Tottenham made the highly unpopular decision to sack manager Ange Postecoglou on Friday, exactly two years to the date that he was hired at the club. The move came weeks after Big Ange had brought Spurs their first Europa League title in 41 years, and it came with a callous statement clearly not befitting a manager who had immediately vaulted himself to iconic status with that title triumph.
It's obvious to Spurs fans - and has been for a long time - that the priority for Daniel Levy and the people in charge of the club is purely profits over winning, the antithesis of what it means to be a football club.
The silver lining for Tottenham fans is that the club is at least knocking down the door of the one competent replacement for Postecogou, Thomas Frank of Brentford. Frank has overperformed for the Bees since their arrival in the Premier League, producing some of the biggest breakout stars in the top flight both in the attack and even in goal. Players like Bryan Mbeumo are household names, and perhaps Frank could even help Spurs steal Mbeumo from the clutches of Manchester United.
Although Frank is a much stronger coach than Postecoglou tactically, it will not be easy for him - or any coach, for that matter - to replace the unique bond that Big Ange forged with his players and many of the fans.
Thomas Frank won't be a free hire for Tottenham
Moreover, the cost to hire Frank would be a steep one. The most important aspect of cost, unlike what Mr. Levy may have you think, is well beyond finances. There is a certain human cost and a level of dignity - if there were any in the halls of N17 at this point - lost with the manner in which Postecoglou was dismissed. Unquestionably, Tottenham have lost a lot of goodwill, if there were a lot to begin with, by making the decision that they did in the way that they did.
But even financially, there is a steep cost to this move. Sacking Postecoglou alone has cost Spurs a hefty four million pounds in compensation. And yet that figure is still less than half of what it will take to actually higher Frank from Brentford.
The Bees aren't going to stand in Tottenham's way when it comes to hiring Frank, even though they are technically now rivals in the battle for European places. Part of that is because, per a report from The Telegraph's Matt Law, the release clause in Frank's contract with Brentford is expected to be around 10 million pounds.
That's quite the chunk of change for a manager who, while impressive in his ideas and results at a plucky club like Brentford, will come to Tottenham with no real high-level success to speak of. And he'll be doing so replacing Postecoglou, who is fresh off a Europa League title win at a club that, again, hasn't won a trophy of that caliber in nearly 50 years.
Frank is a good coach and is perhaps the only option with a realistic shot at being a more effective coach than Postecoglou. But many Tottenham fans would feel that the switch was not worth it for both the financial impact of 14 million pounds in total and, most importantly, the emotional and professional cost of what Spurs did.