Football London

Fabian Hurzeler has described Ange Postecoglou as a "role model" after Tottenham's Europa League win in midweek, with the Brighton boss confirming his players will give the Spurs squad a guard of honour before Sunday's clash at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs clinched their first silverware in 17 years with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in Wednesday’s final thanks to a Brennan Johnson goal in Bilbao. Following 48 hours of celebrations, which included a open-top bus trophy parade, attention now turns to Sunday and the final Premier League match of the season against Brighton.

Ahead of the match, Hurzeler said he was pleased to see his opposite number lift the trophy. “I think both teams felt a lot of pressure and in the end Tottenham won. They played very mature, they scored one goal and that’s why they deserved to win. Congrats to them,” Hurzeler said.

“I’m happy for (Postecoglou) because he’s a very good guy. He deserves it. He has a lot of pressure and how he deals with it I think he’s a role model for young coaches as well, like me.

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

“I’m very happy for him. I know that he worked hard for this and what I really like is that he said already in September after a game against Arsenal (that he wins things in his second season). He’s a man who can look into the future and that’s something very impressive.”

When asked if Brighton will give Tottenham a guard of honour, Hurzeler said: “Like we did against Liverpool, if great clubs achieve great things then it’s always a positive thing and also if English clubs achieve great things in the international cups. I’m very happy for them. Of course they deserve it, so we will do it.”

Tottenham celebrated their success with an open-top bus parade around north London on Friday night and following a tight turnaround, Spurs will be hoping to finish the season on a high at home on Sunday. The final game of the season is a big opportunity for Brighton, who could secure a spot in Europe if they finish eighth.

Speaking about how Spurs’ celebrations could influence the game, Hurzeler said: “We don’t know. I think that’s one of the questions I was asked in the last few hours the most, but my answer will be always the same.

“I can’t influence how they celebrate or how they will prepare for the game. The only things I can influence are how we prepare our team, and we will try to be the best prepared team we can be. That’s what our focus is on.”

Ange Postecoglou said just 80 words in his speech during the Europa League victory parade, but almost every single one of those was greeted with a roar from the Tottenham supporters in attendance.

The 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Wednesday evening ended a 17-year wait without a trophy. Just under 48 hours later, all the players and staff got to celebrate their success with an open-top bus parade that ended at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

On the way to their home ground, which still has to host their final Premier League game of the season against Brighton on Sunday, Postecoglou was interviewed on SPURSPLAY and YouTube where he discussed winning a trophy, the performance in Bilbao and how the group was brought closer.

"It's unbelievable," he began when asked what it meant to win silverware. "As much as you try to understand what a trophy would mean to these people, seeing them out there today, is why we do what we do. That's the priceless bit, for this feeling. I'm super pleased that these boys could deliver.

"All good things come through hard work, toil, perseverance and belief. This group have that in spades and I'm so pleased that we could crack that stone and now everyone can enjoy it.

"We had to dig deep, for sure, but what the history books will say is that we're the Europa Cup winners and it doesn't say how we did it, just that we did it.

"I made family a theme from when I got here because I felt that we needed something to bring us all together and look further than just what everybody wanted. We had to form some sort of unity and the lads have been brilliant. They've shared their stories and got closer through the tough times like all families and now they share the reward."

The 59-year-old was back on the mic 30 or so minutes later on an elevated platform in front of thousands and he went on to deliver a rousing speech.

"I told them and they laughed," he admitted seemingly referencing his bold claim about winning a trophy in his second season.

"I told them and they didn't believe but here we are and we are here because of this unbelievable group of players and staff, who are absolute heroes, led by the legends Son Heung-min, Cuti Romero, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario."

"All of them [are] heroes and they did it for you because you deserve it. This club deserves it. I'll leave you with this, all the best television series - season three is better than season two."

Unsurprisingly, that final statement was greeted by an almighty roar with Postecoglou then returning to the back of the stage and allowing his players to enjoy the celebrations.

Oliver Glasner has dismissed speculation about leaving Crystal Palace, emphasising his unwavering dedication to the club amidst whispers of interest from Tottenham.

Despite garnering attention for guiding Palace to an FA Cup win and potential suitors lining up, Glasner remains focused on the Eagles. Tottenham has been touted as a possible destination if Ange Postecoglou is moved on, although it's unclear what the future holds for the Australian following the Europa League final win on Wednesday.

Glasner said: “I have just been talking about the future, and what we are planning, so I am 100 per cent committed to those plans. I have no thoughts about something different.

"I have no influence on all the rumours. I don’t really care. I always try to focus on the things I can influence.”

Under Glasner's leadership, Palace secured an impressive 10th place last season and, despite a shaky start this term, they're poised to conclude with a record points haul in their Premier League history ahead of their final match against Liverpool.

Glasner has just one year to run on his current deal, and Palace co-owner Steve Parish said he is keen to extend the Austrian’s contract. Asked if talks over a new deal are imminent, Glasner said: “I have one more year left, and now we are speaking about next season. Everything that happens after July 1 2026 we don’t talk about this at the moment. It is too far away.

“We are talking about this year, and that is why I am 100 per cent committed. I have a contract and I have no other things on my mind.”

Crystal Palace's FA Cup triumph over Manchester City was followed by an impressive 4-2 home victory against Wolves. Afterwards, Glasner, along with some members of his coaching staff, celebrated the club's historic first major trophy with a trip to Ibiza.

“What happened in Ibiza stays in Ibiza,” he joked. “It was a group of more than 30 people, and it was an appreciation for the staff who have done such a great job and have worked so hard to support the players.”

James Maddison has certainly enjoyed proving a number of people wrong following Tottenham's Europa League victory. Though he missed the final because of injury, the attacking midfielder played a huge role in their path to the final and he is therefore deservedly basking in the celebrations.

That began pretty quickly after the full-time whistle with Maddison swiftly changing from his blazer and white shirt into a Spurs kit for the trophy lift.

Very soon after that, he reignited a light-hearted feud with Roy Keane after the Manchester United legend urged him to be more consistent earlier in the season.

"I wasn't going to do any interviews but then I heard it was Roy Keane," he began which resulted in Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards laughing hysterically. The latter then asked him to do his trademark darts celebration to which he duly obliged and said: "Roy Keane, that's for you son."

"I've always said he's a good player but he needs to be more consistent, simple as that and he played well tonight," Keane then responded while having a big smile on his face.

Maddison then retorted back with a tinge of discontent: "The reason why we were here tonight, Roy."

"I know you played your part, well done don't worry," the 53-year-old replied.

The Spurs man then admitted: "I am only messing. Delighted man, delighted. All joking aside people like yourself and Roy who go quite heavy in the media about putting us down and that, you have got to use that, you have got to use that.

"When I joined Tottenham, you know what it's like, everyone just goes 'oh he's retired from winning trophies now' and all this. I said to my dad and my best mate, I am going to lift silverware for Tottenham.

And the latter statement is exactly what he has been able to do which has seen him prove Simon Jordan wrong following his comments that Spurs won't be able to win things with 'players like James Maddison'.

The 28-year-old has since posted Jordan's comments in full as part of a 21-second clip on his social media with the caption: "Bookmarked it, knew it would come in handy [trophy and smiling face with sunglasses emoji.]"

"If you want to win something you've got to bring in players that are able to operate at the highest level. I look at someone like James Maddison who is a good player but I don't think you'll win things with James Maddison."

The footage then cuts to him laughing at the San Mames sat next to the Europa League trophy before Son Heung-min lifted the cup for the first time.

As mic drops go, this was one for the ages. With Daniel Levy sitting about 30 feet behind him, Ange Postecoglou had at least 150,000 Spurs fans eating out of the palm of his hand on the stage outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I told them and they laughed.....I told them and they didn’t believe. But here we are," he bellowed to huge cheers from the sea of white that covered the high road. "And we’re here because of this unbelievable group of people, players and staff, absolute heroes led by the legend Son Heung-min, Cuti Romero, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario. All of them, heroes. And they did it all for you, because you deserve it. This club deserves it."

The Spurs shirt-wearing head coach paused for a moment, before delivering the line that made N17 roar.

"And I’ll tell you something, I’ll leave you with this. All the best television series, season three is better than season two!"

The huge noise that came back from the crowd would have been heard across the capital. The giant swarm of fans sang Postecoglou's name and his players belted it out even louder around him.

Postecoglou is a gifted orator and this was the Australian at the peak of his powers. Every word was carefully selected and timed to perfection to be delivered with the maximum impact.

The 59-year-old leaves his players wanting to run through brick walls for him and in that moment the thousands stood before him were ready to do the same.

A week ago many of them may well have been willing to give up on Postecoglou, but sometimes all it takes is a single match and with those 97 minutes of football in Bilbao the Spurs boss gave them exactly what they had always dreamed of.

Those supporters in the San Mames Stadium felt something many of them could barely remember, others were too young to have tasted those prior glories.

On Friday, in the early evening sun in north London, thousands who had watched it on their TV screens got to live it in front of their eyes as the ticker tape fell from the sky, fireworks were launched and Son Heung-min once again lifted that big Europa League trophy aloft.

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

Tottenham supporters took up every inch of space that you could see. They lined the road, the pavements, they climbed up lampposts, traffic lights, hung out of windows, stood on the top of buildings and bus stop roofs. Some climbed fences and railings, all wanting to revel in what Postecoglou and his players had given them.

Postecoglou's fate will remain in limbo until Levy makes his decision on what comes next public. His chairman's message to the fans on Sunday could go some way to hinting at what is to come.

The problem for Levy is that if he decides to ruthlessly bin off the man who has finally given him the first major trophy of his near quarter-century in charge of Tottenham then the ridicule and criticism will likely come from all sides.

Levy sacked Pochettino for delivering the top four but not a trophy and he would be sacking Postecoglou for delivering a trophy but not top four. That would smack of a man who doesn't really know what he wants, the chairman a rare constant within a club that often appears dizzy with the frequent changes in direction.

The ridicule of pulling the plug on Postecoglou would write itself. Only Tottenham could sack the manager that finally ended their 17-year trophy drought and 41-year wait for a European title.

Postecoglou's Spurs have only just changed the narrative. The term 'Spursy' was finally killed in Bilbao, but this would revive it.

There would be one hell of a backlash now to Postecoglou being ruthlessly dispensed with, especially for a manager who is not a sure thing. Some fans never forgave Levy for dismissing Mauricio Pochettino, but others at least saw the ambition of appointing Jose Mourinho. In this instance, there is no Mourinho-type, there are only gambles.

The vast majority of Tottenham fans are now firmly back behind Postecoglou for what he's done for them and the way he's made them feel. In their eyes, he has earned the right to a season three. football.london spoke to countless fans during Friday in and around the parade and every single one offered up that same opinion. Social media polls, with huge numbers of responses, show the same thing by a landslide.

Postecoglou has handed Levy the trophy he craved and some much-needed respite from the criticism and protests the chairman has faced this season. On Wednesday night, Levy yelled 'We're champions!" to the crowd of player families and staff at the post-match party in Bilbao and it was his head coach's singular vision that ensured he could finally shout that.

But Levy has been brutal before. Pochettino with all his credit in the bank was dismissed just months after a Champions League final and Jose Mourinho only days before a League Cup final.

Erik ten Hag's woeful extended time at Manchester United is constantly used as the reason not to give Postecoglou another chance just because he's won a trophy. Yet that argument often misses out the part where Ruben Amorim came in and United's results somehow only got worse.

There is also the fact that Postecoglou has got all of his players firmly behind him, his leaders in the squad particularly vocal about that. They pulled him into the celebrations on Wednesday night and on Friday they made sure he took his turn in lifting the trophy for the crowd.

But that mic drop moment from Postecoglou was theatre at its best and it was either an act of defiance in the face of the speculation surrounding his future or a hint that the Australian already knows what's coming next. The coming days should start to give us the answer to that.

Postecoglou's biggest challenge post-Bilbao will be naming a team that can walk in a straight line on Sunday against Brighton, let alone run in one.

For those Tottenham players have been enjoying themselves thoroughly in the 72 hours or so since they made history and rightly so.

That continued on the open-top bus parade through the streets around N17 on Friday as the fun, high spirits and the alcohol flowed for some, and the others just revelled in the moment.

Even captain Son was swept away by it all, unexpectedly swearing to the crowd when given the microphone.

"I love you, we won the Europa League and you all deserve it," he said, only with two swear words in the first two parts of that sentence. Everyone was so delighted for Son to fulfil his 10-year mission for Spurs silverware with a big beaming smile on his face that this relaxed version of the South Korean was all the more endearing.

"Come on you (insert swear word) Spurs," added Maddison before Brennan Johnson told us all that the feeling of scoring in that Europa League final was "(insert the same swear word) unbelievable".

Johnson was the hero of the hour, playing the crowd to his tune in a very different slapstick way to Postecoglou.

The Wales international was celebrating his 24th birthday and he ensured he enjoyed every moment of it and that everyone else did too. Maddison led the crowd in singing 'Happy Birthday' to his friend.

Afterwards, Johnson was every inch the impish schoolboy lapping up the cheers of his class-mates as the teachers tried to rein him in. That brought hilarious scenes after the other players had left the stage as Spurs' top scorer kept evading the security team's efforts to get him to join them.

He would pretend to leave, wave his hand only to then whip back around to take the cheers from the crowd. Then when he spotted one member of the security staff had the trophy, he grabbed it off him and spun around to hold it aloft to the supporters.

It all looked to be finally over as the same security guard put an arm around him to haul him away only for that same quick-witted member of staff to spot a fan trying to climb the scaffolding to the stage.

He left Johnson to deal with the intruder and that allowed the Spurs attacker another go at milking the applause of the crowd with the trophy, which was always just a slipped hand away from disaster.

Somehow Johnson did not drop it and two members of staff led the birthday boy away only for him to run back out again a minute later to laughs and cheers from the crowd before he was finally taken away for good.

They were a heart-warming five minutes, especially when you factor in how some supporters had treated Johnson earlier in the season, to the extent that he stepped away from social media.

Here he was at the end of the campaign, having forced the goal that gave Spurs that trophy, and the supporters couldn't get enough of him nor him of them. His 'Johnson Again' chant was one of the most heard on the day.

This was another day that neither the players nor the supporters will ever forget.

The fans got to see the squad at their most relaxed. Romero, Van de Ven, Bentancur and Porro, who kept grabbing the microphone on the main stage, were among those who seemed to be sampling the delights of the day, let's say, and rightly so. They were the cool kids at the back of the bus, while players like Bissouma, Sarr and Richarlison were dancing the day away. The latter reached out from the bus at one point to high five a fan who had climbed a set of traffic lights.

Teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall waved at everyone, trying to take it all in. This was something they had never seen before and they were determined to enjoy it.

Some players wore sunglasses, some wore ski masks, while Romero wore a straw hat at times that almost looked like a tribute to Postecoglou.

Then there were the academy kids involved. Mikey Moore is just 17 but was standing in front of the crowd as thousands sang his name. What an experience for someone so young. What an experience for anybody.

At the other end of the age scale were the legends, some from the last team to win a European title in 1984, like Graham Roberts, Micky Hazard and Mark Falco, as well as other stars of days' gone by such as Ossie Ardiles, Ricky Villa, Pat Jennings, Ledley King, David Howells, Sandro and Clive Allen among others.

There was also a special family day out as Postecoglou's assistant boss Matt Wells was joined by his grandfather and double winner Cliff Jones. Now 90, but still looking incredibly sprightly, Jones was in the Spurs side that became the first English team to win a European trophy with the Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.

This was another day to remember like that, one that the players, staff and fans will never erase from their memories. The key now is whether everyone has to wait years to experience it again or whether it ushers in a new era of success.

Postecoglou made one strong statement that came true last season and he's now made an even bigger one that he will be hoping he's allowed to bring to pass. He's earned the right to enjoy the fruits of the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup by delivering a slice of history that he said he would when few believed him and many mocked him.

However, only one man can decide what comes next. Will Levy spin the biennial wheel of change yet again or will he allow us to watch season three of Postecoglou's Tottenham Adventures?

If you believe in signs then here's two for you. First up, in 2015, Son Heung-min cried tears of despair on the pitch as Postecoglou's Australia beat South Korea in the Asian Cup final. A decade later and Son was crying tears of joy on Wednesday night as Postecoglou helped him win a European title instead.

Second up, in 1991, Postecoglou won the National Soccer League title as a player in Australia with South Melbourne Hellas with a certain Hungarian football legend Ferenc Puskas as his manager.

Fast forward 35 years and look no further than where the 2026 Champions League final will be held. Yep, it's at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, named in honour of Postecoglou's former boss and mentor. Now that would certainly deliver a fitting finale for season three if the series is given the green light by the most ruthless of producers.

If the full-time whistle on Wednesday night and the trophy lift were not enough, then an open-top bus parade along the Tottenham High Road just about rounded off an incredible few days to be a Spurs fan.

We don't get to do these things very often, so by God did we milk it for all it was worth.

Hundreds of thousands of Spurs supporters lined the streets around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to welcome their heroes home from Bilbao.

The players had partied in Spain and then partied in London and the fun was not going to stop there.

There were plenty of sunglasses on players as they boarded the bus in Edmonton. Whether that was because of the sun or to hide hungover eyes, we'll let you decide.

On the streets, the party was just getting started too. The parade may have started at 5.30pm on a work and school day, but that did not stop desperate fans turning up in their droves.

There were already thousands on the High Road by the time my son and I arrived at 3.45pm. And the crowds were only going to swell from there.

We witnessed Sandro driving his car up the High Road, away from the stadium (probably to get round the back to park as the roads by the stadium were closed), waving at fans as he drove and tooting his horn at them.

"That was Sandro," could be heard from a number of people around us, followed by laughing at the man who, despite only playing for the club for four years, is a firm cult hero.

This reporter was not quick enough getting a phone out to do a video, but I have the memory.

As we walked further down, men, women, girls, boys and families found their viewing point and waited.

We got all the way up to the front of the stadium before the line of people walking through the waiting crowds appeared to stop and we could go no further.

Back we went, walking across to the stadium side and even having a quick look around the shop before taking up our vantage point on the other side of the road just opposite the Corner Pin pub.

One by one people climbed onto the roof of the derelict public toilet block just round the corner from the stadium, fans climbed up lampposts to stand on street signs indicating where the stadium was - as if you could miss it - while one soul picked at iconic spot atop a tall sign showing where the Dare Skywalk was. Very daring on his part indeed.

Talking of the Dare Skywalk, there were people up there too. Probably workers, rather than fans on this of all days, but they could be seen coming back down both waving Tottenham flags.

Stadium announcer Paul Coyte interviewed former players on the big stage - where the parade would end.

Big screens could be found at various intervals on the parade route, showing off what was going on on stage while the bus wended its way along the High Road, and shots of the bus itself.

James Maddison was back on the beers - he has no role to play on Sunday - and Richarlison was the chief cheerleader at the front of the bus.

Captain Son Heung-min initially had his hands on the trophy, but soon left it to Dominic Solanke to keep hold of at the front and centre of the bus.

Flares were let off - Richarlison (of course) was seen holding one aloft as the bus came along the High Road and the chanting went on and on.

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

'Johnson again, ole, ole' was a firm favourite, but there were a few renditions of 'Oh when the Spurs' for good measure too.

And when Ange Postecoglou was first seen on the big screen, there was a clear message to chairman Daniel Levy, with the head coach's future at the club up in the air due to a dismal Premier League campaign.

Postecoglou's appearance on the big screens go the biggest cheer of all. The fans have spoken, and there were plenty of them.

Fans atop shop roofs and scaffolding at the Bricklayers Arms were told to get down, for fear of the parade having to be called to a halt due to safety concerns.

I don't think anyone took notice and the parade continued regardless. No one wanted to be told what to do or what not to do on this special occasion.

As the bus came past our vantage point, Son and Richarlison whipped up the crowd, shaking their arms in celebration at the crowd. Maddison was saying something unintelligible on the microphone, while Brennan Johnson had a great big smile on his face.

He was not the only one. Postecoglou was wide-smiled waving to the crowd, while Micky van de Ven, right at the back, was loving every moment, dancing and waving right at us.

Dark clouds had threatened to dampen the mood at one stage, but there was no rain and eventually the sunshine that had started the day returned - marking a jubilant occasion perfectly.

Tottenham are Europa League champions and the supporters made the most of it in fine style.

If Wednesday was a case of 'oh, what a night', then this was Spurs' 'perfect day'. My son summed it up when we got back home. "Well, I hope we win more trophies so we can do that again because that was pretty cool."

Pretty cool indeed, mate.

As thousands of Tottenham Hotspur supporters cheered on their heroes and celebrated the club's Europa League triumph, one message was clear. Ange Postecoglou is well loved.

The Australian has endured a rough few months in the Spurs hotseat, mainly due to his side's poor Premier League form. But it felt like that was forgiven on Friday as the Tottenham community celebrated the club's first piece of silverware since 2008.

Postecoglou did say he always wins something in his second season. And boy did he prove himself right.

Despite the successful end to the 2024/25 campaign, Postecoglou's future remains uncertain. Daniel Levy and the Spurs boss will meet in the coming weeks to discuss the future. Whether the former Celtic man is in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout when the new season kicks off remains to be seen.

Going on the carnival atmosphere during the trophy parade, though, supporters are clearly behind the 59-year-old. That 1-0 win over Manchester United in Bilbao has cemented his status as a true icon.

This couldn't be more clearer than shortly after the white double-decker bus, with “Europa League winners” written across the front, left Edmonton Green and headed to the stadium. Fans could keep track of the bus via screens on Fore Street, High Road, Lansdowne Road, Northumberland Park and outside the stadium.

At one point, Postecoglou's face appeared on those screens. Spurs supporters responded by giving him one of the loudest cheers of the parade. His name was soon being sung by thousands who now are so grateful for what he has achieved.

There was still time for an inspirational speech from the Tottenham boss, too. On a stage erected especially for the parade, Postecoglou was asked to say a few words, with his weary-eyed and delighted players around him.

"I told them and they laughed," he bellowed. "I told them and they didn't believe. But here we are. We're here because with this unbelievable group of people, players, staff - absolute heroes.

"Led by the legend Son Heung-min, Cuti Romero, James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario. All of them, heroes. And they did it all for you. Because you deserve it. This club deserves it.

"And I'll tell you something. I'll leave you with this. All of the best television series, season three is better than season two."

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

That 'mic-drop' moment was something Postecoglou has waited to do for some time. His doubters have been proven wrong. He's been proven right. And he's willing to guide the club into the Champions League and have another crack at winning even more silverware.

With the players having clearly formed a close bond, and more and more supporters turning their negative thoughts on Postecoglou into positive ones, the Australian may well get a third season in north London. It's now up to Levy. But the fans have certainly spoken.

What a glorious night it was on Wednesday. I have not stopped smiling since.

Tottenham Hotspur - so often the reason for bad moods and disappointments in my life - finally gave me and every other Spurs supporter one of those incredible memories that will live with us forever.

Winning the UEFA Europa League at the end of the season Tottenham have had, was something else.

It was clear to see, months ago, that the European campaign was the focus for Spurs. The Premier League was put to one side, in dreadful fashion, in favour of chasing Europa League glory.

And it paid off.

In 20 years' time, no one is going to remember where Spurs finished in the Premier League, but winning in Europe will be remembered forever.

Ange Postecoglou is a major reason behind that. And it may well lead to him be given more time to impart his wisdom onto this squad for a bit longer.

The Australian still has two years left on his Tottenham contract, although there has been plenty of talk surrounding his future because of the domestic form.

After the final Premier League game of the campaign on Sunday there is bound to be a meeting between Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy.

Levy does not suffer fools gladly and many incumbents of the head coach position before Postecoglou have been relieved of their duties for significantly better campaigns in the English top flight.

None of them have produced what Postecoglou has, however - a European trophy. And with it Champions League football. Postecoglou has delivered on his promise, has done what so few managers have managed to do in the Tottenham hotseat and has brought Champions League football and all the riches that brings for Levy, back to N17.

It doesn't matter how he did it, he did it.

Now Levy has a big decision to make. A number of people thought, ahead of the final in Bilbao, that Postecoglou would depart the club no matter the result.

Speaking beforehand, the Australian revealed he had no intention of throwing in the towel, however. "No, because I don't think my job is done here," he admitted. "I really feel like we're building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerates that.

"I still think there's a lot of work to be done. The challenges we've had this year are well chronicled, but there's been some reasoning in that and there's also been growth I'd like to see through, but whether that happens or not is not that important right now.

"I think this job is far from finished. There's some growth there to take this club where it needs to be."

That means if he is to go he will have to be pushed. And that's a big call to make of a man who has given Spurs and Levy what they have always craved.

I have thought for a long time that Postecoglou should go at the end of the season. But a trophy changes things. Emotions then come into it, the emotions that the man at the heart of it has given you one of the most joyous nights ever.

My main gripe around Postecoglou was his stubbornness. His way was the right way, the only way and there was no deviation from that.

However, in the last few rounds of the Europa League - particularly away from home at Eintracht Frankfurt and Bodo/Glimt - and in the final itself, Postecoglou showed a different side.

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

The final may not have been pretty, but does anyone care? We've won a trophy for goodness sake.

He has shown a more pragmatic side, a desire to dig deep, get men behind the ball and be a rigid outift that is difficult to break down, while being a threat on the counter attack.

And it has worked, time and again.

The focus has been on the Europa League, but if he can adopt that pragmatic side in the Premier League too next season, changing his ways depending on the opposition and the situation, there's no reason why Spurs cannot push up the table - the only way is up from 17th.

There's another condition to him staying, but that relies on Levy and Johan Lange. Injuries left the club woefully short this season. He needs a bigger and better squad and that relies on effective work in the summer transfer window.

Postecoglou admitted that if the club had not gone deep in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League their Premier League form would have been better. Next year there's the Champions League to consider and we cannot have another season of putting all our eggs in one basket.

He needs a squad capable of competing on multiple fronts and needs to be backed in the transfer market with the players he wants.

There is a huge financial benefit to being in the Champions League and Levy knows it. But that financial aid must go on the squad.

Levy may choose to sack his head coach and start all over again and the Spurs managerial merry-go-round would start revolving once more. However, he could now back his head coach and if he does, he needs to show him just how much his backing means by showing him the money.

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has confirmed that Joao Pedro and Georginio Rutter will be missing from the Brighton squad for Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur.

Rutter remains out of action with an ankle problem, and according to Hurzeler, the Spurs match comes too soon for him. Pedro has 10 Premier League goals for the Seagulls this season but has missed their last four matches after being shown a red card during the 4-2 defeat to Brentford on April 19.

Having seen out a three-match suspension, Pedro was yet again absent from the team that claimed a 3-2 win over Liverpool. He won't feature against Tottenham either, after a "small issue" in training that Hurzeler insists is now resolved.

He told a press conference: “It will be the same squad we had (against Liverpool), so positive things. Georginio is not available. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it and we won’t risk anything. He will be back in pre-season.

“With Joao we had a small issue in training, the type which isn’t uncommon from time to time in all football clubs. We dealt with it internally and the matter is closed.

“Joao is an incredible football player, he’s a match-winner for us, he’s a great player and that’s why we invested in him. But there are principles that are non-negotiable and counts for everyone – everyone has to stick – where we don’t make any compromises.

“Joao is still a young player. He will grow and I’m sure that he will learn from this and come back stronger next season. I’m really looking forward to seeing him renewed and reinvigorated at his highest peak into our team. Joao won’t be in the squad and the rest (of the team news) I think I said everything.”

Brighton are eighth in the Premier League and still have plenty to play for in their final game with a spot in Europe at stake. A complex set of scenarios emerged after rivals Crystal Palace snatched a Europa League place with their FA Cup victory, but an eighth-placed finish could mean the Seagulls qualify for European football should either Chelsea finish seventh and beat Real Betis in the Conference League final or if Carabao Cup winners Newcastle drop out of the top six.

When asked about the permutations going into the final day, Hurzeler said: “The only things we can focus on is our result, our preparation for the game and that’s what we’re trying to do. The other results we can’t influence.”

Ange Postecoglou has dropped the biggest hint yet over his future with Tottenham Hotspur during Friday night's Europa League trophy parade.

The Spurs players and coaching staff toured around the surrounding area of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after beating Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

Brennan Johnson scored the game's only goal in the first half to end Spurs' 17-wait without silverware in what was an emotional night in Spain. Before Sunday's final Premier League game of the season against Brighton, Tottenham celebrated their European success with supporters on the streets of north London.

After driving around with the trophy on show, players and staff assembled on to a stage outside their stadium. A series of chants for players were played before the likes of Son Heung-min and Johnson were interviewed.

Postecoglou, who also spoke while on stage, went on to drop a massive hint over his future with another teasing quote. "I'll leave you with this; all the best television series, season three is better than season two. Thank you."

Postecoglou's future at Spurs remains unclear, despite leading the club to European glory. Son, who was named captain by the Australian when he arrived in 2023, recently spoke out about Postecoglou and whether he should stay with the north London club.

"He won that trophy. Nobody did it, so look, this isn't up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts, at the fact that we haven't won in 17 years, today is the day we finally won it. It's the manager who wins the trophy. So we will see what's going to happen," he said.