Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has signed a brand new contract, the membership have introduced.
It was solely again in January that the 49-year-old Dane agreed contemporary phrases on a deal till 2025. However given the best way the Bees have began their second season within the Premier League, the board have opted at hand him one other extension till the summer time of 2027.
Brentford sit tenth within the desk after 4 wins and 7 attracts from the 15 league video games that preceded the World Cup break and get again underway when Tottenham journey to the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium on Boxing Day.
Ought to he see out the contract in west London, Frank will cross a decade with the membership, having first joined as one among two assistants to Dean Smith in December 2016, earlier than being appointed head coach in his personal proper when Smith joined boyhood membership Aston Villa in October 2018.
He guided Brentford to promotion from the Championship on the finish of the 2020/21 season, which took the membership into the Premier League for the primary time of their historical past, and helped them to a Thirteenth-place end final time period.
Frank: There’s unfinished enterprise at Brentford; we are able to progress much more
Frank spoke about signing a brand new contract at Brentford throughout an unique interview with Sky Sports activities.
“I really feel very privileged to have the ability to keep right here for a very long time,” he mentioned.
“After all, in soccer, you by no means learn about tomorrow; 2027 is only a quantity, so three days later, possibly I am out of right here! No, it is a privilege as a result of it is not sure you’ll simply get provided a brand new contract on the membership you are working at.
“I am so happy and I mentioned earlier this 12 months that I nonetheless really feel, deep inside me, there may be a whole lot of unfinished enterprise right here at Brentford, despite the fact that we have been extraordinarily profitable, all of us collectively, within the final years with some unbelievable milestones: the brand new stadium, promotion, attacking the primary season within the Premier League and now we’re in a fantastic place within the league to date.
“I work in a spot the place there may be an unbelievable alignment from high to backside and everyone’s on the identical web page, everyone desires to assault, everybody desires to be higher and that tradition and atmosphere conjures up mate me and I am happy to be a part of that.”
The Dane admitted that the excessive ceiling and room for development at Brentford helped affect his determination.
He added: “Crucial factor for me is that I can see we are able to progress much more. The methods are in place. We need to develop, we need to construct, we need to add layers each single day. The membership is keen to try this they usually need the identical. I’ve a unbelievable co-operation and a every day one-to-one with Phil Giles the sporting director, Lee Dykes the technical director and, in fact [owner] Matthew Benham – and that’s large.
“With the teaching employees, we have been collectively for a very long time now and, most significantly, now we have a high squad of gamers that I actually take pleasure in working with and consistently need to enhance and get higher, so I feel there have been so many pluses.
“While you get that particular feeling of a particular place with the environment the place individuals are coming in daily with a smile on their face, huge vitality, huge willpower to need to get higher, everybody pushing in the identical course, then it’s essential actually shield it and deal with it.
“For those who stroll into one other membership, it’s essential construct one thing new, which additionally will be fascinating, however I feel typically you want to pay attention to what to succeed in for and primarily a lot extra to attain right here.
“I’ll do my easiest within the second. Take pleasure in daily, attempt to enhance and develop the membership and myself daily and I hope we are able to obtain different magic moments.”
How were Brentford getting on before the World Cup break?
Place: tenth (19 factors)
High goalscorer: Ivan Toney (11 objectives)
Subsequent three PL video games: Tottenham (H), West Ham (A), Liverpool (H)
Barring the 5-1 horror present at Newcastle and the 4-0 defeat away to Aston Villa, Brentford had quashed any hypothesis over whether or not they had been about to be the subsequent victims of the fabled ‘second season syndrome’ by the point the Premier League paused for the World Cup final month. If it was not the case already, they seem to have very a lot established themselves as a part of the furnishings within the high flight.
And who may overlook the best way in they entered the break? Days after an embarrassing Carabao Cup shootout defeat to Gillingham, they went to the Etihad as outright underdogs, but didn’t crumble and got here away with a completely deserved 2-1 win in opposition to reigning Premier League champions Manchester Metropolis.
The Bees’ talisman frontman Ivan Toney was very a lot within the highlight that afternoon. He responded to Gareth Southgate’s determination to omit him from the England squad by scoring each objectives.
Just some days later, nevertheless, it was revealed that Toney had been charged over 232 alleged breaches of betting rules between February 2017 and January 2021.
He was a part of Brentford’s journey to Spain earlier this month and performed an lively half in mid-season friendlies in opposition to Bordeaux, Celta Vigo and Wolfsburg, however then got here the information he had been charged with a further 30 alleged breaches of FA betting rules.
If the allegations in opposition to him are confirmed, the striker may face a prolonged ban. Given the very fact he has scored 11 of Brentford’s 26 objectives in all competitions to date this time period – with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa following up with three every – you do get the sensation the Bees might be wanting over their shoulder considerably as regards to developments within the saga.
Dan Lengthy
Brentford’s next five fixtures
Tottenham (H) – December 26, 12.30pm
West Ham (A) – December 30, 7.45pm
Liverpool (H) – January 2, 5.30pm – Reside on Sky Sports activities
West Ham (H) – January 7, 3pm
Bournemouth (H) – January 14, 5.30pm – Reside on Sky Sports activities