Tottenham’s board are reportedly considering ‘five’ names to replace Ange Postecoglou as the new manager of the club as the pressure continues to grow on the Australian amid claims that the players have ‘quit’ on him.
The 59-year-old is currently overseeing the club’s worst Premier League season in recent times as they languish down in 14th place, with 13 defeats from their 24 games to leave them just 10 points above the relegation places.
The cup competitions have been a different story altogether, with progress secured in the Europa League and Tottenham still in the FA Cup as they head to Aston Villa on Sunday, although Thursday night’s shocking performance at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg would have left a bitter taste in the mouth of all Spurs fans.
There were plenty of calls for Postecoglou‘s head after the 4-0 rout at Anfield as a Tottenham team still missing a number of key performers completely collapsed and surrended arguably the club’s best hope this season of ending their 17-year wait to win a trophy.
Indeed, some pundits are now convinced that Postecoglou’s players have given up on their manager – normally the first sign that the axe is on the way for the man in charge, no matter the clear circumstances that have caused so many of Tottenham’s issues this season.
“Anyone who has played the game will tell you most of those Spurs players quit, gave up,” former Watford striker Troy Deeney wrote in The Sun. “Not on each other or themselves, but quit on the manager, the fan base, everything.”
Deeney also claims that he saw just one player put himself forward for media duties at the end of the game, further evidence that Spurs stars have given up on their under-fire manager.
Indeed, another negative result at Villa in the FA Cup is likely to bring about a major meeting next week to discuss Psotecoglou’s future, with only the club’s successful Europa League run and the fact that key injured should be returning soon keeping him in a job.
To that end, the Daily Mirror claims that five names are currently under consideration to be the new man at the helm in north London, with several of them already known to TEAMtalk – as we’ve mentioned on numerous occasions.
Five names in the mix for Tottenham job
So let’s take a good look at the list of names that The Mirror has put forward for discussion.
Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth’s Spanish coach has emerged as one of the most sought-after coaches in the Premier League after guiding the Cherries to seventh spot in the table this term.
Indeed, Iraola has led the south-coast outfit to wins against Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle in a remarkable campaign so far, while he also guided them to the FA Cup fifth round after an impressive 2-0 win at in-form Everton on Saturday.
What’s even more impressive is that the Spaniard has done that during a severe injury crisis that has seen Bournemouth lose both of their main strikers in Evanilson and Enes Unal.
As TT has previously reported, Iraola is right near the top of Tottenham’s list to replace Postecoglou – although it will be an expensive job trying to prize him away from the Cherries.
According to the Express, he is currently one of the leading favourites with the bookies to take over should Postecoglou’s tenure come to an end – though it’d likely cost a pretty penny to buy him out of his Bournemouth deal.
Thomas Frank
Praise for the Brentford manager has not stopped since he guided them to the top flight in 2020/21 season, with his attacking style of play well suited to the Tottenham ethos.
It’s also common knowledge that the Dane is looking to eventually move on and challenge himself at a bigger club. Indeed, speaking back in December last year he shared his criteria for considering an exit: “I think the club you’re going into, can you instantly improve it? Is there low-hanging fruits, or is it difficult to raise the bar? And is their finances good? Can you get the players in and out you want to? I think that’s the key.
He also reflected on his future aspirations by saying: “I think there’s a part of me that thinks that one day, maybe I need to try something different. Is that a bigger club, Champions League, bigger challenge? I don’t know.”
Champions League is most definitely a push for Tottenham at the moment, unless they win the Europa League, and while Frank is a name most certainly in the mix, it must also be pointed out that Postecoglou actually did the double over the Bess this season.
That being said, TT have reported on numerous occasions that Frank is well liked by Tottenham chiefs.
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Edin Terzic
The highly-rated German-Croatian coach is currently without a job since his departure from Borussia Dortmund last summer, having led them to the Champions League final in the 2023/24 season.
As we’ve reported previously, Terzic is very much a name on Tottenham’s radar if they decide to pull the trigger on Postecoglou – links that were only magnified by the Besiktas president in his search for a new manager recently.
Serdal Adali, speaking to Turkish TV network Tivibu Spor last month, revealed: “Edin Terzic was one of our foreign alternatives. In the meeting, he said he was expecting an agreement with Tottenham. That book is closed.”
The Turkish outfit ended up moving for former Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead as Terzic remains on the market.
Mauricio Pochettino
However unlikely this might seem, Pochettino remains a name that will not go away due to his affinity with the club.
The Argentinian was ousted by Levy in late 2019 following a downturn in results, even though he had led Spurs to a Champions League final just months before.
In a chat with BT Sport back in November 2022, Pochettino aired his hope for a future comeback: “Deep in my chest, my soul, my heart – I am sure that we will cross [paths] again. My dream is to be back and to try to finish the work that we didn’t finish.”
Despite a recent stint at bitter rivals Chelsea and the fact that he is currently in charge of the United States national team, Pochettino remains a name to watch.
Kieran McKenna
The outsider of the group but again, a name that TT has mentioned before when it comes to potentially taking the reins in north London.
McKenna has certainly turned heads at Ipswich, earning promotion to the Premier League after a 22-year hiatus and clearly showing his managerial prowess.
Despite Town’s current predicament, sitting in 19th with just a trio of victories – one of which was at Tottenham – McKenna’s seven-year history with Spurs’ academy and a return to the club in 2015 as an Under-18s coach mean he knows the club inside out.
At this stage, he’s a long shot but the fact that Tottenham’s squad is one the youngest in the Premier League and he has a history of working well with younger players does make him a serious option going forward.