Ange Postecoglou’s future at Tottenham remains under scrutiny despite leading the club to a European final by beating Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, and former England international Chris Waddle believes the club may already be preparing to move on.
While speculation has swirled over whether Postecoglou could keep his job if Spurs win the Europa League, Waddle believes the club’s issues run deeper than any single result and fears Daniel Levy may have already formed a view.
Speaking to Yaysweepstakes, he said: “I mean, listen, it’s really ridiculous when people say: ‘If he wins the Europa League, he’s got a job next season. If he doesn’t win the Europa League, he’s lost his job.’
“So we’re talking about, basically, at the minute, two football matches. You’ve got your job if you win it. What if he gets the final and loses it? Does that mean you get the sack? To me, they think he’s the man for the job, or he’s not.”
Spurs have underperformed in the Premier League this season and are currently 16th in the table, just above West Ham and behind a transitioning Man Utd. The cup run in Europe has offered brief respite, but their domestic form remains a concern.
Waddle says Spurs must stop making short-term judgements and instead look at their wider trajectory.
“You’ve got to look at the league position. They’re fifth bottom. I mean, West Ham, Tottenham and Man Utd have had absolute nightmares.”
And while Spurs have built a state-of-the-art stadium and training ground in recent years, he questions whether the infrastructure has been matched by footballing ambition.
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“They’ve got the training ground that they need, they’ve got the stadium that they wanted. So now there’s nothing else except to ask when is the money that is generated going to be spent?”
Waddle was also critical of the club’s long-standing transfer strategy, particularly the tendency to sell key players and avoid building around proven, experienced stars.
“But you look over the history, how many players they’ve got rid of who big clubs would never get rid of. So if you’re going to go back to Gareth Bale, myself, Glenn Hoddle, Luka Modric, Paul Gascoigne, Harry Kane. So all these players, you build a team around and you think they shouldn’t leave.”
But it’s Postecoglou’s tactical stubbornness that draws the harshest personal criticism.
“I’m not happy with his tactics because he never has a plan B,” Waddle said. “I’ve got to criticise that.
“Personally, I think they’ll get rid. I think they’ll look for someone else. But let’s get something right here. I’m not blaming Ange for everything.
“Now, Jose Mourinho, serial title, serial medal winner. Antonio Conte, top of the Italian league. Nuno Espirito Santo might get Nottingham Forest in the Champions League.”
For Waddle, the problems are systemic. Without major change in how Spurs operate, particularly in the transfer market, they’ll continue to struggle.
“The only way to judge the managers properly is if they start buying like Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, buying established players, players who are ready, and keeping their stars.”