Thomas Frank knows one Arsenal better than most, and fought against his previous accusations in the first North London Derby outside England on Thursday
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank gave Christian Norgaard a seal of approval for his move to Arsenal after facing previous accusations. The pair left Brentford this summer for the other side of north London.
Frank followed Pipe Matalsar’s mysterious goal and won the Hong Kong gunner 1-0. The 31-year-old no-guard began at Mikel Arteta’s mid-center base after agreeing to a £12 million move in July.
The veteran midfielder played 196 times for Brentford in a six-year spell under Frank, but both spent time working under the new Spurs boss while in Blondeby. A total of 249 of Norgaard’s 388 club careers are under Dane, with only two other coaches looking at over 10.
However, the connection between Frank and Arsenal’s signature dates back to international youth football. The Tottenham coach won the Stripes coaching age soccer for Denmark, leading the country’s under-17 to the European semi-finals when Norgaard was on his side.
Their meeting on Thursday went home for Frank, sparking an emotional response to their journey. The 51-year-old was EC that Norgaard had acquired a move to a team that challenged at the top.
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“It was a bit emotional,” Frank said. “I’ve known him since he was 15. He’s 31 now and has been training him for 12 years so I can say I’ve known him for quite some time.
“This is the first time I’ve played against him. He played over 300 games for me. It was a bit strange to meet him on other teams. He’s a top player and I can understand why Arsenal went for him.
“I’m very pleased that he had this incredible opportunity later in his career.”
Norgaard was the only new Arsenal signing to start against the Spurs. Martin Zubimendi was featured in the second season before Viktor Gyokeres and Cristhian Mosquere made their first appearance after completing the move.
Gunner spent more than £260 million this summer as he tries to overcome his three runner-up finishes in the Premier League. In particular, Gyoker added a scorer to Arteta’s team, and Arsenal did not make such a signature in the previous transfer window.
The North London side is still linked to more movements that Ebelech Eze is said to be next to the agenda. Crystal Palace Star has a £67.5 million release clause on its contract at Selhurst Park.
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