Spurs Web

Johan Lange has a clear preference for who he would like to replace Ange Postecoglou at the helm at Tottenham this summer if the club decides to part ways with the Australian.

Those who have been following Spurs Web’s coverage will be aware that Andoni Iraola, Marco Silva, and Thomas Frank are among the names on Tottenham’s wishlist to replace Ange Postecoglou.

However, the list does not end there, with several high-profile names as well as young, up-and-coming managers also being linked with the Tottenham Hotspur hot seat.

According to reports, Spurs want to appoint a new manager early in the summer and do not want the saga to drag on like it did in 2021 and 2023.

Tottenham’s Johan Lange is a big admirer of Thomas Frank

Over recent days, it has been claimed that Fabio Paratici will have a big say on who the next Tottenham manager is, with the Italian thought to have agreed to return to Spurs in a formal role.

According to a new report in BBC Sport, Johan Lange already has a clear candidate in mind for the role.

The report says that if the Tottenham technical director is involved in the appointment of Postecoglou’s replacement, the chances of Thomas Frank being appointed by Spurs would increase.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Lange is a big admirer of his compatriot since the Danish coach has vast experience working within the sort of data-driven recruitment ethos the Tottenham executive is implementing.

Is Thomas Frank becoming the favourite for the Tottenham job?

Some sources have suggested over recent weeks that, with Iraola reluctant to leave Bournemouth, Tottenham may push ahead with a move for Frank.

In fact, it has even been alleged that Spurs are ready to meet the £9m release clause in Frank’s contract at Brentford.

It thus appears as if the 51-year-old coach is front and centre of Tottenham’s thinking as they scour the market for a potential replacement for Postecoglou.

Heung-min Son is over the moon for his friend and former teammate, Harry Kane, after he secured the first trophy of his career, and the South Korean reveals that the England captain is now desperate for him to do the same as Spurs prepare for the Europa League final.

Spurs fans for delighted for Kane when Bayern Munich secured the Bundesliga title, with many feeling that it was richly deserved for the striker, who has been one of the best players in the world for the best part of a decade.

The 31-year-old will be relieved to get the monkey off his back, and he will hope that this is the first of many trophies at Bayern as he looks to make up for lost time.

The striker is also excited about the possibility of his former club breaking their trophy drought, with Kane admitting he will be cheering Tottenham on during the Europa League final.

Heung-min Son reveals he has spoken to Harry Kane

Son admitted that he was quick to congratulate the striker for getting his hands on a league winners’ medal, admitting that it felt like the success of a family member.

The Tottenham captain believes that Spurs’ record goalscorer will be sending positive energy to his side from Bavaria when they take the field against Man United for the final next week.

When asked if he had spoken to Kane after his title win, Son told Sports Naver: “I sent him a message, and he replied with a video call. He looked so happy, and I was genuinely thrilled for him. He’s a really close friend and someone I achieved a lot with—so it felt like a family member winning. If Kane’s sending us good energy, maybe we can produce something special too.”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Son is not worried about his recent Tottenham injury

Son missed six games with a foot injury and only returned to action in Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday, coming on as a late substitute.

With just one more game to go before the final, the forward might not be as sharp as he wants for the big game, but he insists that he will not allow the injury to play on his mind when he steps out onto the pitch at Bilbo.

When told that fans are worried about his fitness, Son responded: “As a footballer, it’s rare to play a match when your body feels 100%. Rather than focusing on that, I think what matters more is returning to play well and being ready. Instead of rehashing what went wrong, it’s better to think positively and focus on what’s ahead.”

Heung-min Son has revealed the biggest factor that has motivated him to remain at Tottenham for such a long time, and the forward believes that his decision might soon be vindicated.

Son has seen several big names come and go at Tottenham Hotspur over the past 10 years, but he has remained loyal to the Lilywhites.

The South Korean has been one of the most consistent players across the Premier League during his time at the club and could have thus joined almost any club he wanted to.

Yet, he showed the kind of dedication and commitment to the North Londoners that one rarely sees from players who have not come through the system, and Spurs fans will love hearing their captain explain why he did that.

Heung-min Son wants to achieve something special at Tottenham

The 32-year-old is certainly closer to the end of his Spurs career than its beginning, being down to just one year left on his contract.

However, he now has a chance to guarantee his place in Tottenham folklore by beating Manchester United at the Europa League final and holding aloft the trophy in Bilbao, which would break a 17-year silverware drought for the club.

Son confessed that his biggest reason for remaining at the club is his belief that he can achieve what others failed to do and secure a trophy for the club.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The Korean told Sports Naver: “I said I wanted to make this season special—and now we’re down to the final piece of the puzzle. I’ve been saying it for years, but the biggest reason I’ve stayed at Tottenham is because I wanted to do something others couldn’t. That’s why I believe I’m still here.

“You can’t complete a puzzle without all the pieces. I think we’ve put together every piece—except the most important final one. I feel like I’ve been wandering for ten years trying to find that last piece. I hope this time, I can finally complete it.”

Son insists Spurs will learn from their past failures

Son has been part of Spurs sides that have ended up on the losing side in two finals: The 2019 Champions League final and the 2021 League Cup final.

The Lilywhites have also fallen at the semifinal stage on numerous occasions, but their captain insists things feel different this time, claiming that he is leaning on his experience of playing in those big games.

When asked about the two disappointing finals he has had at Spurs, Son responded: “I believe we’ve learned something from those past failures. The team has changed a lot since those finals, but for me and the experienced players, it’s important that we pass on what we’ve learned to the others.

“This time, it feels different. I really want to win. I’m desperate for it, and I know so many people are just as passionate about supporting us. If we prepare well, I believe something good can happen.”

Ange Postecoglou has had a touchy relationship with certain sections of the Tottenham fan base at times, but the Australian has now praised the supporters for what they have done through the club’s Europa League run.

This season has been an ugly one for Spurs domestically, and we have seen Postecoglou and Tottenham players get into altercations with fans on occasions.

However, that relationship appears to have been mended, at least temporarily, which was evidenced by the wild celebrations in front of the travelling Tottenham Hotspur contingent in Bodo/Glimt last week.

There is now undoubtedly a togetherness building at Spurs, mainly down to the fact that Postecoglou’s men now have a brilliant opportunity to end their 17-year trophy drought.

Ange Postecoglou admits Tottenham supporters have made a real difference in the Europa League

While Tottenham’s Premier League results have continued to go from bad to worse through the season, their fortunes in the Europa League have been entirely different.

Spurs broke a 64-year record with their win over Bodo/Glimt, which was their ninth win in this edition of the Europa League, which is the most that the Lilywhites have ever had in a single European campaign since 1961.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Postecoglou puts that down to the fact that the fans have got behind the team in a big way and created a fantastic energy in the stadium through the knockout phase of the competition.

The Tottenham manager told Football.London: “I’ve certainly felt the supporters have played a huge role in our European run. The AZ game at home, then Frankfurt home and away and then Bodo home and away, they’ve been brilliant.

“The Bodo game at home, I know people got a bit nervous when we conceded but I thought we were so dominant that night and a big part of that was the way we started the game and that was because of the crowd and the energy inside the stadium from the moment the boys walked out.

“With the energy in the stadium, we scored within a minute, and there is no doubt the crowd have played a huge part in our cup run for sure. I am sure come the final, they will have an important part to play there as well.”

The Tottenham fans will make themselves heard in the final

Given how big an occasion the Europa League final is for Spurs, one would certainly expect the around 15,000 Tottenham fans in attendance at the San Mames to out-sing their Man United counterparts.

Hopefully, the players can respond to the atmosphere and deliver one final big performance to get over the line and achieve European glory.

After a long time, it feels like an exciting time to be a Spurs fan, with all eyes firmly on Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou has now written his name into Tottenham’s history books, but not in the manner that he would want, with the Australian setting an unwanted record with Spurs’ latest defeat to Crystal Palace.

As expected, Postecoglou significantly rotated his squad, with eight changes made to the starting eleven from the one that took to the field at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.

It was an opportunity for many players to stake a claim in the team for the Europa League final, but they failed to do that, with the Lilywhites being comprehensively outplayed.

A brace from Eberechi Eze proved the difference between the sides as Tottenham fell to yet another Premier League defeat at home.

Ange Postecoglou enters the record books for an unwanted reason

This was not just another defeat for Spurs, but a significant one since it was their 20th loss of the league campaign.

That is the most Tottenham have ever lost in a single season in the Premier League era, with Ange Postecoglou beating the 19 defeats overseen by Ossie Ardiles in the 1993/94 season.

MORE SPURS STORIES

With two games left to go, Spurs’ record could get even worse, and unfortunately for Postecoglou, this record he is setting will likely not be beaten for a long time.

Should we read anything at all into Tottenham’s defeat against Palace?

Tottenham’s loss against Palace might not mean much for the Europa League final, given that a severely weakened team was fielded.

The players were always going to find it difficult to get up for a league game with nothing riding on it after coming down off the jubilation of Thursday evening.

While Ange Postecoglou has come under heavy criticism for much of the season, Oliver Glasner believes that the Australian deserves immense credit for what he has been able to achieve this campaign.

Glasner’s men consigned Tottenham to their 20th defeat of the league campaign, which is the most defeats Spurs have ever suffered in a single Premier League season.

It is not the sort of record that Postecoglou would have wanted, but the Australian will have a chance to become the first Spurs boss to win silverware since 2008 when the Lilywhites take on Man United in the Europa League final next week.

Postecoglou has blasted his critics for trying to downplay Tottenham’s achievements in Europe this season, and his Palace counterpart believes that the 59-year-old should get more credit.

Oliver Glasner on Tottenham’s Europa League achievement

Crystal Palace beat a weakened Tottenham side 2-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, but the Lilywhites have bigger fish to fry as they look forward to their first European final in six years.

Glasner knows what it takes to go all the way in the Europa League, leading his Eintracht Frankfurt side to the trophy two years ago.

The Palace boss pointed out that the North London club have done tremendously well to get to the final, given the number of injuries they had throughout the campaign.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Glasner told Palace’s official website: “Congratulations to Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham for reaching the Europa League final.

“Tottenham had many injuries, many games to play, and I think they had many storms to overcome. It’s part of our job, but in the end, I really have a huge appreciation for Ange and how he dealt with the situation.”

Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Oliver Glasner as a replacement for Postecoglou in the summer after such a poor domestic season.

Postecoglou’s legacy is entirely riding on the Europa League

While the injury crisis was clearly an extenuating circumstance for Tottenham this season, one cannot get away from the fact that this is now statistically the worst ever Spurs side in the three-and-a-half decades of the Premier League.

If Tottenham fail to win the Europa League, Postecoglou will unfortunately go down as a flop, despite his fifth-place finish last season.

However, his place in the Spurs history books will be secure if the Lilywhites manage to get their hands on the trophy and overcome their 17-year trophy drought.

It is not often that a manager’s legacy depends on just one game, but that is exactly the situation that Postecoglou now faces.

Eberechi Eze was asked by a Spurs fan just ahead of Sunday’s clash if he would come to Tottenham this summer, and the attacking midfielder’s reaction was very interesting.

The England international’s brace proved the difference between Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, taking his tally to 12 goals and 12 assists across all competitions this season.

Those are elite returns from a player who is widely thought of as one of the best in the Premier League, and that is perhaps why Tottenham have identified Eze as their top summer target, according to reports.

However, some sources have suggested that Spurs are not willing to trigger Eze’s £68m release clause. Perhaps the Palace man’s performance yesterday may help to change the Tottenham hierarchy’s mind.

Eberechi Eze smiles when asked about Tottenham move

Ahead of the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the midfielder was signing autographs for young Spurs fans at the venue and was gracious enough to even sign matchday programmes.

One young fan then shouted out to the Palace star: “Can you come to Tottenham?” and Eze then looked at the fan and gave him a very cheeky smile before walking through the tunnel.

Watch the interaction below:

MORE SPURS STORIES

Can Tottenham persuade Eze to join this summer?

Amid the speculation over the Palace star’s future, Alan Pardew opined last week that Eze would not join Tottenham.

The former Eagles boss feels that the attacking midfielder would want to make a bigger move, suggesting that he is one of the best 10 players across the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou was spotted having a chat with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pedro Porro in the sun during Tottenham’s latest training session, and he has now revealed why he has seemingly changed his ways.

Ange Postecoglou is now well into his second season as boss of Tottenham Hotspur, and while things have not gone exactly to plan in the league, there is still plenty to be optimistic about, with Spurs set to contest the Europa League final.

The Australian made it abundantly clear during his early days at N17 that he was not particularly interested in forming deep friendships or personal relationships with his players.

Postecoglou believed that allowing such bonds to develop could lead to unintentional favouritism, something he has long felt could damage the harmony and competitive edge within the squad.

He said: “We have so many people here. My goal is to make every single one of them feel valued so I try and get across as many as possible…

“Most of the chats I have with the players are as a group. Of course, players can come to me with issues. It’s just that I won’t be sitting down with them and asking how their day was.”

He continued: “I have to make decisions and some of them are hard. It’s human nature that if I like one person more than someone else then I ask: ‘Why am I making this decision?'”

MORE SPURS STORIES

Postecoglou changes stance after chat with Rodrigo Bentancur and Pedro Porro

However, in the build-up to Tottenham’s recent clash against Aston Villa, Postecoglou was spotted having a relaxed sit-down with both Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Tottenham manager has since addressed the moment and explained that while he did not previously place much value on forging close personal ties, his perspective has shifted with time, and he now believes those connections carry real weight.

Speaking to football.london, he said: “A lot of that stuff is references from when I was a young manager. When you get older you mellow a bit and you realise the world’s changed and people need connections.

‘It was a nice day and it was good to sit and chat. They are both great guys and it was good to get some feedback. They played a bit yesterday. It is a fairly common occurrence [to chat with players].”

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou showing signs of evolution

Football has most certainly evolved, and that is reflected in the way top Premier League managers now operate, with many leaning heavily on the emotional side of leadership.

During Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool, there was clear evidence of just how close he and his players were, and a similar dynamic has been seen with Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City squad.

Ange Postecoglou has offered a powerful and deeply personal insight into what winning silverware would mean for both himself and Tottenham, as the club edges closer to ending a near two-decade drought.

There is no denying that Tottenham Hotspur are on the brink of something special this season. The Lilywhites, in nine days, will be heading to Spain to take on Manchester United in the final of the UEFA Europa League.

Should Tottenham secure a victory in Bilbao on Wednesday, 21 May, it would end their almost two-decade wait for silverware.

It would also see Ange Postecoglou deliver on his second-season trophy claim – a statement he made earlier in the campaign when he declared: “I always win things in my second season.”

Ange Postecoglou explains what winning a trophy means for Tottenham

The Tottenham boss has now sat down to explain what a trophy would mean for both the club and himself. He has stated that should he win this piece of silverware, then he will have a trophy he can reminisce about in his old age.

And for Tottenham, it would bring an end to their 17-year wait for silverware. Postecoglou also stated that if Spurs are to end their trophy drought, they would have to fight for it, drawing a parallel between Tottenham and the clubs he managed in the past.

He told football.london: “For me personally, great it’s another trophy I can reminisce about in my old age, but more importantly for the club. It’s the significance of what it does.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Yokohama had not won the championship for 14 years, Australia and Brisbane had not, and Celtic was one year but that is a long time in Scotland.

“We had to wrestle it back. When you look at the historical backdrop of this club for the past 20-odd years. It feels like a turning point for how people perceive this club and this club perceives itself.

“The photos I see up on the walls of the stadium are of Bill Nicholson, the 1984 winning team. Most of the photos are black and white. Now it is about can we get this group up on the wall.”

Spurs’ Premier League form adds pressure to Manchester United clash

Spurs’ poor Premier League form makes the clash against Manchester United very crucial for the Lilywhites.

At the moment, Tottenham are enduring their worst ever Premier League campaign in recent years, with the Lilywhites camped in 17th place after suffering their 20th league defeat against Crystal Palace.

Ange Postecoglou was left worried once again as training ground chaos added to Tottenham’s growing list of injury scares, with the manager calling on the footballing gods for mercy.

Of course, given how poorly things have gone for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, it is only natural that the club has its eyes set on the final in Bilbao, which is now nine days away.

But before they make the trip to Spain, Tottenham have a Premier League clash to prepare for, with a visit to UEFA Champions League-chasing Aston Villa next on the horizon.

Tottenham would certainly want to use this game as a chance to get everyone back to full speed, especially after Postecoglou rang the changes last time out against Crystal Palace, giving fringe players a run in the squad.

Ange Postecoglou reacts to Brennan Johnson and Sergio Reguilon training collision

Dejan Kulusevski picked up a knock against Crystal Palace, but Postecoglou has stated that the club are waiting for 24 hours before they can know just how good or bad things are.

As if that is not enough, in their most recent training session on Monday, Sergio Reguilon and Brennan Johnson, who were teammates in training, collided. It definitely was an accidental collision, as it appeared that Reguilon simply slipped into Johnson.

Postecoglou revealed he is praying to the footballing gods that Tottenham do not pick up any serious injuries in training between now and May 21.

MORE SPURS STORIES

The Australian manager told football.london: “I do not know if you saw training but we had Reggy slide tackling Brennan Johnson and they were on the same team!

It seems to be how our season has gone. You want to protect the integrity of training. Thankfully nothing too serious. We just have to hope and pray to the football gods.”

Brennan Johnson injury scare is the last thing Tottenham need

That being said, Spurs cannot afford to pick up any more injuries ahead of their clash against Manchester United.

As it stands, the Lilywhites are set to be without James Maddison, who is out for three months, and Lucas Bergvall, who is sure to miss the final.

Of course, Radu Dragusin remains out with an ACL problem. But Heung-min Son was back on the pitch against Crystal Palace, which is a good sign.

Brennan Johnson is currently Tottenham’s top scorer in all competitions, and should he pick up an injury, he would be a big miss.