Frank emerges as candidate - but who else in Tottenham frame?

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has emerged as Tottenham's leading candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou as manager.

Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that Spurs are strongly interested in Frank and that initial work has been already been undertaken to enquire about the Brentford coach's availability.

Frank has a good relationship with Spurs technical director and fellow Dane Johan Lange, which could be a deciding factor when club chairman Daniel Levy comes to decide who he appoints.

But the likes of Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Fulham's Marco Silva are among others understood to be in the frame.

And Tottenham have even given consideration to reappointing former manager Mauricio Pochettino, who is currently in charge of the United States.

Postecoglou paid the price for an unacceptable Premier League season that saw Spurs finish just one place above the relegation zone.

And their Europa League triumph was not enough to save the Australian from what had seemed inevitable for weeks.

The 59-year-old was appointed boss in June 2023, becoming Spurs' fourth permanent manager since Pochettino led them to the Champions League final in 2018-19, following Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

Leading contender Frank, 51, has been in charge of Brentford for more than six years, and what a job he has done.

He took them into the Premier League, winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley in 2021, and has established the Bees as a top-flight club.

Brentford finished 10th in the Premier League this season, four places and six points above Spurs, so would he be tempted?

In January, he told Football Focus that managing Brentford was the "perfect job" - but also accepted he would not be at the club forever.

"There's much more pressure at Tottenham than there is at Brentford, because of the expectation - and the manager has to handle that expectation," Chris Sutton, a Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, told BBC Sport.

So what would Spurs look like under Frank if he were to take the role?

"It's a surprisingly difficult question to answer because he's a really flexible manager," said football tactics writer Alex Keble.

"He will automatically adapt his tactics to whoever the opposition is, a bit like Unai Emery at Aston Villa.

"In many ways he's the opposite of Ange Postecoglou, who is famously wedded to one idea."

Iraola was arguably the Premier League's manager of the season, so tempting the 42-year-old Spaniard to north London could be a tough ask - he may feel he has unfinished business at Bournemouth.

They finished ninth in the Premier League, just missing out on qualifying for European football.

His high-energy pressing style has seen Bournemouth earn rave reviews from pundits and opposition players - and would not be too far away from the intended style of Postecoglou at Spurs.

His managerial career started in Cyprus at AEK Larnaca but he was sacked within six months after going nearly eight weeks without a win.

His second role was at Spanish second-tier side Mirandes, who he guided to the Spanish Cup semi-finals for the second time in their history, but he left when his contract expired.

He moved to fellow second division side Rayo Vallecano and led them to the last four of the cup as well, before securing promotion to La Liga via the play-offs.

He was approached by Leeds in February 2023 but was denied permission to speak to them and then left that summer to join Bournemouth.

Glasner's name is in the frame after he secured a stunning FA Cup final win against Manchester City and took Crystal Palace into Europe.

The Austrian led Palace to 10th last season after replacing Roy Hodgson as manager in February 2024 and, after a slow start, replicated that fine form this campaign.

The 50-year-old's current deal expires in 2026 and last month Eagles chairman Steve Parish poured cold water on any Tottenham links - insisting Glasner would still be manager of Crystal Palace next season.

In 2022, Glasner guided Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa League in his first season in charge.

Silva's two and a half years at Fulham have seen him rebuild a reputation that suffered a blow when he was dismissed by Everton after 18 months in charge back in 2019.

After spending almost two years out of the game, since taking over in west London he has re-established Fulham as a Premier League force, finishing 10th in 2022-23, 13th last season and 11th this campaign.

The Portuguese started his managerial career in charge of Estoril, guiding them into the Portuguese top flight and the Europa League.

In his single season at Sporting he won the Portuguese Cup, and in his year at Olympiakos, who he also managed in the Champions League, he took them to the Greek League title.

He spent four months at Hull in 2017 but left after they were relegated from the Premier League, before joining Watford and taking the team into the top four during his first few months in charge.

But he was dismissed after a dismal run that saw them win just one of his last 11 Premier League games.

Former Brighton boss De Zerbi built a strong reputation during his time in the Premier League.

The 45-year-old has just led Marseille to second in Ligue 1 behind champions Paris St-Germain and can look forward to Champions League football next campaign.

But, with Spurs now also in the Champions League, could he be tempted by a return to England's top flight?

The return of Pochettino is a reunion many Tottenham fans would be dreaming of. But, on the face of it, it seems unlikely.

The Argentine remains a hero among some of the regulars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Joining in 2014, he led the team to second and third in the Premier League, and a Champions League final.

And he had sections of his former club's fanbase giddy with excitement in March after he declared his desire to one day return to Tottenham.

The United States boss is under pressure in his current role but the country's soccer federation would be owed what has been described by a well-placed source as "one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history" if Pochettino was to leave for Spurs - or any other team for that matter - before the next World Cup.

And, despite the 53-year-old's affinity for Spurs, he also retains a genuine desire to lead the States at the next World Cup.

Terzic took Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final last season, which his side lost to Real Madrid at Wembley. The German left Dortmund shortly afterwards, having asked the club to terminate his contract.

The 42-year-old has never managed in the Premier League, although he spent just over two years at West Ham between August 2015 and November 2017 as assistant to Slaven Bilic, and has recently been reported as being interested in a move to England.

Italian Farioli, 36, gained a lot of plaudits during his season in charge of Ajax, despite stepping down at the end of the campaign after a dramatic late collapse saw his side miss out on the Dutch title.

Never before had a side failed to win the league when leading by nine points with five matches to play.

PSV overtook them at the top with one fixture remaining after Ajax lost twice and drew twice in four games.

McKenna has done a remarkable job in his first managerial role at Ipswich Town, leading them from League One to the Premier League in just two and a half years in charge, albeit they lasted just one season in the top flight.

An expansive brand of football saw them gain promotion with successive second-place finishes, scoring 101 goals in League One and 92 in the Championship.

That means it is no surprise the 38-year-old from Northern Ireland is considered one of the top managerial prospects around.

He was linked with the jobs at Brighton, Manchester United and Chelsea last summer, having spent just £4m last campaign to guide his side into the Premier League.

However, he signed a four-year deal at the Tractor Boys in May 2024 and would be expensive to prise away from Ipswich.

He also recently stated he intends to remain at Ipswich, despite their Premier League relegation.

Former England boss Southgate has been resting since stepping down following the Euro 2024 final, which the Three Lions lost to Spain.

His England side also reached the final of the Euros three years earlier, losing to Italy on penalties.

The 54-year-old had eight years in charge of England and was knighted in the 2025 New Year Honours.

However, he has only had one job in club management, a three-year spell in charge of Middlesbrough, which included a Premier League relegation in 2008-09, and has given no indication of a burning desire to be back in work.

The former Spain midfielder has been out of work since being sacked by Barcelona at the end of last season.

The 45-year-old, who guided Barca to the La Liga title in 2023, has recently said he is looking for a return to football.

But, whether he would be tempted by a move to Spurs remains to be seen.