move, while club officials had also stayed beyond midnight to negotiate the fee to take backup striker Pau Victor to Portuguese side Braga. After Rashford's presentation at the club museum, word began to circulate that the team would not be flying out to Asia as scheduled the following morning. At just past 8pm, Barca released a statement saying the club had 'been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter'. Advertisement The statement said the team's participation in the second two games in South Korea would only take place if 'certain conditions are met by the promoter', without detailing what those conditions were. Players who thought they were spending the last night in two weeks with their families were informed by the club that they would instead be training in the morning. Some only learned the news via social media, and scrambled to find out more details online. A statement was circulated to reporters covering Barcelona from Ham Seul, chief executive of a company called D-Drive, which the club had partnered with to organise the tour. This statement claimed the issue was that Japanese company Yasuda Group, which was promoting the Kobe game, had not made a payment as agreed. It also alleged 'invalid and forged documents' as well as 'deliberate fraud'. The Athletic contacted Yasuda for comment. D-Drive said it agreed with Barca's decision to cancel the game in Japan, but said the other two games in South Korea would go ahead and that 'all match-related expenses' had already been 'covered'. After Rashford's presentation, Barca president Joan Laporta and other club executives went with the new signing and his entourage for a meal in the Catalan capital. While leaving the restaurant, club vice-president Rafa Yuste was asked by a reporter from Twitch outlet Jijantes whether Barca were still going to South Korea. 'We're working on it,' Yuste replied. When asked whether it was a pity that Barca were not going to Japan, Yuste replied: 'We always defend the interests of the club. If the agreements are not respected, we have to look after (Barca).' Around the time when Barca's squad were supposed to be leaving Barcelona airport on Korean Airlines plane KE9916 for Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the players were instead reporting for training at the club's Joan Gamper training ground. Rashford took part in a workout with his new team-mates under Flick's watchful eye. 'Rashford shared some nice moments with his team-mates on the pitch at the club's facilities, with good vibes during training,' said a Barca club statement about the session. Good morning, Marcus! 👋 — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 24, 2025 Barca staff were investigating the possibility of flying directly to South Korea for the other two games, including sorting administrative issues such as visas, and the difficulty of finding a plane to carry the 120-strong group of players, staff and club officials at short notice. There was also communication with the seven club staff who had already travelled to Kobe, reported to include security staff, travel managers and a chef. Advertisement Catalan media reports, including from the newspaper Sport, suggested that Barca were already looking for another team to play them in a friendly in Spain on Sunday — before flying to South Korea. The chief executive of D-Drive, Ham Seul, spoke on Catalan radio show Que t'hi Jugues! about the situation. 'A man sent me a message over LinkedIn, saying he was one of the main sponsors of a Spanish club, and had organised friendlies in Japan,' she said. 'I believed him and we met. He told me if Barca went to Kobe, maybe he could guarantee me a good amount of money from a very big Japanese company. So I signed a good contract with FC Barcelona, and I myself sent an advance (payment).' Ham said that payments agreed by this person, who she did not identify, did not arrive, that financial documents she requested were not received, and eventually things came to a head on Wednesday. 'Last night I pressed him and his secretary, who finally confessed that the Yasuda Group had never paid any money,' she said. She was now working on organising a charter plane to bring Barcelona to South Korea for the two games there. Ham also said she would 'do everything for Barca to get to Korea, full payment for the two games there has been made, 100 per cent assured'. The Yasuda Group is yet to comment on the claims made against the company. As speculation mounted that Barca would be flying to Japan in time to play Sunday's game, the team bus arrived at the training ground — sparking rumours online that the team could travel as soon as Thursday evening. The players believed they would be leaving for Japan in the evening. 📺 DIRECTO @JijantesFC 🚍 Llega el autobús del Barça a la Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper El equipo tiene previsto viajar a Japón en las próximas horas 🇯🇵🔵🔴 🔗 — Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) July 24, 2025 Vissel Kobe release a statement suggesting the game would still go ahead, but without confirming this. 'Regarding the match scheduled with Barcelona on Sunday, July 27, we are continuing to work together closely with all the related stakeholders to gather essential information and make necessary adjustments,' the statement said. Advertisement 'We are not in a position to provide definitive information. We will continue to make every effort possible for all the fans and stakeholders out there eagerly awaiting this match. We will swiftly announce any progress via our club's official website as soon as it becomes available. We kindly ask for your patience for just a little while longer.' The wording of the statement is updated twice across the day but the messaging remains the same. Most of the tickets had already been sold for Sunday's game at the 30,000-capacity Noevir Kobe Stadium. Some final seats were still on sale on the club's website on Thursday afternoon. Tickets to attend Barca's open training sessions scheduled for Saturday morning at 10am Kobe time were also still on sale. Barca sources, speaking anonymously to protect their jobs, told The Athletic that the club were expecting €15million (£13m; $18m) from the entire tour — they said the €10m linked to the South Korean games was paid as agreed, but the €5m for the game in Kobe had not been received. Those voices suggested that Japanese technology company Rakuten — the owner of Vissel Kobe — was now 'expected to step up and pay the money', though it was not immediately clear why this should be for them to pay. Rakuten was Barca's shirt sponsor from 2017 to 2022, in a deal agreed during the presidency of Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Rakuten founder and chief executive Hiroshi Mikitani is also a co-founder of the Barcelona-headquartered Kosmos agency along with ex-Barca defender Gerard Pique. Kosmos' projects have included running the Davis Cup tennis competition, moving the Supercopa de Espana to Saudi Arabia and owning Spanish second-division side Andorra. Rakuten declined to comment when asked by The Athletic whether it would pay the €5m. By this point, Barca players and staff had been told by the club that they would not be travelling to Japan on Thursday. Advertisement 'I don't know what else to say,' a dressing-room source, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, told The Athletic during the afternoon, when asked whether they were expecting to travel the next day or at some point. 'We don't know anything right now. It's madness.' 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Before that was confirmed, Barca had training sessions scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Kobe stadium. Club staff were also due at an event on Saturday in Kobe organised by the Catalan Tourist Agency. Meet-and-greets with Barca's Japan-based fans were set for Saturday afternoon, with the club invited to a Vissel Kobe 30th anniversary charity gala on Saturday evening. The game was scheduled for 7pm Sunday local time. The team had Monday off — then on Tuesday they were due on Korean airways flight KE9736, leaving Kansai at 10.30am and arriving at Seoul's Incheon International Airport at midday. The team were booked into the South Korean capital's Four Seasons Hotel — and due to play Jesse Lingard's FC Seoul next Thursday, before flying to Daegu the following morning for the final tour game. It remains to be seen how their new plans impact their schedule. This was yet another crazy 24 hours in the life of the Catalan club. (Top photos: Rashford at his presentation and Barca players in training earlier this week; Getty Images)
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Benjamin Sesko: Explaining why Newcastle's transfer target if Isak leaves hasn't moved yet
In the wake of Alexander Isak's desire to leave, The Athletic revealed that Newcastle United are exploring a potential deal for RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko. Sesko was one of the most coveted young forwards in Europe last season and heading into the summer, the chances of him still being available at the end of July seemed remote. And yet a succession of clubs have passed on the opportunity to sign him and Newcastle now find themselves in position. So, how did we get here? He was admired, certainly, but there was never any realistic chance of him leaving Leipzig in 2024. He was a work-in-progress and not ready for the kind of scrutiny that a transfer to a major club would bring, especially under the ultra-harsh light of the Premier League. It was a reasonable assessment. Sesko had spent much of that first season battling just to establish himself as a starter in Leipzig, and it was only towards the end of the year that he displaced Yussuf Poulsen as Lois Openda's partner up front. Advertisement And while he did end the season with 14 Bundesliga goals, seven of those came in his final seven games. A rich run of form, no question, but one that perhaps suggested he was further along his development curve than he really was. In any case, he signed a new contract before the start of the European Championship — at which he represented Slovenia but failed to score — and that took any move off the table. Yes, very much so, because that new 2024 contract (until 2029) was signed to protect his value this summer, at which point he was supposed to command a fee of at least €70m (about £61m, $82m). A bid in that range may now materialise from Newcastle, but the market has been softer for Sesko than expected. Leipzig did not have a good season, finishing seventh in the Bundesliga and 32nd in the Champions League's 36-team league phase, and none of their players — Sesko included — emerged with their reputations enhanced. Clubs across Europe continue to follow him. Milan carry an interest, but with little chance of financing any deal, while Al Hilal have made several enquiries with the player's representative. Newcastle actually first tried to sign him in 2022 and their interest has never waned. There has been no concerted effort to strike a deal in the years since, though, as for a long time the club did not view him as a realistic target. The change in Isak's circumstances appears to have altered their stance. It's an unlikely development, because the queue of suitors ahead of Newcastle for a long time seemed better-placed. Arsenal tracked Sesko for several years and committed to background work before this summer, but ended up pivoting to Viktor Gyokeres instead. Manchester United first registered their interest in Sesko when he was 16 and playing for Domzale in Slovenia. They made an offer of just over £1m, but were outbid by Red Bull Salzburg in 2019 and that was Sesko's entry to the Red Bull system. There was a further enquiry in 2022, during Erik ten Hag's first summer, but the player decided to stay in Austria and join Leipzig the following summer, in 2023, for €23m. At the time, United were put off by that figure, feeling it excessive for a player with much to learn. For his part, Sesko was unsure about such a big move at a young age and felt his best path was to develop away from the pressure of Old Trafford. Advertisement They did have one more go, making an enquiry in the summer of 2024. Sesko had already chosen to stay in Germany for a further year, though, and he signed his new contract in Leipzig shortly thereafter. Chelsea have been following Sesko since 2022. Like Manchester United, they considered him too raw and did not compete for his signature the following summer, when Sesko left Austria for Germany. Heading into this summer, Chelsea's demand was for two forwards — one an out-and-out No 9, the other more of an all-rounder — and for a left-winger. They may yet make a further attacking signing, but Sesko is no longer a topic in 2025. Reasonably well, but it was not the season he needed to produce to assuage the doubts. While his overall level of performance improved in the broader sense, with Sesko becoming more connected with the rest of the Leipzig side, his goalscoring numbers were down. He scored one fewer Bundesliga goal (13) in 2024-25 than he did the year before, despite playing almost an extra 900 minutes. He was never able to replicate that seven-game streak from the previous year, either, meaning that it felt underwhelming as a result, despite some eye-catching goals (particularly against Bayern Munich at the Red Bull Arena). But Leipzig had a bad season. They sacked Marco Rose in March, limped to their lowest finish since being promoted to the Bundesliga in 2016 and only won one game of their eight Champions League games. That's valuable context. Nevertheless, consistency was still an issue for Sesko and the gap between his best performances and his worst, which is a historic criticism, remains too wide. It did not help. Sesko has only just turned 22 and remains both a player in development and one of enormous potential. But given that Leipzig's asking price is more than €75m and more reassuring options were available for similar fees — Hugo Ekitike, Gyokeres — he has not positioned himself especially well. Advertisement That was Manchester United's issue this summer. Like the other clubs, the finances of any proposed deal — the combined cost of the fee, the wages, and any agent commission — were prohibitive, but Sesko was not convincing enough last season to justify that kind of investment. He remains a figure of interest, but an unlikely target. Arsenal simply chose a different player. Finances were troubling for them, too, because while they held talks with Sesko's representatives and were in contact with Leipzig, they felt as if they were being asked to pay a premium cost for a player who, at this stage of his career, still needs significant development. That's a theme that repeats across the board; financially, clubs are being asked to view Sesko as a more developed player than they think he is. From being a certain departure, Leipzig have started to concede that Sesko might stay for a further year. Xavi Simons has moved closer to the exit door in recent days, while interest is also building in Belgian forward Openda. Sell both and that would raise considerable income and, in a budgetary sense, make it viable for Sesko to stay. While the plan was for him to leave in 2025, a better season — for him and the team as a whole — would go a long way to broadening his options, if that's what he wishes to do. That's not an inconceivable outcome, even with this interest from Newcastle. According to a Leipzig source, speaking on condition of anonymity, the chances of Sesko staying remain slender, but have still increased considerably in recent weeks. The club are not necessarily unhappy about that, either, because Ole Werner has just been appointed head coach, their attack is young and in the process of being rebuilt, and having one of the better forwards in the Bundesliga next season would ease that transition and potentially take them back into the Champions League. Right from the beginning of the summer, Sesko's expectation was that he had played his last game for Leipzig and would be heading to a bigger club, most likely in the Premier League. He also believes he's ready to take such a step in his career. That has not happened yet and, naturally, that has been a source of disappointment. But there's no suggestion of any impending militancy and he would not be against spending another year in Germany. He remains confident that the right move will become available at the right time and has returned to pre-season training and travelled with his team-mates to their camp in the Black Forest. The reports are good: his attitude has been normal and his application during the pre-season conditioning tests has been of a high standard. Advertisement And it is only July. The Bundesliga season does not start until late August, so there remains plenty of time for a departure to be agreed, to Newcastle or elsewhere. Additional reporting: Chris Waugh, James McNicholas, Simon Johnson, Laurie Whitwell
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
The real Thomas Frank: The new Spurs boss by those who know him in Denmark
To reach Thomas Frank's hometown of Frederiksvaerk, around 50 kilometres north of Copenhagen and where his mother still lives, The Athletic caught two trains and a bus from the Danish capital. The bus cuts through forests and fields, before it trundles past the glittering water of the Roskilde Fjord. It stops at the side of a motorway, and from there, the clubhouse of Frederiksvaerk (FFK) is accessed through a small tunnel. Advertisement It is a place still very much close to Frank's heart. When the new Tottenham Hotspur head coach returns to Denmark, he runs past the club's pitches. 'The last time he was here in March, I was sitting upstairs in the office,' Martin Holm Jensen, a senior figure at FFK, tells The Athletic. 'I could hear somebody walking on the stones outside the front gate. He was standing down there looking onto the pitch and knocking on the window, so he came up and said hello.' Frank has not forgotten any of his friends from Frederiksvaerk. When he turned 50 in October 2023, he took a group of 35 of them to the Spanish island of Mallorca to celebrate, some he had known since childhood. They played padel, drank cocktails and reminisced about the roles they had all played in Frank's coaching career, which started in the remote Danish town with a population of just over 10,000. 'Thomas does everything he can to be the same person,' says Anders Bay, who has known Frank for over a decade. 'At the start of every year, he always texts me to arrange to meet up when the season has finished. If you were a typical top manager, you would want to sit in a room by yourself or be with your family in your spare time but that's not Thomas. He remembers everybody.' Frank has spent the majority of the last seven years in charge of Brentford but has accepted the biggest challenge of his career. In June, he signed a three-year contract to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham. Frank earned £100 ($130) from his first coaching job. Now, he is on a multi-million-pound salary at Spurs, who have a 60,000-seater stadium and will play in the Champions League next season. The Athletic has been to Denmark to trace the earliest steps in Frank's journey to north London. 'Frederiksvaerk is a small town with a harbour but not many jobs, so most people leave to work in the city,' says Jensen. Their football club, FFK, was formed in November 2004 when Frederiksvaerk Boldklub (FB) and Brederod merged. They compete in the seventh tier of Danish football. Frank progressed through FB's youth ranks and played in midfield for their first team in the 1990s. When he was 20, he was encouraged to become a coach by Jesper Olsen — no relation to the former Manchester United and Ajax winger of the same name. He was given a tracksuit and 1,000 Danish kroner, which amounts to just over £100. Advertisement 'My father was part of the board and became youth-team chairman,' says Jacob Olsen, Jesper's son. 'My father tried to recruit senior players to become coaches. Thomas volunteered because he wanted to help young people and give something back.' Frank worked alongside Jacob Hansen, with whom he remains close, and Lis Westberg Pedersen. The latter captained Denmark to victory at the 1971 Women's World Cup in Mexico. Frank studied for a sports degree at the University of Copenhagen, where he wrote about his experiences coaching FB's under-eights and under-12s. Frank coached Jacob, who describes him as 'human, ambitious and with his heart in the right place'. They still keep in touch and the Olsens visited him in London in December. 'He used the experiences he gained from university to develop us,' says Olsen. 'He focused on everyone. Thomas and Lis were two fantastic people who created joy and a well-functioning team. He introduced the 'trick of the week', which the players loved. 'Thomas says the two biggest games of his career were the billion-dollar match for promotion to the Premier League at Wembley against Swansea in 2021 and the match for the Zealand Championship between Frederiksvaerk and Brondby. We beat Brondby 2-0. It was a joke but he remembers people. It was as if nothing had changed when we saw him. We enjoyed our trip to Brentford but it was clear he appreciated it too.' The pitches where Frank started his coaching career no longer exist as they were left behind when FFK was created. The grass has overgrown and is covered with trees and bushes. Frank left Frederiksvaerk in 1999 to join Hvidovre, a club in the Copenhagen suburbs who won the Danish top flight three times between 1966 and 1981. Peter Schmeichel represented them before he went on to play for Brondby, Manchester United and the national team. Frank was recruited by Ebbe Bay, the youth team chairman at the time. He worked alongside Kim Hallberg, who now holds a senior role at the Danish Football Association (DBU), and Brian Riemer, who went on to become Frank's assistant at Brentford and is now Denmark's head coach. Advertisement Teddy Hebo is Hvidovre's chairman and has been associated with them for more than 60 years. When Frank first joined, Hebo watched training one evening. 'There was almost no light on the pitch but Thomas was training with the players and it fascinated me,' Hebo says after taking The Athletic on a guided tour of the club's facilities, pointing out the pitches where Frank spent so many hours. 'He had this infectious energy that he transferred to the squad. He was dynamic, engaged and dedicated. 'He came over to me and asked, 'Who are you?'. We talked and established a good relationship. Then he started training my son Thomas and we became even closer.' Frank spent five years with Hvidovre and juggled coaching duties with a degree in psychology. He went travelling to New Zealand and Australia with his wife Nanna before they became parents for the first time. Money was tight and there were moments when he had to consider if full-time coaching was the right option for his family. 'Thomas got paid so little you wouldn't believe it,' Hebo says. 'Around £1,000 a year. I would invite Thomas and Kim over for red meat and red wine because that was a way to recognise their work. 'Thomas and Nanna were young people who worked hard. She studied to become a psychologist and then worked for a children's association. The success of Thomas is his wife. She has been his strongest supporter but challenges him. When he goes a little bit wild, Nanna brings him back on track.' Frank left Hvidovre in 2004 to become an integrated talent development (ITU) coach at second-division side B93. The ITU scheme was created by the DBU, which agreed to pay part of a coach's salary at some of the best academies in Denmark. That coach would then focus on individual player development. It is similar to the newly created role of an individual development coach at Spurs. Advertisement Johan Lange was a coach at B93, after he had spent time in their academy as a child, and has had a big say in Frank's career. In November 2023, Lange was appointed as Tottenham's sporting director. The 45-year-old played a crucial role in the process of hiring Frank from Brentford. Over 20 years after they first crossed paths at a small club near the centre of Copenhagen, they have been reunited. Frank only spent 12 months with B93 but made a significant impact. 'Thomas had to be creative because we didn't have a lot of money or the right clothing and equipment,' Frank Nielsen, B93's sports manager, tells The Athletic in a building next to their clubhouse, which is being renovated. 'He helped us to structure the way we trained players and developed what we call the 'red line'. You sit down with all the coaches of the different age groups and make sure you are coaching them in the same way and are all heading in the right direction.' Frank's work with Hvidovre and B93 caught the attention of Birger Jorgensen at second-tier side Lyngby. The first time Jorgensen met Frank was at a meeting of Denmark's coaches that the DBU hosted every summer in Vejle. Lange moved to Lyngby in 2005 and Frank followed shortly after. They worked together alongside future Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand and Niels Frederiksen, who has just won the Polish top flight with Lech Poznan. They all shared a small office on the bottom floor of the clubhouse, which is now where the media and communications staff are based. 'Lygnby went bankrupt in 2001 and we had to rebuild it,' says Jorgensen, who is leading Lyngby's stadium redevelopment. 'After that, this club was like a laboratory. Kasper moved into the first team, Johan Lange had the reserves and then Thomas became the ITU coach. Kenneth Weber, who is now an assistant with the Danish national team, was here too.' Lyngby's crop of talented coaches would watch Champions League games together and took inspiration from Barcelona. Jorgensen visited Frank at Brentford's training ground in May and there was a chart on the wall in the canteen which measured how many chances they were creating and conceding from set pieces. 'In that period, we didn't think set pieces were part of football,' Jorgensen says. 'We wanted to have the ball all the time. It's Thomas' personality that catches you but he has progressed tactically. He is clever to take the next level and follow how football has developed. He can adapt to different clubs. Advertisement 'It's incredible that (Frank and Lange) have joined Spurs. I texted them both: 'It is crazy that you guys were here and are now there. I can't advise you anymore, but my final piece of advice is, 'Win every weekend''.' During Frank's time at Lygnby, Andreas Bjelland was a talented centre-back in their academy. They remain close and this year Bjelland called Frank for advice when he considered retiring. 'Thomas is a kind person,' Bjelland, who is now an assistant coach at Lyngby, says after accidentally interrupting The Athletic's conversation with Jorgensen. 'He has an interest in you as a person, not just as a player. He knows how to get the best out of you. 'He was good at challenging me and making me grow. When I was younger, I didn't have a dream. He pushed me and gave me direction.' Bjelland went on to play for Nordsjaelland, Twente and moved to Brentford in 2015. Within a year, he had been reunited with Frank, who had been appointed as an assistant to head coach Dean Smith. 'I was happy to see him,' Bjelland says. 'The English culture was about fighting and winning duels. Thomas came in and made tactical adjustments. We played shape games of 11 v zero to see the patterns in play, to understand if I have the ball, then we want to go here, which way to turn my body… we had never done that before.' After three years with Lyngby, Frank was interested in becoming the head coach of Denmark's under-16s and under-17s. Hallberg, his former assistant at Hvidovre, had moved to the DBU and recommended him to then-general secretary Jim Stjerne Hansen. Frank impressed Hansen during a meeting at their offices. The negotiations between the DBU and Lyngby were over a modest fee compared to the £10million ($13.5m) Spurs paid to take Frank and his backroom staff from Brentford. 'I asked Thomas for a copy of his employment contract and he said it didn't exist,' says Hansen, who was general secretary from 1988 until 2014. 'He just got paid every month and that was it. Somebody from Lyngby called me and said: 'Jim, you have to pay £15,000 for Thomas'. I replied, 'Can you send me a copy of his contract?'. I never heard from them again.' Advertisement Denmark topped their group at the Under-17 European Championship in 2011 with victories against Serbia, France and an England side that included Raheem Sterling and Jordan Pickford. They lost against Germany in the semi-finals. Later that year, they played in the Under-17 World Cup for the first time, but finished bottom of a group containing Brazil, Ivory Coast and Australia. Brazil's captain was future Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos, while Souleymane Coulibaly scored a hat-trick for Ivory Coast against Frank's team. That name may ring a bell among Spurs fans: Coulibaly finished as the tournament's top goalscorer, which led to a move to Spurs. Sadly, he never made an appearance for the first team. Frank helped to develop future Spurs midfielders Christian Eriksen and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as well as Arsenal's new signing Christian Norgaard. He worked with a lot of the Danish squad that lost to England in the semi-final of the senior European Championship in 2021. Frank had a close relationship with Hansen. He would regularly visit his boss at home and 'loved' eating the platters of cheese Hansen's wife prepared. He took over the under-19s and asked about stepping up to the under-21s. Yet, he still had a lot to learn. 'He was a little bit naïve because he wanted to play like Barcelona,' Hansen says. 'Thomas has a close friendship with Albert Capellas, the former director of Barcelona's academy, who then became his assistant at Brondby. 'Thomas was in favour of possession, possession and possession. He came back from a game against Norway and said, 'Jim, we had 65 per cent of the ball'. But they lost 2-1. 'When Thomas then worked with me at Brondby, he said, 'I admit that this is about results and nothing else matters'.' While Frank was in charge of Denmark's youth teams, Bay contacted him about working as a pundit for the television company Channel Nine. Frank made multiple appearances on their shows and developed a relationship with Bay. Bay worked alongside Aldo Petersen, who became Brondby's chairman in 2013. That summer, Frank was appointed as their head coach. Bay was their new head of communications and marketing. Hansen released Frank from his contract with Denmark without a fee. Advertisement 'People were saying he was just a youth-team coach,' Bay, who is now the head of sport for the Walt Disney Company in Denmark, says. 'But he likes to be challenged and get new things into his head. He is curious, empathetic and attentive. 'He is interested in other people. He had one-on-one meetings with all the members of staff. He is so open-minded and being with people inspires him. He is very good at getting people around him — staff, players and the board. 'He wants to feel what's going on in a player's life. We had Johan Elmander playing for us. Johan lost his father and Thomas said, 'Whatever you need, time off, prioritise your family'. But he is not just a nice guy. He wants to win.' Bay experienced Frank's relentless desire to win on a trip to Dubai in 2014. Brondby's staff competed against each other in a three-v-three beach football tournament where they were split into four teams. Bay was paired with Frank and then sporting director Per Rud. They won the competition but Bay was unhappy with their approach. 'I went to the bar in the evening and I was thinking about what happened because there were times when I was free but they didn't pass the ball to me,' Bay says. 'I confronted Per and Thomas and said, 'Guys, what the f*** was going on?'. They laughed and said, 'We wanted to win!'. 'He is ambitious and has a lot of self-confidence but is reflective. There were some tough times at Brondby. He didn't win any of his first seven games. But he just worked harder. He might have a difficult start at Spurs but he is a survivor. 'It's important that people remember you for who you are and not what you are, but Thomas prefers to be remembered as a successful manager rather than a great human being.' Brondby only finished in ninth, five points above the relegation zone, the season before Frank joined. He guided them to back-to-back top-four finishes but left towards the end of his third season in charge. Brondby's chairman, Jan Bech Andersen, had criticised Frank on an online forum using the alias Oscar, his son's name. Frank held a press conference after the news broke and resigned. Andersen stepped down but remained on the board. The Athletic contacted Andersen for this piece but he did not want to comment. Advertisement A year after leaving the DBU, Hansen joined Brondby's board and was there when Frank left. 'We made two mistakes at Brondby with the coaches — one was Kent Nielsen and the other was Thomas,' he says. 'But the pressure at Brondby is always tough. When the results are not there, the first thing they look at is the coach. What happened with Thomas and the owner is a sad end to the story.' 'People see Thomas as a nice and inclusive person but if you take advantage of him once or you don't respect him then you are out,' Bay says. 'Thomas is not someone who compromises his values,' according to Hebo. 'He hates bulls*** and is not afraid of speaking up. It is about hard work and humbleness for Thomas. It's not just words. He lives with it.' Seven months after resigning from Brondby, Frank became an assistant at Brentford following a meeting in a hotel with then co-directors of football Phil Giles and Rasmus Ankersen. The long-term plan was for him to succeed Smith but nothing was guaranteed. 'Thomas moved his family from Copenhagen to London for a job which I'm sure did not pay that well,' Hansen says. 'I met him in London and we had a cup of coffee together. He said, 'It's tough with a wife and kids who are going to school here in a different system from Denmark but we will give it a try and see how it develops'. I admire that he took a risk and it has taken him to Tottenham.' When Frank became Brentford's head coach in October 2018, he got back in touch with Hebo, now the former managing director of the Danish and Norwegian division of Eli Lilly, an American pharmaceutical company. He was senior vice president for corporate human Eli Lilly at Danish firm Lundbeck, where he was responsible for talent development, and has written books about leadership. After losing eight of his first 10 games in charge, Frank started to ring Hebo every Friday evening to discuss his challenges. Hebo encouraged Frank to set career goals and they came up with the acronym PATH — purpose, ambition, togetherness and hard work. 'Thomas has invested so much in leadership,' Hebo says. 'One of the areas we worked on is called 'constructive cynicism'. When you're in a top job, you need to make difficult decisions and you need to deliver them in the right way. He has developed that significantly. He always asks for input before he makes decisions but is not afraid of making tough calls. Advertisement 'He is still the same person he was when we worked at Hvidovre but he needs to manage his energy levels. He keeps going but sometimes you need to slow down. Thomas likes to chase lots of rabbits but sometimes you need to choose just one that you want to catch.' Frank has only come close to running out of energy on one occasion. Towards the end of the 2019-20 season, Brentford won eight matches in a row to boost their chances of automatic promotion from the Championship but lost their final two games. They reached the play-off final but lost after extra time to west London rivals Fulham. 'A couple of days later, he was having breakfast with me by the sea and he was crushed,' Bay says. 'It was devastating. He has this huge capacity and he can manage so many things but the lights went out. You cannot convince the players, staff and fans if you are not energised. But then, 10 days later, he was back. He was more idealistic about how to play football 10 years ago and now it's about winning. He doesn't care if they play amazing football if they lose.' Brentford won the play-off final at the second attempt under Frank to achieve promotion to the Premier League. They memorably beat Arsenal 2-0 on the opening day of the 2021-22 season, their first game in the top flight for 74 years, and went on to finish 13th. Frank recorded two top-half finishes in four seasons with Brentford. He missed out on the Chelsea job last summer to Enzo Maresca and was a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. Now he has got his opportunity at a bigger club thanks to Spurs. 'It's probably one of the biggest jobs a Danish coach will ever have,' Bjelland says. 'I'm so happy for him and proud of what he has done. He has earned it.' 'I contacted him when he was working at Brondby because I work with underdeveloped kids and one of them was a big fan,' Nielsen says. 'Thomas made sure I could take him to see the facilities and watch the team train. He has never forgotten where he comes from. He is humble but it will be interesting to see how Tottenham will change him because the environment is much bigger. 'But it is unbelievable how he has gone from coaching at our little club to one of the biggest teams in the world.' (Top photos: Nick Potts,; design: Kelsea Petersen/The Athletic)
