Ange Postecoglou will learn his fate as Tottenham Hotspur manager sometime this week, a strong new report has claimed, and with the Aussie given “less than a 5% chance” of keeping his job, new details have emerged on the coaches Daniel Levy will turn to next.
A somewhat bizarre season in N17 saw Spurs finish the Premier League campaign in a woeful 17th place – their lowest position since 1977 – but yet somehow still end their long-awaited trophy drought as they recorded victory in the Europa League. And while Postecoglou delivered on his ballsy promise that he ‘always wins a trophy in his second season’, it does not look enough to spare him from the Tottenham Hotspur axe.
Indeed, according to the Independent’s Miguel Delaney, it looks increasingly likely that Postecoglou will be given the boot.
In his ‘Reading the Game’ newsletter, he said: ‘As of Friday morning, Tottenham Hotspur still hadn’t made an official decision on Ange Postecoglou but the chances of staying had apparently gone down from last week’s ‘five per cent’. His departure is still expected, whenever that may be.’
While it was always felt that glory in the Europa League could save him, sources have always indicated to TEAMtalk that, irrespective of their success in Europe, Levy has been left unimpressed by their struggles in the Premier League this season and planned to judge him on those performances first and foremost.
Now, having taken that one step further, The Telegraph has revealed that a final verdict will arrive at some point next week. They describe the 59-year-old’s position to be ‘under extreme risk’, and claim Levy has been ‘looking at other managers’, as good as confirming that the writing is on the wall and with his fate set to be decided by the end of next week.
Furthermore, The Telegraph claims that with Andoni Iraola admired, but ‘set to stay at Bournemouth next season’ and with Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner also taken off the menu, Spurs’ focus is now down to two men: Fulham’s Marco Silva and Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Sources can confirm to TEAMtalk that both those men are admired, with a particular fondness for Frank, who is highly-regarded by Levy and with an expectation being that the Dane is now ready to take his career to the next level with a move to a bigger club than the Bees.
But we can also confirm a third name is also in the running for Spurs, with our correspondent, Rudy Galetti, revealing Spurs are also considering appointing Francesco Farioli as their head coach at the end of the season.
Postecoglou sack? Aussie feels he’s done enough to keep Tottenham job
While Levy feels a change is needed to catapult Tottenham Hotspur back into the higher echelons of the Premier League and with question marks raised over his one-dimensional and, often high-risk tactics, Postecoglou himself certainly feels he has done enough to retain the manager’s role.
Speaking recently, he told the media: “I’ve been finding it really weird talking about my future when we’ve done something unprecedented.
“I’ve got to answer the questions because nobody else is in a position to do so. Part of me is thinking, ‘Why am I even being asked the question?’ I’ve got no doubt this could be a really defining moment for this club.”
The former Celtic boss added: “We won a trophy, which we haven’t done for 17 years, and we’re in the Champions League. Ask anyone at this football club at the start of the year if they’d take that and I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be a person in the house that wouldn’t.”
Despite that, there is a feeling within those in power at Tottenham that the Europa League success has not done enough to satisfy those doubts.
And according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, a parting of ways seems likely.
“I’ve gone backwards and forwards on this, but in the end – I’ve decided that he will go. I think they’ll look over the season, rather than just the easier European games,” he said to Football Insider.
“The thing that will do it for him is the inflexibility over the tactical changes. There were certain games that he could have got results out of, that he didn’t – because he was inflexible.
“The players he had due to injuries meant he should have played a more conservative system. I think that’s the conclusion Daniel Levy will come to, when he looks at it.
“However, it’s going to be a tight decision. There’s been a big emotional push towards Ange now, and he’s handled it very well since winning.”
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