The Independent

The mayor of Melbourne has implored Tottenham to reconsider their decision to sack Aussie countryman Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou was dismissed last week just 16 days after leading Spurs to the Europa League, with it determined that a first trophy in 17 years was not enough to redeem the Aussie after a dismal domestic season.

Thomas Frank looks near certain to succeed Postecoglou in the Spurs hot seat, with only the matter of compensation fee yet to be agreed with Brentford.

This news will be to the displeasure of Melbourne mayor Nicholas Reece, who took to social media to plead with Spurs to backtrack on their dismissal and reinstate Postecoglou.

“On behalf of the people of Melbourne, and Premier League fans around the world, I call on Tottenham Hotspur to reconsider its decision to sack coach Ange Postecoglou,” said Reece in a post on Instagram. “In Melbourne we have followed Ange’s career closely for decades.

“Never underestimate Ange’s determination to win, and his ability to carry teams to greatness. We have seen this time again over his career. This year Tottenham made history by winning the Europa League trophy — its first such win in 17 years. We will see further trophies if Ange is given the chance.

“Don’t let Tottenham be known as the team that is allergic to silverware. Let Ange lead the players onto greatness in next year’s Premier League campaign.”

Postecoglou, who grew up in Melbourne, spent much of his playing career at South Melbourne FC and was later their head coach between 1996 and 2000.

The 59-year-old also led Australia to the World Cup in 2014 and remains a popular figure both within and beyond the city of Melbourne.

Tottenham are on the verge of appointing Thomas Frank as their new manager but will need to overcome one more obstacle to get a deal over the line.

Brentford boss Frank was quickly made Spurs’ top target following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou on Friday, with the club opting to cut ties with the Aussie despite Europa League success, leading the club to a first trophy in 17 years.

There is a growing confidence that the Dane will be the man to replace Postecoglou after positive discussions took place over the weekend.

Nearly all details have been agreed over the move to North London, but the matter of compensation is yet to be finalised, with Brentford holding out for £10m to let Frank out of his contract two years before its expiry in 2027.

Negotiations over a fee are ongoing between the two clubs but there is nevertheless an expectation that Frank will take charge of Tottenham, thereby ending seven lauded years at Brentford.

Frank has thoroughly impressed at the Bees since joining them in the Championship in 2018, guiding them to the Premier League before consolidating their status as a top-flight side.

Brentford finished last season in 10th place, a staggering 18 points clear of Postecoglou’s side, who ended the campaign in a dismal 17th.

Despite a catastrophic domestic season, Tottenham’s success on the European stage means they have the prospect of Champions League football to entice Frank.

Should he make the move as anticipated, he will renew allegiances with Spurs technical director Johan Lange, having worked together at Danish club Lyngby before both making a splash in the Premier League.

Daniel Levy is talked about more than he talks; in public, anyway. The Spurs chairman’s quotes can be used against him and, a few weeks into Ange Postecoglou’s reign, he said: “We’ve got our Tottenham back”.

Now, with another manager sacked after a reign of 18 months to two years, some would say the comment has a different pertinence. Postecoglou lasted longer than Antonio Conte, Andre Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho; his eventual tally of 101 games fell just short of Glenn Hoddle (104) and George Graham (108).

Like Juande Ramos, he was dismissed in the same year he won a trophy. But then Tottenham’s major honours can come to a backdrop of indifferent league form. They finished 11th in both 2008 and 1999, 10th in 1991 and 1981. They twice won the Uefa Cup in years when they ended up eighth in the old Division 1. Postecoglou took that trend to extremes. His second season at Spurs brought 11 league wins, 10 in the Europa League, continental glory and domestic ignominy.

In their statement announcing his departure, Tottenham said the Australian returned “us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the club”. He may have both resolved Tottenham’s identity crisis and compounded it.

The last few years have brought it into sharp focus; sometimes because of forces beyond Tottenham’s control and a fast-changing environment, sometimes by their own choices. Who are or what is Tottenham Hotspur?

In 2021, an answer was that they were founder members – for a few days, anyway – of the European Super League. They were one of 12 supposedly permanent members of the continental elite; although, as some noted, the other 11 had won rather more. Yet it came a mere two years after Spurs were Champions League finalists.

If it scarcely felt realistic then that they would finish 23 points behind Brighton or 27 adrift of Nottingham Forest, it was an attempt to pull the drawbridge up, to keep others with ambitions out of their private members’ club. In the competition of the Premier League, Tottenham have had no such protection.

Levy himself has offered up different answers. When appointing managers such as Mourinho and Conte who arrived with histories as proven winners and largely pragmatic styles of play, he was trying to position Tottenham as a power in their own right. Their Amazon All or Nothing documentary felt part of a global quest for eyeballs.

But then Tottenham were the club of Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris. They had huge-name players. They also had a chairman, in Levy, whose reputation as a tough negotiator and reluctance to sell meant players stayed; perhaps that attitude backfired as, Kane apart, Spurs failed to cash in on too many of the side Mauricio Pochettino built when their market value was near its peak.

But for some, Tottenham are the role model for a footballing business. Certainly, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is cited by other clubs as they look to monetise their ground. Levy is castigated in some quarters and admired in others for Spurs’ wage bill: 42 percent of turnover in the last accounts, even if those who simplistically repeat the figure overlook the reality that ignores the cost of repaying the debt incurred to build a state-of-the-art stadium or a transfer outlay approaching £400m in Postecoglou’s two years.

Because part of the answer is that it is a club forever trying to find its place. There has been a reboot in recent years: that wage bill has been lower with an influx of young players but that transfer expenditure. Brennan Johnson, scorer of the scrappy but celebrated Europa League final goal, may be a symbolic figure in other respects, costing £47.5m but almost certainly with a lower salary than many a more established figure elsewhere.

For a chairman whose managers, Pochettino, Harry Redknapp and Martin Jol apart, rarely last long, Levy can indulge in long-term planning. Johnson, Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Antonin Kinsky, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski and the loanee Mathys Tel all joined at 22 or under, Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero at 23. It does not guarantee a glorious future but it shows an attempt to construct one.

Dominic Solanke, a £65m buy at 26, represents the exception and scored in three of Spurs’ last four Europa League games. Romero’s seeming willingness to leave now, at 27, could indicate that the best of the youthful recruits will tire of waiting for a future that may not come.

Over the course of his time in England, Tottenham have been overtaken. They may have been the smallest of the big six but they had 11 successive top-six finishes. Now the last five include eighth, seventh and, ridiculously, 17th. The big six expanded to a big eight with the addition of Aston Villa and Newcastle.

Then Tottenham were reeled in by a host of clubs more accustomed to bottom-half finishes. They appear to have responded by compiling a shortlist of their managers. For now, while back in the Champions League, they may look for a less risky way of European qualification than needing to win continental silverware. Simply restoring the big eight to a position of primacy may be a start in the post-Postecoglou world.

Because the question of who Tottenham are has invariably brought the replies that lend themselves to banter – “Lads, it’s Tottenham”, “Spursy” – whereas the reality is more complex. But Levy could do with getting some elements of the old Tottenham back. Because right now, Spurs are Europa League winners and the team who finished 17th. And for different reasons, they can’t be either of those in a year’s time.

It is the kind of story that has got around the Premier League, and explains why so many wealthy clubs have considered Thomas Frank. Earlier this season, the Brentford coach was having a chat with Fabian Hurzeler, and enthusing about Brighton’s style of play.

“I’d love to play like this,” Frank said, before smiling. “I’d need another £100m, though.”

If that sounds self-indulgent, and like a manager who can only play a certain way if he is given sufficient money, it isn’t. It is really testament to the job he has done without money. After Brentford got promoted in 2020-21, they had by far the lowest wage bill in the Premier League for the next two seasons. Figures of £68m and £99m should have sent them straight back down, in a way we’ve seen with so many other promoted clubs.

Frank instead established Brentford in the Premier League, making them a fixture. It’s hardly as if other clubs are queuing up for their players, either, in the way they are with Bournemouth. He has made them so much better than the sum of their parts, and it is why Tottenham Hotspur are actively pursuing him.

Analysis by Swiss Ramble shows that Brentford have been top of the league in terms of performance relative to wages for every single season they have been in the Premier League. That shows the scale of Frank’s overperformance.

It could be said this is merely a case of a manager perfectly fitting one club, as can happen. Except, Frank hasn’t always had the same approach, or even the same kind of team. Brentford have gone through multiple different incarnations under the Dane, as a team and a club.

Premier League sporting directors see Frank as one of the most successfully adaptive coaches in the game. Some even feel the 51-year-old is not given anywhere near enough credit for that, a quality that becomes even more valuable in a football world that is moving away from dogmatic ideology. Frank’s teams played in drastically different ways when Brentford were in the Championship, when they went up and then when they stayed up.

When he needs to play percentage football, he’ll play percentage football. When he needs to break with pace, he’ll break with pace. When he needs possession, he can do possession.

There were even occasions in the past season when Brentford resembled Jack Charlton’s Ireland for the way they constantly made defenders turn. That has fostered a view that he is “unfairly pigeon-holed”.

It is also why clubs like Tottenham have no concerns when they ask Frank how he would play at a higher level. Instead, just like those at Brighton, they are enthused by his response. He is persuasive.

That is displayed in perhaps the most impressive aspect of this manager search. As recently as April, Frank was liked but not near the top of Spurs’ list. Now, he’s close to the job itself, having leapt ahead of so many other candidates. It is testament to a genuine charisma.

That feeds into one of the most pertinent questions about Frank, which isn’t how he’ll play, which shouldn’t be too much of a concern. It’s how he’ll manage a higher-paid dressing room.

This does matter, especially given the greater intensity that surrounds the better-supported clubs. The noise can take over, as Ange Postecoglou found. That can make it worse in a dressing room. As one insider from elite Premier League squads says: “The reality is that high-level players can be pricks.” The window of acceptance for coaches is narrow and getting narrower. It’s why coaches without track records at big clubs have to win straight away.

Postecoglou essentially got two years at Spurs out of his successful first 10 games. While the decision to sack a Europa League winner seems emotionally harsh, the reality is that the nature of that cup run was too far removed from what you actually need for the Premier League. There was a logic to Spurs' decision.

Put bluntly, Postecoglou’s side weren’t playing Premier League-level opposition for most of it, and still compromised everything. It wasn’t really a recipe for medium-term success, other than from the potential emotional fillip that could have created a momentum.

Frank knows how fragile it can be to rely on such intangibles, having been at a club as scientific as Brentford. The substance to his own personality stands out all the more.

The Dane is described as a “good human”, something that isn’t exactly said with great frequency in football. It might even be more valuable in a sport that has moved far away from the school of hard knocks, or even Jose Mourinho’s “confrontational leadership”.

A social media generation is now more likely to respond better to encouragement rather than excoriation. As a former teacher, Frank is highly attuned to the balance required there. It also makes him a far more rounded figure than most managers.

That has another effect. In an era where tactics have become ever more detailed and sophisticated, many modern coaches almost need to be obsessives, and quite intense. They can be utterly tunnel-visioned. That doesn’t always make for the most illuminating media appearances when they are thrown wider state-of-the-game or state-of-the-union questions in the way that Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson used to be.

Frank has no such problem with that. He is engaging to listen to, which is what his players warm to, too. That intelligence has almost made him the voice of the Premier League, and perhaps even the moral voice. Brentford might have just suffered a frustrating defeat to elite opposition, but Frank is still willing to expound on everything from the Club World Cup to financial disparity.

That means much more than the relative superficiality of how he speaks to the media. It makes him a figurehead, something that Spurs have arguably never had greater need for.

It’s not just about that, though. Frank deserves his opportunity, and has proven he is capable of seizing such moments.

Son Heung-min hailed 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 May 21, 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, which is their lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1977.

Captain Son 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.”

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.”

Dutch 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.”

Striker Dominic Solanke signed for Spurs last summer in a £65million deal.

He 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.”

Right-back 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.”

Forward 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.”

Son Heung-min hailed 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 May 21, 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, which is their lowest top-flight finish since relegation in 1977.

Captain Son 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.”

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.”

Dutch 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.”

Striker Dominic Solanke signed for Spurs last summer in a £65million deal.

He 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.”

Right-back 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.”

Forward 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.”

He will always have Bilbao. The manager who, in his forties, was in charge of Whittlesea Zebras in the Melbourne suburbs won a European trophy 16 years later. No other manager has had a journey quite like Ange Postecoglou’s. But then no one has had a season the same as Tottenham’s, the club who recorded the lowest ever league finish of any side to lift continental silverware.

It was why the emotional choice would have been to keep Postecoglou. The rational one, delivered 16 days after Europa League glory, was to dismiss him. “One of the toughest decisions we have had to make,” Spurs said in their explanation, and easy a target as chairman Daniel Levy can be, he merits some understanding in this instance. Postecoglou ended a 17-year wait for a major honour and dragged Tottenham to a historic low. The impression in his heady first few months was that he was a manager who brought back the Spurs way.

Tottenham’s traditions involved being a cup team, but never this much of one, never as hopeless in the league. The ignominy of coming 17th could only partly be explained by a focus on Europe; they were 13th domestically even before playing a knockout tie in the continental competition. The probability is that any successor – and Thomas Frank is the frontrunner – will finish higher in the table but not win anything.

Postecoglou’s bravado in saying he always won something in his second season was justified and he called his sophomore year with Spurs “outstanding”; but it also stood out for many a wrong reason. Tottenham have never lost more league games in a campaign. Their 22 defeats included 10 on home soil; the supporters who pay for famously expensive tickets even saw Ipswich and Leicester win in N17. Their tally of 38 points was – if three were awarded for a victory in every season – Spurs’ lowest since 1914-15. It was underachievement on an extraordinary scale, given what is probably the seventh biggest wage bill, a gifted group of players and, despite Levy’s famous frugality, an outlay on transfers of around £400m over the last couple of years.

Feat that it was to claim European silverware, especially in the context of Tottenham’s inability to win anything since 2008, it only required one remarkable result, the away win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals. Even the final was against a Manchester United team who came 15th in England.

So Tottenham had to conduct an assessment of Postecoglou’s reign and the whole season. They cited his record over the 66 league games that followed the heady beginning of the first 10 that produced 26 points and a table-topping start. Those 66 matches produced just 78 points, an average of just 1.18 per game. Of the 17 clubs in the division throughout that time, only Wolves took fewer points, and by a mere one. Spurs conceded 116 goals in that time, 1.76 per match.

It underlined a design flaw in Angeball: an openness to the counter-attack. The warning signs were there in his debut campaign when, individually, the first-choice back four and goalkeeper all had fine seasons and yet Spurs were breached 61 times. When Angeball was at its best, it was brilliant; the 4-0 evisceration of Manchester City this season was football at a very high level. Yet there was no consistent formula to win games.

He was not the first managerial import to struggle against the Premier League’s middle-ranking clubs, to discover its strength in depth. Postecoglou also had other issues. He was irritated by suggestions that his training and tactics injured his players, but Tottenham struggled to compete on multiple fronts; they won the Europa League by sparing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven Premier League duties. But, again, that blueprint scarcely felt repeatable as they enter a Champions League season.

Tottenham’s league form, ultimately, was impossible to justify. Postecoglou instead seemed to believe that his was the only team to suffer from injuries, as though everyone else could be judged by their results, but Spurs should not be. There were the car-crash post-match interviews of a manager who seemed to regard questioning of his methods and style of play as illegitimate.

On a personal level, he nevertheless merits considerable sympathy. The Europa League gives him a place in history: the third Tottenham manager, alongside the great Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw, to win European silverware, the first Australian coach to do so with any club. He released a dignified statement on his departure. “My overriding emotion is one of pride,” he said.

But one of the questions his employers had to answer was whether it would be substantially different if they persevered with Postecoglou for another year. To reframe it, and despite the Europa League, would another Premier League club appoint Postecoglou now? After all, if he took Tottenham to 17th, logic may dictate he could relegate a mid-table club.

If many a managerial appointment is the opposite of the previous one, it is notable those who have seemed on Spurs’ radar – Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva, Oliver Glasner and Frank – have found ways to get results with lesser resources in England, to punch above their weight with the mid-table teams. But as he goes, Postecoglou can argue he was the antithesis of managers like Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Because none of them took a trophy to Tottenham. And he did.

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked Ange Postecoglou with the Europa League not enough to salvage his job after finishing 17th in the the Premier League.

Spurs lost 22 times in the league last term, falling well short of expectations, though Postecoglou inspired a famous run in Europe, snapping an 17-year run without silverware to guide the club to glory in Bilbao with victory over Manchester United.

Now Daniel Levy has opted to go in a different direction, with the likes of Brentford boss Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva among the main contenders.

With Spurs in the Champions League next season and a squad filled with talented players, it has suddenly become one of the most coveted jobs in Europe 16 days after that famous night at the San Mames. Here are the main contenders to succeed Postecoglou:

As things stand, the frontrunner to become Postecoglou’s successor at Spurs is Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

The Austrian has reportedly been sounded out as his replacement by Daniel Levy, who began to explore other options last week as talk of the Aussie’s departure began to heat up.

Frank has thoroughly impressed with the Bees since joining them in the Championship in 2018, guiding them to the Premier League before consolidating their status as a top-flight side - no mean feat in this era of near-inevitable yo-yoing.

Brentford finished the season in 10th - a staggering 18 points clear of Postecoglou’s Europa League winners - and will no doubt make life difficult in their quest to poach their manager. Frank still has two years on his contract so Spurs should be prepared to cough up compensation if they are to get him out of his current deal.

Another leading contender for the role is Fulham manager Marco Silva.

Similarly a proven Premier League manager with a strong CV in England, the Portuguese gaffer has undone the reputational damage suffered during a poor spell at Everton over the last few years at Craven Cottage.

Bringing Fulham back to the Premier League in 2022, he has quickly re-established the club as a force to be reckoned with after a couple of failed attempts at staying in the top-flight, and last season even battled for European qualification.

Silva has not outwardly expressed any desire to leave Fulham but could be tempted away if he feels he is not being backed in the transfer market.

This would be a major scalp for a floundering Spurs side - securing the services of one of the Premier League’s hottest managerial properties.

Oliver Glasner has transformed Crystal Palace in his season-and-a-half in charge, guiding them to a first major trophy in their history and subsequently putting them course (at least for now) for a European tour next season.

With an exciting, expansive style of football, the Austrian has won over both Palace fans and rival critics alike as the Eagles soared to their best ever points finish in the Premier League.

Tottenham would have their work cut out to convince Glasner that jumping aboard Tottenham’s sinking vessel is worth ditching a Palace project brimming with life.

The biggest name on the market, Tottenham could try and make a spectacular move for Barcelona legend Xavi.

The iconic midfielder waded into management in 2019, following a glittering career as a player that saw him lift eight LaLigas and four Champions League for the Blaugrana, on top of two Euros and a famous first World Cup for Spain.

After over two years plying his trade at Qatari side Al Sadd, Barcelona sought to get their former captain back and paid his release clause for him to replace Ronald Koeman.

He led them back to the LaLiga pinnacle 2022/23 season, but things turned sour in the season of his title defence. Off the pace in the hunt against Real Madrid, Xavi would eventually be sacked as Barcelona went into the final day of the season 12 points off their El Clasico rivals.

He’s remained jobless ever since but could make the bold move to Tottenham in an ambitious bid to rediscover his mojo in the dugout.

From searing ambition to a move most Tottenham fans would surely lament. One of the latest managers to become available, Tottenham could yet go in for one of their former players to try and steer the ship.

Michael Carrick was similarly dealt a P45 this week after failing to achieve a play-off finish with Middlesbrough for the second season running. However, his first season on Teeside was cause for optimism, managing a debut top-six Championship finish and providing hope that new managerial talent was blossoming.

Boro was also only his first full-time role in management, having spent a brief stint as Manchester United caretaker boss in 2021 following the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

And with prior knowledge of the club, Levy could see the Premier League stalwart as the right choice to succeed Postecoglou, with the ex-midfielder having spent the vast majority of his 19-year career in England’s top flight.

Another potential contender to replace the Australian - while maybe a long shot - is Gary O’Neil, who has been out of work since being sacked by Wolves in December 2024.

The former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Ham player, who started his coaching career as the assistant manager of Liverpool’s U23 squad, has previous experience with mid-table stragglers like Spurs this year.

He enjoyed a long spell at Bournemouth and was part of the backroom staff that oversaw promotion to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season, before taking charge first as interim and then permanent head coach by the end of 2022.

A promising start at Bournemouth - he was nominated for Manager of the Month in September 2022 - was replicated later at Wolves.

While in charge of both teams O’Neil oversaw a safe mid-table finish in his first season - 15th at Bournemouth, 14th at Wolves. He was sacked by the Cherries in the summer of 2023, despite securing safety, and took charge at Molineux in time for the 2023/24 campaign. But a dismal run of losses this season and a haul of just nine points by mid-December saw him sacked with the club firmly in the relegation zone.

Ange Postecoglou has said he and Tottenham fans will “forever” be “connected”, after the club sacked him as coach on Friday.

In May, Postecoglou guided Spurs to the Europa League trophy – their first silverware in 17 years – but also their worst-ever Premier League finish, as Tottenham ended up 17th.

The north London side lost 22 out of 38 league games amid that campaign, which also saw them exit the FA Cup to Aston Villa in January and suffer a thrashing by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals four days earlier.

Postecoglou, who joined Tottenham from Celtic in 2023, vowed: “I always win things in my second year.” And he did, but his stint at Tottenham has come to an end at the culmination of that second year, regardless.

“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham, my overriding emotion is one of pride,” said the Australian, 59, in a statement via his agency CAA Base.

“The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.

“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. We have also laid foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them.

“I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. I know there were some difficult times but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on.

“It’s important to acknowledge the hard working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special.

“We are forever connected. Audere est Facere [to dare is to do].”

Tottenham’s own statement read: “Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.

“Ange joined us from Celtic in the summer of 2023 and oversaw a period of change on the pitch, returning us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the Club, while writing a new chapter in our history by leading us to Uefa Europa League glory in Bilbao last month – an achievement that will live with us all forever.

“We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. 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.

“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.

“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision. We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future – he will always be welcome back at our home.

“News on the appointment of a new Head Coach will be announced in due course.”

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Tottenham just 16 days after ending the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy with Europa League glory.

Spurs finished in 17th place in the Premier League, having lost 22 of their 38 games, yet this domestic form accompanied a European campaign that culminated in victory over Manchester United on 21 May.

Tottenham triumphed 1-0 in Bilbao, where they secured their first silverware since 2008, as Postecoglou fulfilled a vow from earlier in the season: “I always win things in my second year.”

However, such a monumental achievement was not enough to save his job, with Daniel Levy making the decision to let the Aussie go ahead of a summer of wholesale change across key departments.

A statement issued by the club on Friday explaining the decision read: “We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. 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.

“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.

“We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future - he will always be welcome back at our home,” it concluded.

Postecoglou released a statement shortly after the club’s announcement, saying: “When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham Hotspur my overriding emotion is one of pride. The opportunity to lead one of England’s historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime.

“Sharing that experience with all those that truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget.

“That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes when trying to accommplish what many said was not possible.

“We’ve also laid the foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and I know there is much more potential and growth in them.”

Postecoglou, 59, cut an increasingly frustrated figure over the course of the Premier League season, as Spurs struggled towards the relegation places.

In January, Postecoglou pointed to Tottenham’s wretched fitness issues as an explanation for their alarming league form and maintained that the club would be stronger when players returned, but results did not improve despite senior players becoming available again.

Instead, Tottenham recorded their worst-ever Premier League season, adding to their exit from the FA Cup against Aston Villa in January and a meek defeat by Liverpool in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals four days earlier.

Former Celtic boss Postecoglou went unbeaten in his first 10 games in charge, winning eight, and steered Spurs to the top of the league in November 2023 in an impressive start – despite losing the club’s record goalscorer Harry Kane that summer. But Postecoglou struggled to replicate those early highs, with his refusal to compromise on his attacking principles of play at times coming in for criticism from fans and pundits.

The mood among Tottenham fans soured after Postecoglou cupped his ear to the travelling supporters during the defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April, and he later echoed former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s final act as manager by urging the club to “stick to something”.

The Australian, however, seemed to win back many fans with the Europa League final victory, though he was coy on his future in the moments after the game. “I understand why it would be difficult for a club like this to buy into one person’s vision,” he said.

“I remember even when I signed, [Spurs owner] Daniel Levy said. ‘We went after winners and it didn’t work, now we've got Ange’. But mate, I’m a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career. It’s what I have done more than anything else.”

Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Xavi, formerly in charge of Barcelona, are among those who have been connected with the role. Frank is thought to be the leading contender.

The next appointment will be crucial for the club as they bid to build on Champions League qualification and improve their Premier League position next season.