On Friday Tottenham Hotspur confirmed that they had parted ways with head coach Ange Postecoglou, little more than two weeks after the Austrian tactician helped the club win their first major trophy in 17 years when Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final. Despite their success in Europe, Postecoglou’s side suffered historic levels of failure in the Premier League, with the North London club finishing 17th with just 38 points - their lowest ever finish in the Premier League era and almost half as many points as Postecoglou managed in his first season in the English top-flight.
A club statement read: "Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw. However, the board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph."
Friday’s decision means that Postecoglou’s time at Tottenham lasted just under two years, in which he oversaw 101 games in all competitions. In that time he averaged 1.53 points per game, which was not only worse than his predecessor, Antonio Conte’s of 1.78, but was actually the lowest average for a Spurs manager since Juande Ramos’ doomed tenure in charge between 2007 and 2008. As such, Postecoglou’s success in the Europa League wasn’t enough to offset the club’s failures in domestic competitions and the hunt for his replacements is now under way.