The Guardian

Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Frank as their new manager. The 51-year-old Dane joins from Brentford on a contract that runs until 2028, and succeeds Ange Postecoglou, who delivered Europa League glory to end Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought but was sacked because of dismal results in the Premier League.

Spurs moved to line up Frank before dismissing Postecoglou last Friday, holding talks via ­intermediaries and plainly keen to avoid a protracted search for the ­person to lead them forward after a season in which they finished 17th with 38 points. Only once in club history have they had a worse league record – in 1914-15.

When Frank, who has impressed with his work in charge at Brentford during a near seven-year period, gave the green light, Spurs knew he was within their grasp because of a £10m release clause in his contract. They have spent the past few days negotiating the finer details, plus the transfer of some of Frank’s coaches from Brentford.

The writing had been on the wall for Postecoglou, with the expectation that he would depart even if he led Spurs past Manchester United in the Europa League final on 21 May. The club said they could not “base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph” when they announced Postecoglou’s departure.

The move for Frank has been pushed by Tottenham’s technical director, Johan Lange, a Dane who has a longstanding relationship with his compatriot. Lange gave Frank his first full-time position in the game as a youth coach at B93 in 2004, although they did not spend much time together at the club as Lange soon left.

The pair were reunited not long after at Lyngby where Frank came to the attention of the ­Danish ­Football Association, who hired him as the coach of their under-16s, under-17s and later the under-19s. From there Frank got his break in senior ­management at Brøndby in 2013, managing them for almost three ­seasons before going to Brentford, where he worked initially as the assistant to Dean Smith. He succeeded him as the manager in October 2018.

Spurs have been impressed by more than the headline items of Frank’s Brentford tenure – the ­promotion from the Championship via the playoffs in 2021, how he has established them in the Premier League, finishing 13th, ninth, 16th and 10th. Frank consistently over-achieved in relation to his financial means at Brentford; they have one of the smallest budgets in the division. An excellent ­communicator and noted developer of young ­talent, he has also shown himself to be ­tactically flexible. A Spurs statement read: “We are delighted. In Thomas we are ­appointing one of the most ­progressive and ­innovative head coaches in the game. He has a proven track record in player and squad development and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.”

Justin Cochrane will join Frank at Tottenham as his assistant while he has also brought the head of ­performance, Chris Haslam, and first-team analyst Joe Newton with him from Brentford. Another assistant coach, Andreas Georgson, will arrive from Manchester United.

Frank prioritised possession-based attacking football in the Championship but adapted in the Premier League, becoming more solid and direct while retaining a powerful threat on set pieces and long throws. That said, Brentford could still build through the thirds and they were the joint-fifth highest scorers in the league during this past season. His preference is for a back three and wing-backs, which could suit Spurs’s current full-backs Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence.

Frank has yet to win silverware or manage in European competition beyond Europa League qualifying stages; Spurs are back in the Champions League after the Europa League triumph. But he is not short of high-profile backers. Pep Guardiola predicted last September that Frank would one day join an elite-level club. “It is just a question of time,” said Manchester City’s manager. “I’m good in a few things, one of which is reading when the manager is good. It is going to happen. Thomas is one of the best. What his team does always makes sense. Every corner is a headache. They are compact. This season they have a high press.”

Jürgen Klopp described Frank as “a cool guy” who he respected a lot in November 2023. “He plays against possession teams one way and plays against other teams when all of a sudden they are a possession team themselves,” the then Liverpool manager said. “It’s really interesting.”

LET’S BE FRANK

As the wait goes on for Thomas Frank to be announced as Tottenham Hotspur’s new manager, Football Daily can’t help but wonder what exactly is causing the delay. On Sunday it was reported that personal terms between the Dane and Daniel Levy had more or less been agreed, a compensatory fee in the region of £10m for Brentford was deemed to be adequate and all that was left to be decided was how many of Frank’s coaching staff would be joining him. But while the Daily holds Keith Andrews – who has successfully muscled his way in to the pantheon of camera-hogging set-piece coaches with great hair in recent months – in the very highest of regard, we’re going to go out on a limb and guess the former Ireland international’s inclusion in any exit package almost certainly isn’t a deal-breaker.

What might be troubling Frank, at this potentially crucial juncture in his career, is that Spurs, not content with sacking managers for not winning trophies, have just got rid of the bloke who secured their first one in 17 years. Given the comparatively snakebelly low expectations he shoulders in his current role, Brentford’s manager could be forgiven for wanting to know exactly what will be expected of him in N17 and more pertinently, if the Spurs hierarchy actually have any clear idea. Given that winning Bigger Vase and qualifying for next season’s Bigger Cup was not deemed good enough for Ange Postecoglou to keep his job, the Tottenham board have ostensibly made it clear that finishing higher up the Premier League than 17th is quite literally all that concerns them. “To dare is to do,” as the club motto says, just so long as you don’t dare to do anything so audacious as win a cup and seat at European football’s top table.

Among a small handful of top-flight managers who are almost universally liked and admired, Frank has long been renowned as a very straight talker. So much so that in any interview scenario between him and a prospective new employer, it is not difficult to imagine the Dane asking the more probing questions while his headhunter squirms in the face of a barrage of interrogatory projectiles. The second-longest serving manager in the Premier League behind Pep Guardiola, Frank ticks a number of the apparently requisite boxes for Spurs in so far as he has never won anything, hasn’t been relegated, doesn’t wang on about knack all the time and doesn’t say “mate” in a passive-aggressive way when the world is conspiring against him. And while his slow starts at Brondby and Brentford, where he won two out of his first 18 matches combined, may perturb a fanbase who are not exactly famous for their patience, he seems as good a choice as any for a club that increasingly seems to have little or no idea what it wants or who it needs to help them achieve it.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

The level will increase immediately once we are playing against Portugal or Spain. We will rise to the occasion. This will come. It will bring out the very best in us” – Thomas Tuchel, there, wrapping up some words in a big white sheet with two eyeholes cut into it, and inviting them to come back and haunt him.

Following last week’s balanced piece in Football Daily on how Cristiano Ronaldo’s ego continues to destroy Portugal’s chances of success, readers will look forward to some acknowledgement of that side’s Nations League victory. Perhaps focusing on how a 40-year-old Scotland captain, say, would be viewed if he had just led his country to a tournament final victory over England, scoring eight goals along the way including one in the final and the winner against Germany in the semi-final” – Brian Broderick.

If you do have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Rollover. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.

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Here’s David Squires on … the buildup to Gianni Infantino’s big, beautiful Club World Cup in the land of Trump.

Tottenham have approached Brentford over appointing Thomas Frank as their new head coach. The Dane is the club’s No 1 target to replace Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked on Friday, and there is confidence that a deal will be struck in the next 48 hours.

Negotiations are due to take place on the cost of recruiting Frank, who has a £10m release clause, and his backroom staff. The 51-year-old Dane wants to join Spurs after almost seven years at Brentford, with terms already in place.

Tottenham have moved swiftly after parting company with Postecoglou, who lost his job despite winning the Europa League last month and ending the club’s 17-year wait for a major trophy. The Australian’s fate was decided after the chairman, Daniel Levy, looked past the side’s European run and focused on a dreadful Premier League campaign.

Spurs finished 17th last season after losing 22 games. That has not made the job less attractive to Frank, who will be taking over a team that earned Champions League qualification thanks to their triumph against Manchester United in Bilbao.

Frank has established himself as one of the most respected managers in the top flight since leading Brentford to promotion from the Championship in 2021. They have steered clear of relegation battles and finished 10th last season. Frank has operated with a modest budget and has admitted that Brentford cannot hope to hold on to their best players if bigger clubs try to buy them. Bryan Mbeumo is expected to depart for Old Trafford this summer.

It remains to be seen how Brentford respond if everything goes smoothly with Spurs and Frank departs. Kieran McKenna has been suggested as a potential replacement for Frank but it is not clear if he wants to leave Ipswich Town.

Tottenham have sacked their women’s manager, Robert Vilahamn, two days after the men’s team manager, Ange Postecoglou, was relieved of his duties.

The 42-year-old joined Spurs in 2023 from the Swedish side BK Hacken and led them to a first FA Cup final in his first season in charge.

Tottenham finished sixth in the Women’s Super League that season, one point and one place below their best ever league finish, prompting the club to give him a three-year contract extension last July. The future had looked bright, with the manager adamant that their 2024 FA Cup run could catapult their growth.

“We perhaps shouldn’t be in the final this year, but we are in the final and we can win it,” he said before the 2024 final, which they lost 0-4 to Manchester United. “That’s the main thing we can try to do and if we fail, hopefully we are starting to grow for next year.”

However, after nine new signings in the summer, including the Australian forward Hayley Raso and Spain international Maite Oroz, the 2024-25 season was a very difficult one. The double loss of the loanee Grace Clinton, who returned to Manchester United, and Celin Bizet, who joined Clinton in Manchester, were huge blows and the team did not get close to matching the standards set the preceding year. They finished second from bottom, conceding 44 goals, a tally matched by Aston Villa and beaten only by relegated Crystal Palace.

The managing director of the women’s team, Andy Rogers, said: “There have been some special moments during Robert’s tenure, including reaching the FA Cup final for the first time.

“However, results and performances this season have not been to the level we would expect and now is the right time to make a change. We should like to thank Robert for his professionalism and efforts over the past two seasons, and we wish him well for the future.”

Mauricio Pochettino pushed back against suggestions he is a candidate to take over the newly-vacant Tottenham Hotspur managerial position, telling reporters on Saturday that it was “not realistic” for him to leave his current role as US men’s national team manager.

Pochettino had been considered a possible candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou, who was sacked by Tottenham on 6 June despite him leading the club to Europa League glory – the club’s first trophy in 17 years. However, Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League, their lowest position since 1977.

Pochettino enjoyed a successful run at Spurs from 2014 to 2019, challenging for the Premier League title in 2016 and advancing to the Champions League final in his last season. He was let go because of Tottenham’s league performance – the club finished 14th.

“After I left [Tottenham] in 2019, every time [the manager position] is free … my name appeared on the list,” Pochettino said following USA’s 2-1 loss to Turkey in a friendly on Saturday afternoon. “If you have seen the rumors, I think we are 100 coaches on the list of the club. Don’t be worried about that. If something happens, we for sure will see. But we cannot talk about this type of thing because I think today it’s not real. I think it’s not realistic. And look – where I am, where we are? The answer is so clear, no?”

Pochettino took over the US national team at the end of 2024 and has overseen a mixed bag of performances in his first nine months. Saturday’s friendly was seen mostly as a way to regain the team’s footing after a pair of far below-par outings in March’s Nations League finals, with the team losing to Panama and Canada and looking generally listless throughout.

Even though they lost, the US played with far more verve against Turkey than they had in March. Pochettino has called in a younger and less-experienced squad for this summer’s games, with several of the team’s first-choice stars out – either by choice, for health reasons, for personal reasons, or due to their club’s participation in the Club World Cup. Jack McGlynn, one of those newcomers, opened the scoring on Saturday with a signature curling effort from outside the box. Later that half, two defensive miscues in about three minutes doomed the Americans, with both resulting in goals.

In football, there is always a lot of light and noise. There is always a lot of emotion. That is both its appeal and why it is so difficult for those in the game to make decisions. Ange Postecoglou gave Tottenham one of the great nights in the club’s history when they won the Europa League in Bilbao.

A first trophy in 17 years. A first European trophy in 41. It’s easy to understand why the instinct is gratitude, to hope that somehow victory can be self-replicating, that silverware begets silverware and something fundamental in Tottenham’s being was transformed at San Mamés.

But the question really shouldn’t be how you felt about Postecoglou at 11pm CET on 21 May, but how you felt at 9pm. It makes no sense for anybody to have changed their mind on whether Postecoglou should stay on the basis of a dreadful performance from Manchester United and a goal scrambled in off Luke Shaw’s arm.

When Postecoglou said he always wins something in his second season, the underlying logic was that it takes that long for the players to absorb his principles and put them into practice. Was there any sense of that in the Europa League success? Did it feel Tottenham had slowly been building to that?

On the contrary, the wins against Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-final, Bodø/Glimt in the semi-final and then United in the final weren’t rooted in Angeball as we had come to understand it, but in sitting deep, playing without the ball and striking on the break. On the one hand, credit is due for adapting, albeit largely because the high-intensity football Postecoglou prefers became unsustainable with a squad of injured and exhausted players, but on the other that removes any argument that the Europa League win was the result of an ongoing process.

A case perhaps could be made that the new pragmatic Postecoglou would have prospered in the Premier League next season. He was unfortunate with injuries – while acknowledging the intensity of his style may have played a part in that crisis. He was dealing with a very young squad. But that requires a leap of faith Daniel Levy was not prepared to make. Who did not watch Paris Saint-Germain ripping through Inter in the Champions League and wonder with a shudder what that might look like against a Postecoglou defence in the Super Cup in August?

Precedents in football should be treated with caution: there’s no reason to assume what happened with one particular manager at one particular club in one particular set of circumstances will necessarily repeat with a different manager at a different club in a different set of circumstances. But the memory of Erik ten Hag casts an unavoidable shadow: Spurs could not afford to find themselves in the position United did last October, sacking a manager three months after allowing his ideas to shape summer spending and in effect writing off another season.

Tottenham have their own precedents: Juande Ramos went eight months after the 2008 League Cup final and Mauricio Pochettino five and half months after the 2019 Champions League final. Ramos’s side were bottom of the league, Pochettino’s 14th. Levy has experienced the cost of an autumn sacking.

If there were doubts, best to act upon them; Levy signalled his intention fairly clearly in his programme notes for the final game of the season. And, for all Danny Blanchflower’s line that the game is about glory has been thrown at Spurs since the decision was taken, Postecoglou’s departure leaves the glory of Bilbao unsullied by future failure.

There is a beauty in the simplicity of the narrative arc: glory at the last, delivering on the promise of a trophy in the second season (albeit a glory that owed a lot to having significantly more resources than most clubs in the competition). That Postecoglou was dismissed two years to the day after his appointment was announced underlined the sense of a cycle ending.

The question then is what comes next. Tottenham’s preference is for somebody with Premier League experience, which is understandable enough. The league is uniquely relentless, as evidenced by Bruno Fernandes’s comment about Ruben Amorim’s surprise at how good Ipswich were. That presents particular pressures that can grind managers down. It removes some of the risk to turn to a manager familiar with that.

There is, though, always the fear that a manager cannot step up. The level of scrutiny, the expectations, at Tottenham are far greater than those at, say, Brentford or Fulham. Another autumn sacking must also haunt Levy: that of Nuno Espírito Santo, whose reign lasted 17 games over four months. He never seemed the right fit for the club and had been undermined by so obviously being not the first, or even the second or the third, choice for the role.

Thomas Frank seems the preferred option, but that would require paying compensation to Brentford in excess of £10m. Levy is renowned for his willingness for protracted negotiations, but this is a case where swift resolution should take priority, even if it ends up costing a couple of million more than it might.

Already there has been some online grumbling that Spurs should not be appointing from Brentford, which is absurd given the job Frank has done (Brentford finished the season 10th on the 19th-highest wage bill in the Premier League) and how things turned out with the two big-name managers Tottenham have recently appointed, José Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

But Postecoglou has left a problem for whoever succeeds him, both in terms of style and achievement. If the new manager starts slowly, there will be immediate grumbles that they are not building on the Europa League success and that the football is not so much fun as it was under Postecoglou, the 22 league defeats last season occluded by the gleam of silverware. Does a trophy win outweigh finishing fourth-bottom of the league?

Perhaps that’s not the right question. Personnel decisions should be based less on what has been done than on what is likely to be done and Levy evidently saw Bilbao as a glorious blip rather than a harbinger of a spectacular future. On that logic, change was the only option.

Son Heung-min has praised Ange Postecoglou as a “Tottenham Hotspur legend” as the club’s supporters’ trust expressed “concern” with another change in manager.

Postecoglou ended Spurs’ 17-year wait for silverware with Europa League success over Manchester United in Bilbao on 21 May, but it failed to earn the Australian a third season. A club statement on Friday announcing Postecoglou’s departure highlighted a woeful Premier League campaign where Tottenham finished 17th, their lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1977.

Son, the club captain, was one of several Spurs players to pay tribute to Postecoglou, writing on Instagram: “Gaffer. You’ve changed the trajectory of this club. You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.

“You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it’s had in decades. We will have those memories for life. You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career.

“It’s been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close, I am a better player and a better person because of you. Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.”

The goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was Postecoglou’s first signing and said: “You are not only a top manager, you are an incredible person to work for, a real leader, a mentor, and someone I’ll always look up to. What we achieved together will stay in the history books. Wishing you nothing but success as I know you will go on to achieve more and more. Thank you, Boss.”

The defender Micky van de Ven added: “Gaffer, thank you for everything! Believed in me from the first day I arrived at the club. Many ups and downs in the last two years but you kept believing in us and kept pushing us. Big part of the success from the club this year, and forever grateful that u made me part of it. All the best.”

Dominic Solanke, signed for Spurs last summer in a £65m deal, said: “Thank you for bringing me to this wonderful club, thank you for bringing us a wonderful trophy. [I] won’t ever forget the convo we had before I signed and we achieved a dream! All the best in your next adventure.”

The defender Pedro Porro insisted the 59-year-old would “always be celebrated”, writing: “Thank you for everything, boss. I’ll always be grateful for the way you led us, defended us, and kept us going through all the highs and lows. Above everything, you gave us one of the greatest moments in the club’s history and for that, you’ll always be celebrated.”

Richarlison added: “Everyone who loves the Spurs will remember that Big Ange always bags trophies in his second season.”

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust thanked Postecoglou for an “amazing night” in Bilbao but acknowledged league results were a “long way short” of expectation. “Our concern now is that it appears we will have yet another change of direction and that this is something that is becoming a habit since we said goodbye to Mauricio Pochettino in 2019,” a THST statement read.

“We can only hope that the right decision has been made and that the new manager is fully supported by the board and everyone at the club to build on the cup success that Ange has lain. He will need the finances to build a strong squad that can challenge simultaneously on many fronts. We wish whoever is appointed well. Spurs fans have had a taste of glory and we don’t want to wait another 17 years for more.”

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An alternative managerial target for Spurs perhaps if they fail to sign Thomas Frank?

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Suzanne Wrack

Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player squad is pretty much what many expected; Lauren James is winning her battle to be fit and ready, according to the manager, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan have received the nod in defence and the young Arsenal forward Michelle Agyemang is the wildcard pick.

There are gaps, though. Looking down the list there is a lack of experience in goal without Mary Earps and there are only five named midfielders for the month-long tournament in Switzerland and one of those is Georgia Stanway, who has played only an hour of football since December (45 minutes against Spain on Tuesday evening and 15 minutes against Portugal last Friday night).

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England’s Euro 2025 squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy.

Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Jess Park, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh.

Forwards: Michelle Agyemang, Aggie Beever-Jones, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead, Alessia Russo.

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In case you missed it, Sarina Wiegman named her England squad for Euro 2025 on Thursday.

Millie Bright was absent after making herself unavailable on Wednesday, as were Mary Earps and Fran Kirby who both retired from international duty in the days leading up to the announcement.

Lauren James earned a call-up as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury, with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang also making the 23-player squad.

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Arsenal reached a mutual agreement with Jorginho to end his contract with immediate effect on Friday. The midfielder will now join Flamengo as a free agent in time for the Club World Cup, which starts next weekend.

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Thoughts, West Ham fans?

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Charlie, a Brentford fan, is hopeful that Thomas Frank will stay at the Gtech Community Stadium amid ongoing interest from Tottenham:

“As a Brentford fan I am greatly enjoying the snobbishness of Spurs fans who don’t want Thomas Frank. Please keep it up until he stays. Those grumbling about the risk of playing effective football should cast their minds back to what he did with the Benrahma-Mbeumo-Watkins team that narrowly failed to go up, when he had the most exciting attacking talent and used it to devastating effect, rather than aiming for Europe with one of the smallest budgets the Premier League has seen. Oh and we still play pretty decent stuff now established anyway.”

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Martin Pegan

Ange Postecoglou took Tottenham Hotspur on the wildest of rides. A record-breaking run to begin his first Premier League campaign in charge. An injury-riddled slump that led Spurs to within sight of relegation the next season. A promise to win a trophy in his second year. The club’s first piece of silverware since 2008. The sack coming just 16 days later.

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Fulham announce death of Malcolm Elias

Fulham head of academy recruitment Malcolm Elias, who developed the likes of Gareth Bale and Trent Alexander-Arnold, has died. Elias arrived in west London from Liverpool in 2009 and had a keen eye for developing young talent which included Bale, Alexander-Arnold, Theo Walcott and Harvey Elliott among others.

A statement on the Fulham website said: “It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our colleague and dear friend, Malcolm Elias, after a short illness. The club’s head of academy recruitment, Malcolm had a fantastic reputation in football for unearthing and nurturing young talent.

“The influence that Malcolm had on the modern game cannot be understated, having worked with and developed the likes of Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Luke Harris and Jay Stansfield, to name but a few.”

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Tottenham stars pay tribute to Postecoglou

Son Heung-min, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Richarlison were among the Tottenham stars to pay tribute to Ange Postecoglou following his dismissal on Friday.

Son, the club captain, wrote on Instagram: “Gaffer. You’ve changed the trajectory of this club. You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.

“You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it’s had in decades. We will have those memories for life. You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career.

“It’s been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close, I am a better player and a better person because of you. Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.”

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Paul is confident that Tottenham will succeed if they appoint Thomas Frank to replace Ange Postecoglou:

“There’s probably been too much over thinking on this. I sent this message to my son last night.

”It’s the right decision. He can leave a hero and will always be welcomed back.

£100m just for turning up in the CL is too much to gamble on him getting top four.

I know Frank hasn’t managed at CL level and he may be out of his depth but, personally, I’ve been walking out of games during the tenure of the last 3 managers. That needs to stop and if Frank gets me to stay 90+ minutes every week, he’s a step up! It will be interesting whether Frank can attract top quality signings. I see Manor Solomon’s coming back. Not a good start to the window!!”

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Bukayo Saka is expected to be absent from the England matchday squad this afternoon. The Arsenal winger suffered a knock in the final match of the Premier League season against Southampton and is yet to return to full fitness.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel said: “He came into camp with a little bit of discomfort from the last match against Southampton, so we took care of him and treated him individually until today [Friday] basically. It was the first training session that he started and finished with the group. Yesterday, he started with the group but did not finish with the group, so let’s see.”

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Updated at 10.07 CEST

Thomas Tuchel is looking to solve England’s physical problems ahead of next summer’s World Cup in North America. The head coach wants to harness the traditional virtues of the English game – namely pace, strength and aggression. But he is aware that searing temperatures await at many of the venues for the finals in the US, Canada and Mexico next summer and, as such, it will be vital to be able to play in different styles.

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Solomon has a different view of the current managerial situation at Spurs:

“As a Spurs fan, I’ll forever be grateful to Ange for getting us a European cup. It won’t stop the Spursy memes but now no one can say we haven’t won anything! Having said that, Levy made the right decision, one that has been obvious for a while now and is perfectly summarised by our dismal performance in the league.

“Ange-ball can’t make it in the PL, and being entertained is only fun when it’s accompanied with results. After the initial novelty wore off, it was fairly straightforward for opposing managers to set themselves up for Ange-ball, and the results dried up. If the next manager can make us competitive with teams like Forest, Bournemouth, etc. in the next season, that would be a start.”

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Updated at 09.51 CEST

John Rudd has messaged in with his view on the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou:

“Daniel Levy and the board don’t quite know what they want. How much money have they paid out to out going managers over the last 10 years or so? With the league form so dismal and the English media assassinating Ange all season long. It was always just going to happen (being sacked). No doubt next season Tottenham will finish mid table and another manager will go by the wayside. I will add that Ange-ball never has experienced this level of injury. It makes me wonder if it was the playing style or just players being incredibly unlucky. It’s a shame his style didn’t succeed. Let’s see Burnley 5-4-1 formation and wonder if the Prem League will ever see high octane football again.”

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Here’s a reminder of the England squad available for today’s match against Andorra and Tuesday’s international friendly against Senegal.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, James Trafford.

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dan Burn, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers.

Forwards: Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney.

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David Hytner

Ange Postecoglou advanced his case to the last. And it was a measure not only of his ability to own the narrative, to master it, but his body of work at Tottenham that he was able to do so with such conviction.

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As always, I want to hear from you today! What are your thoughts on Ange Postecoglou’s dismissal? Did he deserve to be sacked? Who will replace him?

Also, will you be watching England later today? Which starting XI should Thomas Tuchel go for? Let me know.

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In case you somehow missed it, Tottenham sacked Ange Postecoglou yesterday despite the 59-year-old leading them to their first trophy in 17 years. It is understood that Thomas Frank is one of the top candidates for the job.

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Preamble

Hello, good morning and welcome to another matchday live! Today we’re counting down to England’s third World Cup qualifier against Andorra, with the Three Lions looking to extend their lead at the top of Group K. Thomas Tuchel is expected to name a strong line-up for the clash, although he could be without Bukayo Saka, who is recovering from a knock.

We’ll also bring you the latest football news, including the fallout and reaction from Ange Postecoglou’s dismissal and the latest transfer talk.

Join me!

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Ange Postecoglou took Tottenham Hotspur on the wildest of rides. A record-breaking run to begin his first Premier League campaign in charge. An injury-riddled slump that led Spurs to within sight of relegation the next season. A promise to win a trophy in his second year. The club’s first piece of silverware since 2008. The sack coming just 16 days later.

All-out attack. Defensive dare. Stirring late comebacks. Calamitous and costly goals conceded at the death. No score was safe. No Spurs supporter, let alone pundit, was left without an entrenched view of his capabilities as a coach. No football fan, whether in north London or as far away as Australia, dared to look away.

The hair-raising adventure is one that Australian football fans have been on before. During Postecoglou’s time in charge of the men’s national team, as the Socceroos failed to earn a point in a horror group at the 2014 World Cup but rallied to win the Asian Cup the following year. When the coach had earlier led Brisbane Roar to a pair of A-League championships, and later won the J1 League with Yokohama F.Marinos and five trophies with Scottish giants Celtic. A manic press in attack. A high line in defence. Goals at both ends. Peaks and troughs across each game, let alone during a full campaign. A rollercoaster ride has always been part of the Postecoglou experience.

Taking the show on the road to Japan and Scotland sparked fresh Australian interest in Postecoglou’s teams and those leagues. But bringing it to the Premier League has steered Australia back to the big time. Not since the days when Tim Cahill, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka graced the main stage have Australians been given such a solid reason to support a second English team. As fans relished watching Postecoglou rattle the football establishment, Tottenham Hotspur became the hottest club in his distant homeland.

A whirlwind stirred up around a brash foreign manager arriving in the Premier League is nothing new. A laconic Australian demeanour and press conferences peppered with gratuitous use of the term “mate” – while otherwise doing little to conceal a hard edge and stubborn confidence – left fans as much as the media hanging off his every word, while his compatriots were warmed by a sense of pride. The 59-year-old has been unwavering in his ideals, for better or worse, throughout his coaching journey. Postecoglou is not just comfortable dividing opinion. He often appears to go out of his way to hammer a wedge through it.

But whether Spurs’ ruthless decision to axe a coach who led the club to a European title just 16 days earlier is the right call is much less clear and will remain one up for debate. After a fifth-place finish in the Premier League, just two points and one spot short of a ticket to the Champions League, Postecoglou this season guided Spurs to their lowest top-flight points total in more than a century. Did Spurs pay a heavy price for their commitment to an intense style that caused the heart of the side to be ripped out through injury? Or was the coach handed a poisoned chalice with a thin squad relying too much on talented youth to compete on multiple fronts and then go all-in on a knockout competition in the chase for silverware?

Whether or not their Premier League campaign was truly allowed to just wither away, as Postecoglou has since suggested, Spurs found a back door to the lucrative continental competition on an emotion-charged night in Bilbao. Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought was finally broken with Europa League glory, leading to lifelong memories to be created in the Spanish city and later on the streets of north London, while Postecoglou was lauded back home as one of Australia’s great exports. It was as much validation for Australian football as a victory for a favourite son. Proof that one of our own not only belonged on the global stage, but could conquer it – even if for one night only.

The response in Australia to Postecoglou’s sacking has, perhaps unsurprisingly, been centred around dismay and disappointment rather than simply one of shock. Spurs, under chair Daniel Levy, are after all a club that sacked Mauricio Pochettino mere months after he took them to the 2019 Champions League final. Another divisive coach in José Mourinho was let go in the week leading into the 2021 League Cup decider. Here is further proof that winning a trophy isn’t necessarily everything in the high stakes world of football, or even just enough to save a coach’s job. Spurs will now have another new manager for the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in August, and never find out whether season three under Postecoglou would have been better than season two.

Postecoglou has arrived at a new coaching frontier after being sent packing while still under contract. Where he lands next, whether looking to right any perceived wrongs back in the Premier League or as a breath of fresh air elsewhere in Europe, we can be sure that he will take his principles with him and that Australian football fans will follow.

Ange Postecoglou advanced his case to the last. And it was a measure not only of his ability to own the narrative, to master it, but his body of work at Tottenham that he was able to do so with such conviction.

The manager was charged with three tasks when he was given the job in June 2023. To overhaul the team’s playing style, essentially to make them more entertaining. To reboot the squad with an emphasis on youth. And to win. Actually, there was a fourth, which talked to pretty much everything. To reshape the culture around the club, unifying everyone behind a cause, an identity.

The way that Postecoglou told it and will continue to tell it as he processes how he has become the latest statistic of the Daniel Levy era is he delivered on the principle three. And, despite all the external negativity, he struck a telling blow at the very end in the battle to tick the final box.

Ange-ball was a breath of fresh air at Spurs, the counterpoint to the counterattacking of the previous three managers – José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo and Antonio Conte. The club’s fans want their team to play on the front foot, to take chances and there is no doubt that Postecoglou has the same vision. It is how he always looks to set up, with pace and aggression, the change showcased to wide eyes from his first match – the pre‑season friendly against West Ham in Australia. The difference to what had been before was radical.

Postecoglou bought into the selection policy, the bets on players with high ceilings for improvement, even if he knew that moving on a good number of experienced ones, starting with Harry Kane, was a risk. In a sense the approach has represented Levy going back to what he has long believed in. A part of Postecoglou’s legacy is the successful promotion of a host of young signings – including Micky van de Ven, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Brennan Johnson. You can also include Destiny Udogie, who was new to the squad when Postecoglou arrived and also Pape Sarr, who had not played much for the team.

The most robust pillar of Postecoglou’s legacy is, of course, what he and the team achieved in the Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final in Bilbao to draw a thick line under the club’s 17-year trophy drought. It was so much more than Postecoglou making good on his “I always win things in my second season” comment.

The triumph brought a mass outpouring of emotion among supporters who have been mocked without mercy by their rivals in London and beyond. For those that made it to Bilbao, in particular, it was the night that will live for ever in their hearts. It has lifted a weight from the club, breaking a cycle that had almost become self-perpetuating, providing a riposte to the pundits who, as Postecoglou would have it, are quick to lead the pile-ons; to all of those who do.

Elite-level football is about the do-or-die moments. One result really can change perceptions, how a club feels about itself; the same with people on the outside. Thanks to Postecoglou, Spurs can call themselves winners. They have even kicked down the backdoor into the Champions League. So, how has Levy made this decision, one that has triggered the inevitable backlash? Trust him to sack a manager who has actually won. It is because Levy does not like winners. It is not who Spurs are, mate.

Here is the thing. When Levy weighed up the case against Postecoglou, he found that – weirdly, uniquely – it also carried an irresistible strength. The chair loved Bilbao. He is grateful to Postecoglou for it. But what Levy wants is more than a one-punch knockout. Consider the line in his programme notes from the last game of the season against Brighton.

“The Europa League is one trophy – our clear ambition as a club has always been long-term, sustained success … competing for top honours every year,” he wrote.

For the majority of his tenure, Postecoglou sung from the same hymn sheet. He said that a cup victory would not be a “panacea”. Consistency in the Premier League was the priority. Do that and the rest would take care of itself. He changed his tune from around the turn of the year, a shift born out of circumstance – specifically an injury-hit squad being unable to fight on multiple fronts.

Postecoglou would put everything on the Europa League, coming to rest and rotate for it; an all-or-nothing gamble, which he felt paid off handsomely. And yet – as even he admitted – not everyone at the club was happy with the strategy.

In the final analysis, Levy was unable to look beyond the league form and the sample size was huge. After Postecoglou made a thrilling start to his tenure, winning eight and drawing two of 10 league matches, his record in the competition read: P66 W23 D9 L34 Pts 78. Do the sums and it is 45 points per 38 games, the length of a season. This time out, Spurs collected just 38 points to limp home in 17th. Only once in their history have they had a worse record – in 1914-15 when they won eight and drew 12 of 38 matches.

In the Europa League knockout rounds, Postecoglou’s team beat AZ, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bodø/ Glimt and the worst version of United since 1973-74 according to league statistics. In the cold light of day, Levy concluded that the run could not make up for the consistent vulnerability in the league.

He looked past Postecoglou’s assertion that 17th was a false position because of the bet on Europe; it was unacceptable, a failure to balance the demands. How could Levy be confident that Postecoglou would manage better in a Champions League season? Furthermore, were the injuries not a consequence of his full-throttle approach?

Whither Ange-ball? It was to Postecoglou’s credit that he rowed back on some of his fundamentals – most notably in the Europa League. One of the defining images of his tenure was in the early weeks against Chelsea when, despite two red cards, he ordered all of his remaining outfield players to hold a defensive line on halfway. That seems like a long time ago, as did the giddy praise for such derring-do. Equally, we did not see much of the fast and incisive stuff in his closing months.

“Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou once memorably asked, channelling his inner Gladiator. Yes, Ange, we were. The English game has lost a compelling character.