Football London

Thomas Frank could already have the ideal partner in place at Tottenham should he take over as manager this summer.

Ange Postecoglou ’s side have endured a turbulent Premier League campaign, currently sitting just above the relegation zone with one game left to play. A long-running injury crisis has played a major role in their inconsistent form, but that hasn’t eased the scrutiny on the Australian, with questions over his future continuing to dominate headlines.

Wednesday night’s historic Europa League triumph in Bilbao, where Spurs defeated Manchester United, has further complicated the situation, with opinion divided on whether Postecoglou is the right man to lead the club forward. Ultimately, the decision will rest with chairman Daniel Levy and the club’s hierarchy.

However, if Spurs opt for change, Brentford boss Frank has been heavily linked as a potential successor. He has been in charge at Brentford since 2018, having previously coached in his native Denmark with Brondby and the national youth teams.

He led the Bees to Premier League promotion in 2021 and has kept them comfortably in the top flight, a feat many promoted clubs fail to manage. If Tottenham do pursue Frank, he would already have a key ally behind the scenes in technical director Johan Lange.

Lange, who joined Spurs in 2023 after previous roles at Aston Villa and FC Copenhagen, shares a longstanding history with Frank. The pair, both Danish, worked together during their early coaching days at Lyngby, a club based in the suburbs of Copenhagen.

Some reports in recent months suggest it is, in fact, Lange who is advocating for Frank’s appointment, having remained a strong admirer of his former colleague’s work. According to The Telegraph, who reported in April that Postecoglou could be on his way out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Frank is among the leading candidates should a change be made.

That said, it remains to be seen whether the Europa League victory will earn Postecoglou a stay of execution heading into next season.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham squad will receive a hero's welcome when they return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday following their Europa League title success. Spurs ended 17 years of hurt by triumphing in UEFA's second club competition after a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

The celebrations have been very special since the full-time whistle in Bilbao, with the Tottenham team embarking on a victory parade through the streets of north London on Friday evening. Postecoglou's squad were greeted by tens of thousands of people and the celebrations will continue on Sunday when Brighton & Hove Albion visit N17.

Tottenham will be bidding not to finish the Premier League season in 17th place. They do have the opportunity to finish as high as 14th but that will all be dependent on beating the Seagulls and other results going their way.

In terms of the games that could have a say on their final position in the Premier League, Manchester United host Aston Villa, West Ham travel to Ipswich Town and Wolves welcome Brentford to Molineux.

After their heroics in the San Mames Stadium, Postecoglou is likely to rotate his team and that will give an opportunity to those on the periphery of the starting XI to come in. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the boss did mention that Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min will miss out and there is a possibility Yves Bissouma joins them in the stands.

Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham will wrap up their 2024/25 campaign later today when Brighton & Hove Albion make the trip to north London. It has been a season like no other at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following a year of injuries, extremely mixed results and silverware.

Tottenham's trophy hoodoo finally came to an end on Wednesday evening after they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final in Bilbao. Brennan Johnson was the hero on the night with a first-half goal as Postecoglou ensured his outstanding record of winning silverware in his second season at a club continued.

All connected with Tottenham have been soaking in the triumph ever since the full-time whistle sounded at the San Mames Stadium. Friday evening saw the team welcomed back with a trophy parade through north London as ten of thousands of fans turned up.

Tottenham will be back at their home ground on Sunday afternoon as they host Brighton & Hove Albion in their final Premier League game of the term. As things stand, the Lilywhites are 17th in the league table but they can finish as high as 14th if results go their way.

Manchester United, who are one place above Spurs, host Aston Villa, West Ham in 15th travel to relegated Ipswich Town and 14th-place Wolves welcome Brentford to Molineux. Considering the team's European success this week and banishing their wretched run without a trophy for good, the result of the Brighton game may be the last thing on Tottenham fans' mind right now.

The game is important in terms of finances, though, due to Premier League merit payments, which are derived from the domestic and international broadcast rights paid. These are distributed on a sliding scale from 1st to 20th and the difference in prize money was roughly around £2.8million last season.

That meant Sheffield United received £2.8million for finishing bottom of the Premier League table in 2023/24 and Spurs in fifth secured £45.1million. Tottenham will see a big drop in merit payments for this season due to their lowly position in the Premier League table but it is worth remembering that they have brought in a large sum from their Europa League success.

Tottenham will earn £11.3million if they are to finish 17th in the standings come the full-time whistle on Sunday, with £19.7million the total if results go in their favour and they come 14th. Having already got one over Manchester United this week after beating them in the Europa League final, Postecoglou's side do have the chance to deliver another blow - this time financial - to the Red Devils if they leapfrog them in the league table.

One point currently separates the sides heading into the final day, with Tottenham's superior goal difference meaning a point would be enough to finish above them if United are to lose to Aston Villa. Neither team will want to finish 17th but Tottenham at least have the Europa League trophy safely in their possession now to ensure a rather up-and-down season has finished on a positive note.

Ange Postecoglou has revealed he will never rewatch Tottenham's Europa League final triumph over Manchester United. Brennan Johnson's first-half goal in Bilbao ensured it was a night to remember for the Lilywhites as they brought an end to their 17-year trophy wait.

Tottenham fans will have undoubtedly watched Johnson's goal back countless times since Wednesday evening, with the incredible victory parade likely to be put on repeat quite a few times over the coming months. For Postecoglou, however, he is not someone who will do that as he would prefer to have his memories of the night rather than watch the game back and take the enjoyment out of it by picking apart his team's performance.

"No, I've always done that my sort of whole career. Unless I get drawn into it when people start talking to me about it, I don't think about it a lot," he said when he asked if he's had time to reflect on his journey over the past couple of days. "When I get to the end of my career I'll have more time to understand how I ended up in this place from where I started.

"I tend to leave the moments in perfect periods of time. I'll never rewatch Bilbao. I've never really rewatched any significant game I've won in my career because if I do I'll start picking holes into the performance and I don't want to do that.

"It's the perfect memory for me. I don't care if people say we didn't play well. It doesn't bother me. For me, that night will stay in my memory forever as a perfect night. Then I kind of leave that in it's rightful place and move on to what the next thing is.

"At some point, if you chart the course of my last sort of 26 years and beyond from where I started, it's fair to say it's a pretty rare journey I have been on and I feel pretty lucky to have been on it."

Johnson is a player who has been on his own journey. From receiving abuse from supporters earlier in the season, the ex-Nottingham Forest ace wrote his name into the history books with the winning goal in the Europa League final.

"Brennan is kind of indicative of what I’ve been trying to build here," said Postecoglou. "It’s about people of character, people of resilience and he hasn’t had it easy.

"It’s been surprising to me because his contribution has been significant since we signed him. You stack up his record since he’s been here to any other winger apart from Mo [Salah], who is a freak, and Brennan’s stands up. Goals and assists, that is what you need from attacking players and not just in any game, but the big games as well.

"It’s a credit to him and again, fair to say he’s one of the ones who has enjoyed himself in the last couple of days, but rightly so. And I’m hoping him doing that on such a big stage, he comes back next year as a mentality monster of I know what it takes to win, this is what I want again and that feeds onto everyone else. That is what you hope Wednesday night creates. That all these guys have got a taste of it now and want more of it."

Postecoglou admitted in his post-match press conference that he will go on holiday with his family on Monday, a matter of hours after Tottenham's final game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion. So what exactly does a Postecoglou holiday look like?

"Just family time and finding some quiet spot. Yeah, that’s got some water and a sun lounger and not too much movement, that will do me," he revealed. "Just mainly family time and like I said, time to reflect, not just for myself, but, you know, for my wife, for my kids. Just pretty chilled and laid back.

"It's one of those things where you probably don't realise till you're stopped how tired you are, you know, physically and emotionally and I'm sure that'll hit me Monday morning."

A holiday departure on Monday maybe doesn't leave a lot of times for talks with the club but Postecoglou will be able to relax even if his long-term future still remains up in the air.

"Don't worry about that. I'm good at relaxing mate," said the boss. "Come Monday, I won't have a care in the world. I won't have a care in the world.

"But, I assume I'll have an indication at some point. Only because, you know, there's some serious planning to do more than anything else. I won't have any problem switching off."

Following a season of ups and downs in north London, Postecoglou and his coaching staff have learnt a number of lessons across the 2024/25 campaign. A different approach looks in order come the start of pre-season, including bringing in some experienced players to supplement a very youthful squad.

“Yeah look you learn from every season," admitted the Australian. "I think looking back at our pre-season last year, I don’t think it was ideal and there were certain things we needed to do differently and certainly needed to design differently for the coming year.

"How we get our guys ready for what is going to be the biggest challenge of Premier League and Champions League football, we know it is a massive challenge, so how do we prepare our players? I think our players will be better equipped.

"You know we started the season and people forget we signed Dom, who has been unbelievable for us but then we signed three teenagers. They weren’t ready for what was ahead. They’ve been unbelievable, obviously Wilson has missed a lot of the season but Lucas and Archie have been unbelievable.

"We signed three teenagers but next year they are not going to be teenagers, they are more than ready and will be in a better space straight away. That is the other lesson learned, that we can’t and I don’t think anyway, that would be my direction that you need to now bring in some experience for this group in terms of our recruiting.

"So, you learn lessons from that and I’ve said all along, I have still felt there has been growth this year and we’ll be much better placed at the beginning of next year to tackle what is ahead than we were at the start of this one."

The scenes from Tottenham's victory parade will forever be etched into the memory of Postecoglou, his coaching staff, playing squad and all connected with the club. Postecoglou knows he is in charge of a "massive club" but now he wants to "make it bigger than ever".

“Yeah, look I was overwhelmed by the sea of people and every demographic you can think of. There were grown men crying, women, girls and boys just so ecstatic that you feel irrespective of what is happening in their lives at the moment, they were all just so joyous," he said.

"When you see the sheer magnitude of the numbers, you realise it is a massive club. I had a sense of that before I joined but I guess even for the club itself, it reaffirms that missing piece of success and what it can do to galvanise a supporter base and really show the size of the club. It’s fair to say it is a massive club and the opportunity now is to make it bigger than ever."

Next season's Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Given Postecoglou's close connection with the Hungarian great, the boss is happy for Tottenham to dream of another European final.

“Yeah, dream on. Why not, why not," he admitted. "That is the beauty of football, you’ve got to dream.”

Tottenham Hotspur might well have already dropped a major team news hint ahead of their final Premier League game of the season against Brighton on Sunday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou's side are still in celebration mode following Wednesday night's historic Europa League triumph over Manchester United, a victory that ended the Lilywhites' 17-year wait for silverware. An open-top bus parade took place outside the stadium on Friday evening, with festivities continuing into the weekend ahead of their clash with the Seagulls.

The manager now faces some key selection decisions before kick-off - and clues may already be emerging from training. On Friday, the club shared a series of training photos on social media, featuring Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett and Mikey Moore - suggesting they could all be in line for starts.

Radu Dragusin, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Timo Werner and Lucas Bergvall all remain side-lined owing to injuries, and missed Wednesday's final. Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min have also been ruled out after picking up knocks in Bilbao.

Yves Bissouma sustained a knock during the final, as well, and he will undergo a late fitness test ahead of Sunday's game. Spurs currently sit in 17th spot in the Premier League table - just above the relegation zone - but will hope to leapfrog Manchester United, West Ham and Wolves with a win over Brighton.

Tottenham are already guaranteed a place in next season's Champions League, although it still remains uncertain whether Postecoglou will still be in the dugout by then. "I haven't given it a lot of thought [about my future]," the manager told the media ahead of the Brighton match.

"I refuse to be distracted by anything in terms of the opportunity that was before us, and since the game I just wanted to take the opportunity also to enjoy that as well. I assume at some point somebody will tell me something. If not, then I'm just gonna roll up next year and be a bit like (George) Costanza from Seinfeld. I'll just sit at the desk, get on with my job."

Lionel Messi has acknowledged Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League triumph this week - in a show of support for fellow Argentine Cristian Romero.

Spurs ran out victorious over Manchester United in Bilbao to win the club's first silverware in 17 years. In the end it was Brennan Johnson's first-half goal that proved to be the winning contribution.

But defensive duties were required to ensure Ange Postecoglou's side triumphed with their slender advantage.

For that, captain Romero earned the Europa League's player of the season award - and a place in the team of the tournament.

Spurs' party was brought back to London on Friday evening as the players and coaching staff paraded the trophy along the streets of north London on an open top bus.

"London is [white heart emoji] @spursofficial," Romero wrote on Instagram, showing a selection of photos from the event.

The defender added: "The only way to get my name engraved in this club was like this [trophy emoji]. We deserved this @spursofficial. Thank you all for the love as always!!!"

Over 100,000 users have liked Romero's post, including footballing superstar Messi.

The duo are good friends from their time shared playing for their country, including 2022's FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar. There is even a story dating back to Messi's latter years at Barcelona, about how he asked the club to sign Romero, who was in his youth at Juventus at the time.

The 37-year-old, though, ended up departing for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 at the same time Romero completed a permanent switch to Atalanta and then his initial loan to Spurs.

"The fact that Messi would want me in his team, and that he wanted me to come to Barcelona is amazing," Romero told Radio AM 550 via Squawka.

"The team that PSG have built is crazy. I'm a bit sad about how Leo left Barcelona, I thought he would have stayed there forever. I wish him all the best, he's a great person and, hopefully, he can win everything, alongside the other Argentinians there.

"I'm thankful to Messi and for everything that I shared with him and the rest of the national team.

"From the first day, the group made me feel like I'd been there for years. That's just the kind of group it is there."

Then after a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador last year, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said of Spurs' £42m man: "For me, he's the best defender in the world, right now. Amazing performance tonight, man-of-the-match."

Ange Postecoglou has spoken to the media ahead of Tottenham's final game of the Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion. It promises to be a memorable afternoon at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday as the team celebrate their Europa League triumph.

Spurs players have already had the opportunity to enjoy their European title success in front of their supporters following a victory parade through the streets of north London on Friday. Postecoglou made a rousing speech during his time on the microphone and that was a key topic in his final pre-match press conference of the season.

As well as speaking about Tottenham's Europa League title and the victory parade, the 59-year-old also spoke about the latest on the injury front, the team's return to training and what the future holds for Mathys Tel. Here's every word the boss had to say during his time with the media:

Congratulations, after the celebrations will you be able to field a team?

Thanks, yeah we’ll be able to field a team. As I’ve got older, I used to be a bit different but I really feel you need to celebrate your achievements properly. That was my message to the boys. It’s really important because it’s important for them, because they’re the ones who have done it and achieved it. It’s important for the people around them because then they can relax as well and then it’s important to make the experience as memorable as possible because when I ask them to climb the mountain again, there is a reason for it.

Fair to say they took my words literally and certainly enjoyed themselves over the last couple of days. Like all parties there is one family member who embarrasses you and we want to keep control of. Fair to say we had a couple of those, but again, it doesn’t make them bad people and they are probably the first ones you reinvite to the next party. The boys are all good. We’ll be good tomorrow.

Any insight into that?

No, I just love seeing and it’s important the boys celebrated. We’ve been through a lot and it is part of how you create this winning mentality and bond because I am sure when they reflect, when they reflect on the game and the feelings afterwards, even the last 24 to 48 hours, the parade yesterday was unbelievable, all those things are important.

Best TV shows have a trailer, what can we expect from season three?

I should have thought about it a bit more because as somebody rightly pointed out, sometimes they kill off the main character. I could be in strife there!

I said even before the game, I really believe we’re just building something and a significant win accelerates that. I really believe that is the case and I am not going to put a limit on what we can achieve. I certainly believe it’s exciting the possibilities of next year knowing I’ve got a group of players now and staff and a club that knows how to win and wants more of it.

Any discussions with Daniel Levy about being main character next season, can you confirm you will?

No, look I haven’t had any discussions. Similar to before the game, I haven't had any discussions with the club. Like I said before the game, maybe they were just waiting for clear air to give me some guidance. But I haven't heard anything from the club.

Still a chance either scenario happens, always feels that would be brave call (to sack you)?

I haven't given it a lot of thought. I refuse to be distracted by anything in terms of the opportunity that was before us, and since the game I just wanted to take the opportunity also to enjoy that as well. I haven’t thought about it. I assume at some point somebody will tell me something. If not, I'm just gonna roll up next year and be a bit like Costanza from Seinfeld. I'll just sit in the desk and get on with my job.

How would you describe emotions of last few days in one-word?

Hard to pin down because you go through a range of emotions, but tremendous pride more than anything else. It’s fair to say we’ve had a really tough time this year and that could have made my position really, really difficult, more difficult than people may imagine because I could have felt very isolated.

You know the fact this group and this staff that I work closely with stayed true, still believed in me, just tremendous pride to see that then come to fruition in something so special. That is why I love sitting back and watching players, staff, our supporters all rejoicing.

You take on a weight of responsibility when you take over as manager of any football club. There is a lot resting on your shoulder and I can tell you any manager that has ever won something, the first feeling you have more than anything else is just relief. Relief that all the burden you have carried has been rewarded.

Have you had a sense from the players going into this final game of the season that they don't want to finish it in the 17th?

Look, it's not through a lack of will or trying. As I said, it hasn't been easy because I'm making seven or eight changes every game. Guys don't have a rhythm, there's no connections and we've suffered, but even withstanding that we should have been better.

So tomorrow we know the fans are going to come to the ground, continue to celebrate and we still want to make it a good day for them. We want to perform well, we want to make sure that we finish the season off strong and we know we need to address our league form. I still believe where we are is not a true reflection of who we are as a team but, within that context, we still need to be better and that's what we'll try and do tomorrow.

Did you get a sense in training today that the players are desperate to be on the pitch tomorrow and in front of the fans one last time this season?

Some of them. I had to push a few of them out there! I think by the end of training they will all be keen to get out there and perform well. There will be a couple of absences, I should have mentioned that. Romero has been struggling with his toe for quite a while so we'll leave him out and probably Sonny because his foot has still not healed. They've both sort of made a massive effort to get to the final. Bissouma got a knock in the game and he's kind of 50/50 at the moment. The rest of them, physically anyway, are ok.

You must feel for Deki missing out on the celebrations yesterday because he has been integral this season?

There's always those kinds of stories whenever it happens. I would have loved Deki to be there because he has been a big part of our season. A big part of what we did and he played such a crucial role at Bodo away to get to the final. I would have loved for him to experience that. But what it does do I know is it will fuel him even more. He'll be even more determined that next time he will be there and that can only be a good thing for us.

What does winning a European title do to that bond between the players as they are now linked together forever?

It does. It is significant. They are forever connected now irrespective of sort of what their futures hold. They're always going to be connected, they will always have the night in Bilbao, they will always have always be the ones that broke the drought and hopefully there isn't another drought like it. They'll always be remembered for that.

I think it does bring them closer, which again as I was saying before, that's how you create a winning culture because I am sure they want to experience it again together as a group. They want to have another moment, they want another night like Bilbao, they want to lift another trophy, they want to have another parade, they probably want to go out again and all those kind of things. I think it does unite them to an even greater extent.

Tomorrow is the last game of Mathys Tel's loan deal, do you want to keep him at the club next season?

I guess they're the kind of discussions that we start to need to have. But again, without myself gatecrashing meetings, I need to be invited to them, but we'll assess all those things. Matty's done really well for us. We put him in a real difficult position in that as a young player who hadn't played a lot, probably wasn't fit enough, we just threw him straight in but he's handled it really well.

I think he's been a real important contributor for us and he'll definitely play tomorrow at some point whether he starts or come off the bench. I'm sure those decisions we'll kind of look into post-season.

Ange Postecoglou has not held talks with Daniel Levy over his future. The Tottenham boss is now in a period of limbo after winning the Europa League on Wednesday.

Despite claiming the club's first piece of major silverware in 17 years, Postecoglou's position is in doubt. Earlier this season it was reported that he would be sacked regardless of the result in Bilbao.

However, after beating Manchester United to claim a trophy and secure Champions League football, Postecoglou has reaffirmed his commitment to Spurs. "I said even before the game, I really believe we’re just building something and a significant win accelerates that," he said at a press conference ahead of the final game of the Premier League campaign against Brighton on Sunday.

"I really believe that is the case and I am not going to put a limit on what we can achieve. I certainly believe it’s exciting the possibilities of next year knowing I’ve got a group of players now and staff and a club that knows how to win and wants more of it."

When asked about whether he had been in contact with Levy, the chairman who will ultimately have the final say on if he stays or goes, Postecoglou added: "No, look I haven’t had any discussions. Similar to before the game, I haven't had any discussions with the club. Like I said before the game, maybe they were just waiting for clear air to give me some guidance. But I haven't heard anything from the club."

Postecoglou had been under immense heading into the final. His Tottenham side had lost 21 of their 37 league games but the narrative around the head coach has changed in the aftermath. Speaking ahead of the game, Postecoglou cut a resigned figure despite his determined words.

"My future is assured, mate," he said. "I wouldn’t be the first person who changes job. We all change jobs. I am sure you’ve had more than one job. My future is assured, I have got a beautiful family, I’ve got a great life, I’ll keep on winning trophies until I finish – wherever that is.

Send your messages of congratulations after Tottenham's Europa League triumph here.

"Don’t worry about my future, mate. My future is not intertwined with anything. My future is assured provided god-willing my health remains, my beautiful family is beside me, my friends, there is nothing wrong with my future, mate. Don’t stress. Sleep easy tonight. I’ll be OK."

He was then asked by TNT Sports afterwards if he felt things had changed. "That decision is not in my hands," he replied. "It doesn't affect me. If it was going to affect me then you would have seen it in the buildup to here. All that I cared about was this thing [the medal]. You know, having this thing around my neck means this football club has won a trophy."

He finished: "I've said that and I don't feel like I've completed the job yet. We're still building. The moment I accepted the role I had one thing in my head and that is to win something. More than anything else. We've done that now and I want to build on it."

Having been booed and widely criticised by Tottenham supporters throughout his second season, Postecoglou has altered the feeling of many after his historic achievement. Notably, at the Europa League trophy parade on Friday around north London, Postecoglou fired up the Spurs faithful.

Having a 'mic drop moment' at the end, the Australian said: "I'll leave you with this, all the best television series - season three is better than season two."

Whatever happens next for the former Celtic boss, Levy has been urged to make a decision sooner rather than later. "I guess it will be interesting to see now because he's won a trophy and he's the first Tottenham manager to do that in a long time," Gareth Bale commented.

"I guess the board have some decisions to make. They either back him or they don't and they've got to do it soon."

Ange Postecoglou has revealed that three Tottenham players are likely to miss Sunday's Premier League clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Spurs welcome Brighton to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday for their final match of the 2024/25 season. It has been a difficult season domestically for the Lilywhites but spirits could not be higher following the club's Europa League win on Wednesday.

The 1-0 win over Manchester United sparked wild scenes at full-time, with players, members of staff and supporters celebrating hard Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday during the trophy parade. Tens of thousands of supporters lined the streets of north London to cheer their heroes before captain Son Heung-min lifted the Europa League trophy high into the sky.

Attention now turns to Sunday and the Premier League fixture against Brighton, however. Speaking on Saturday ahead of the clash, Postecoglou confirmed three senior players are likely to miss the match.

"There will be a couple of absences," the Australian confirmed. "Romero has been struggling with his toe for quite a while so we'll leave him out and probably Sonny because his foot has still not healed.

"They've both sort of made a massive effort to get to the final. Bissouma got a knock in the game and he's kind of 50/50 at the moment. The rest of them physically anyway are ok."

Given the celebrations over the last 72 hours, some of the players may not be feeling their best ahead of the Brighton clash. Postecoglou, though, explained it was important they were allowed to celebrate such an achievement.

"We'll field a team," he said. "As I've got older, I used to be different, I think you need to celebrate your achievements properly.

"That was my message to the boys. Important for them as they've achieved, important for those around them and important to make experiences as memorable as possible."

Radu Dragusin, Lucas Bergvall, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, who all missed the Europa League final, remain out injured.

I'm not sure. I should have thought about it a bit more as somebody quite rightly pointed out that sometimes they kill off the main character! I could be in strife there.

I guess they're the kind of discussions that we start to need to have. But again, without myself gatecrashing meetings, I need to be invited to them, but we'll assess all those things. Matty's done really well for us. We put him in a real difficult position in that as a young player who hadn't played a lot, probably wasn't fit enough, we just threw him straight in but he's handled it really well. I think he's been a real important contributor for us and he'll definitely play tomorrow at some point whether he starts or come off the bench. I'm sure that decisions will will kind of look into post-season.

There will be a couple of absences. Romero has been struggling with his toe for quite a while so we'll leave him out and probably Sonny because his foot has still not healed. They've both sort of made a massive effort to get to the final. Bissouma got a knock in the game and he's kind of 50/50 at the moment. The rest of them, physically anyway, are ok.

I think we're really building something. I'm not going to put a limit on what we can achieve. I've got players and a club now who know how to win.

We'll field a team. As I've got older, I used to be different, I think you need to celebrate your achievements properly. That was my message to the boys. Important for them as they've achieved, important for those around them and important to make experiences as memorable as possible.