FourFourTwo

The Europa League was Tottenham's first trophy in over 17 years and helped mask what was a very below-par season.

It was one of Tottenham's greatest nights and fans now have the opportunity to say they own a piece of the club's history.

Several of the shirts of the squad who won the Europa League are being auctioned off on MatchWornShirt.com, including club captain Son Heung-min and goalscorer Brennan Johnson.

Son leads the way as fans battle to win historic Tottenham memorabilia

Johnson, who scored the only goal of the game, is one of the shirts currently up for auction on the site, with a bid of £2,544 currently on the item.

As the hero of the hour, you would expect his shirt to be one of the most popular, but Micky van de Ven, who made a vital goal-line clearance in the second half, sees his match issued shirt currently with a bid of £2,806 on it.

These figures are nothing however, compared to the monster bid currently on club captain Son's shirt.

A whopping £22,671 bid has been placed on his shirt by a South Korean superfan who is clearly hellbent on owning a piece of Tottenham Hotspur history as well as a piece of memorabilia from the most famous footballing export from his country.

It was Son's first trophy for the club since joining in 2015, and perhaps a pivotal moment in the clubs immediate future, with the victory gaining them access to next season's Champions League.

Bidding on the shirts runs until 6 June at 2pm GMT, and an almighty battle for the item may happen between now and then.

It seems crazy to think that a manager who ended his teams 17-year trophy drought may not be in the dugout next season, but that's exactly where we are with Ange Postecoglou.

The charismatic Australian delivered Tottenham's first trophy for almost two decades, as well as their first European trophy since 1984, yet his position is under question after an abysmal domestic campaign.

Chairman Daniel Levy is expected to make a decision on his future soon, but new information may give a hint as to what his next move will be.

Ange Postecoglou awaits decision on his future despite ending Tottenham's trophy drought

The Europa League win may not have even masked over the pretty sizeable cracks ins Tottenham's Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup campaigns.

However, according to The Mirror it will cost Spurs around £4 million to sack Postecoglou. He has already received a £2 million bonus from the club for winning the Europa League, meaning in the space of a few months they may have to shell out over £6 million to reward and then sack him.

This, alongside hiring a new manager, could see the managerial position alone cost them over £10 million this summer, an outlay they may not be able to afford given how much surgery the squad needs.

Postecoglou seems confident he will be in charge next season, explaining how he felt uncomfortable about the talk surrounding his position after the final match of the season.

He said: "I'll be honest, I've been finding it really weird talking about my future when we've done something unprecedented.

"I've had to answer the questions because no one else at the club is kind of in the position to do so, I guess. But I can't answer that question about me and my future, and part of me is kind of thinking, well, why have I been asked that question? But it is what it is.

"And I've got no doubt, though, that this could be a real sort of defining moment for this club because wherever I've been, I've kind of made an impact where I've brought success to a club that hasn't had for a while.

"You just have to look at those clubs' trajectory even after I've left, they're still competing for things. I really think this is a moment in time where this club can really push on and be a real contender for honours on a yearly basis."

At FourFourTwo, we don't envy the decision Levy has to make. Tottenham were appalling in domestic competitions last season, but several performances in Europe suggested Postecoglou still had the backing of the players, none more so than the final.

His speech at Tottenham's victory parade was almost a rallying cry to the fans, who have thrown themselves behind the manager in recent weeks, and sacking him now may create more friction between the board and the clubs supporters than there already is.

Keeping him on, and assessing the situation in October or November when club football breaks for international duty may be the best solution for all involved.

The North London derby is a truly global affair these days but the streets of the capital are full of Tottenham Hotspur shirts according to Spurs’ latest signing.

Spurs brought Austrian defender Kevin Danso in on loan in January and have exercised their option to purchase him outright for €25 million at the end of the 2024-25 season.

Danso was a late substitute in Spurs’ Europa League final win against Manchester United and was blown away by the response of the supporters at the team’s victory parade after their victory in Bilbao.

Kevin Danso plays to the gallery

The Spurs defender has been discussing the Europa League win with Austrian media and said that the parade in North London was the moment that brought it all home.

“That’s when I really realised that I’m a European trophy winner,” he told Kleine Zeitung, as relayed by Sport Witness.

A victory parade might not be the most representative sample when it comes to understanding the social dynamics of a sporting city but Danso has been in the capital long enough to have learned how to get Spurs fans on board.

“If you don’t live in London, you might not realise how big Tottenham is,” he said.

“Many people think North London is Arsenal. But in my opinion, there are many more Tottenham fans than Arsenal.

“It was an incredible feeling to see how much joy we brought to the fans. Winning something with a club like Tottenham makes the feeling even sweeter.”

Styria-born Danso, 26, played junior football for Reading and Milton Keynes Dons before graduating into the professional game at Augsburg in Germany.

He returned to England for a brief loan spell with Southampton just before the coronavirus pandemic and was sold to Lens in 2021.

Ange Postecoglou took up the chance to sign him on loan in the January transfer window with Spurs’ injury problems growing and affecting them particularly badly in the centre of defence.

The Austrian featured in ten Premier League matches as Spurs gradually shifted their focus to their Europa League campaign.

They finished in a dismal 17th place but qualified for next season’s Champions League, where they’ll join the top five teams in England, as Europa League winners.

Danso came on as a substitute in the final in Bilbao, replacing goalscorer Brennan Johnson with 12 minutes remaining.

The Europa League was the first trophy of Danso’s career and he apparently intends to celebrate by performing an Adele song at his official Spurs initiation.

“She’s a Spurs fan,” explained the defender, who admits to being unable to sing despite owning a karaoke machine for some reason.

Spurs meet Arsenal in a pre-season friendly at the end of July. The game in Hong Kong will be the first North London derby played overseas.

Tottenham Hotspur's long wait for another trophy is finally over, with the recent Europa League final win over Manchester United in Bilbao ending a 17-year silverware drought for the north London club.

Brennan Johnson's goal gave Ange Postecoglou's side a 1-0 victory at San Mames on May 21st and over 200,000 fans took to the streets to celebrate in a parade two days later.

It was Tottenham's first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 2008, although there have been some near misses in that time.

Here, a look at every Spurs season between that League Cup success and this term's Europa League triumph...

Tottenham's 2008/09 season

After beating Chelsea in extra time to win the 2008 League Cup, Tottenham were rocked by the summer sales of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.

Manager Juande Ramos was sacked after taking just two points from eight Premier League games, but Harry Redknapp steadied the ship and Spurs reached another League Cup final, losing on penalties to Manchester United after a 0-0 draw at Wembley. The north London club finished eighth in the Premier League, went out of the UEFA Cup in the last 32 and exited the FA Cup in the fourth round.

Tottenham's 2009/10 season

Tottenham fared much better in 2009/10 as Gareth Bale broke into the starting XI and the Lilywhites finished fourth in the Premier League, securing Champions League qualification for the first time.

Spurs also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing out to Portsmouth, and were beaten by Manchester United in the last eight of the League Cup.

Tottenham's 2010/11 season

Tottenham's first-ever season in the Champions League featured a thrilling run to the quarter-finals, with Harry Redknapp's side ultimately halted by Real Madrid in a 5-0 aggregate loss.

Spurs finished fifth in the Premier League, but suffered early exits in the domestic cup competitions, losing in the third round of the League Cup and the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Tottenham's 2011/12 season

Tottenham's best chance of silverware and hopes of Champions League qualification were both dashed by London rivals Chelsea in the 2011/12 season.

Thrashed 5-1 by Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals in April, Spurs finished fourth in the Premier League but missed out on a Champions League berth as the sixth-placed Blues beat Bayern Munich to claim the trophy and a spot in the competition the following season. Eliminated in the group stages of the Europa League, Spurs went out of the League Cup in the third round.

Tottenham's 2012/13 season

Tottenham made a managerial change in the summer of 2012, with André Villas-Boas appointed to take over from Harry Redknapp.

Under the Portuguese, Spurs finished fifth in the Premier League and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, losing on penalties to FC Basel. The Lilywhites went out in the fourth round of both domestic cup competitions and in the summer, Gareth Bale left for Real Madrid in a €100 million (£85.3m) transfer.

Tottenham's 2013/14 season

Tottenham struggled after Gareth Bale's exit and manager André Villas-Boas was sacked before Christmas following a poor run of results, with Tim Sherwood taking over until the end of the season.

Spurs finished sixth in the Premier League and were beaten by Benfica in the last 16 of the Europa League, with a third round exit to Arsenal in the FA Cup and a fifth round loss at home to West Ham in the League Cup.

Tottenham's 2014/15 season

Tottenham appointed Mauricio Pochettino in the summer of 2014 and with Harry Kane on fantastic form, Spurs fared much better in 2014/15.

The Lilywhites finished fifth in the Premier League and lost out to Chelsea in the final of the League Cup, exiting the FA Cup in the fourth round and the Europa League in the last 32.

Tottenham's 2015/16 season

Leicester City won the Premier League in 2015/16 and for much of the campaign, Tottenham were the Foxes' closest challengers.

Spurs ultimately finished third after taking just a point from the final four matches, going out in the fifth round of the FA Cup, the third round of the League Cup and in the last 16 of the Europa League.

Tottenham's 2016/17 season

Unbeaten in the Premier League at home in their last-ever season at White Hart Lane, Tottenham finished second in 2016/17, seven points behind champions Chelsea.

Spurs were also beaten by the Blues in the FA Cup semi-finals, losing out to Gent in the Europa League after exiting the Champions League in the group stages and going out in round three of the League Cup.

Tottenham's 2017/18 season

With building work on their new stadium ongoing, Tottenham moved to Wembley for the 2017/18 season and adapted fairly well to their temporary home, finishing third in the Premier League.

Spurs beat Real Madrid in the Champions league group stages and topped their group, but lost out to Juventus in the last 16. In the FA Cup, Mauricio Pochettino's side were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in the semi-finals. In the League Cup, the north Londoners went out to Liverpool in round four.

Tottenham's 2018/19 season

Tottenham continued at Wembley in the 2018/19 season, finally moving into their new stadium towards the end of the campaign.

With no new players signed, Spurs were something of a fading force in the Premier League and finished fourth. But Mauricio Pochettino's men did go on a remarkable run to the Champions League final, ultimately losing out to Liverpool in Madrid. In the League Cup, Spurs were beaten by Chelsea on penalties in the semi-finals, with defeat to Crystal Palace in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Tottenham's 2019/20 season

Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in November 2019 following a poor start to the season and José Mourinho was appointed as his replacement.

Spurs scraped through to the Champions League knockout rounds behind Bayern Munich, but were well beaten by RB Leipzig in the last 16. Out in the third round of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup (to Colchester United and Norwich City, respectively, both on penalties), Tottenham did manage to finish sixth in the Premier League in a disappointing campaign overall.

Tottenham's 2020/21 season

Gareth Bale returned on loan from Real Madrid and Tottenham started the 2020/21 season well, but manager José Mourinho was sacked following a series of poor results in January and February.

With the Portuguese dismissed days before the League Cup final, Ryan Mason took charge as Spurs lost 1-0 to Manchester City at Wembley. Previously, Tottenham had gone out of the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb despite winning the fist leg of the last-16 tie 2-0, and exited the FA Cup in the fifth round to Everton. In the Premier League, Spurs finished seventh.

Tottenham's 2021/22 season

Tottenham appointed Nuno Espírito Santo as manager in the summer of 2022, but the Portuguese was sacked in November and replaced by Antonio Conte.

Spurs went on to edge out rivals Arsenal for fourth place in the Premier League and also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, losing 3-0 to Chelsea over two legs. Tottenham went out to Middlesbrough in the fifth round of the FA Cup and were eliminated from the Europa Conference League after a Covid-19 outbreak saw their final group game awarded as a 3-0 win to Rennes.

Tottenham's 2022/23 season

Tottenham started the season well and led the Premier League early on, but things turned sour as Spurs suffered a series of defeats in the winter months and Antonio Conte was sacked in March.

Tottenham's 2023/24 season

Tottenham appointed Ange Postecoglou as manager in the summer of 2023 and the Australian enjoyed a fine start to his tenure, with some impressive attacking football and positive results early on.

Spurs ultimately dipped after that strong start and finished fifth in the Premier League, coming in two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa. Tottenham went out early in both domestic cup competitions and had no European football in 2023/24, playing just 41 games overall.

Tottenham's 2024/25 season

Tottenham's 2024/25 season was blighted by a horrific injury crisis and Ange Postecoglou's side slipped gradually down the table, ending in 17th place after suffering an unbelievable 22 defeats from their 38 games.

But Spurs did reach the semi-finals of the League Cup and more importantly, the north Londoners ended a 17-year wait for a major trophy by beating Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao with a Brennan Johnson goal to win the Europa League in May as Postecoglou came good on his promise of always winning a trophy in his second season.

Tottenham rescued their season by winning the Europa League, and therefore qualifying for next season's Champions League.

However, their 17th-placed finish probably indicates that the current crop of players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are not good enough, and serious improvements are needed should they want to avoid a repeat of this campaign.

One way Tottenham are looking at improving their squad is by signing Eberechi Eze, who has been in sensational form for Crystal Palace as they achieved a record points haul and their first ever major trophy.

Tottenham lining up Eberechi Eze move

Eze scored 14 times in all competitions, including a run of six games in a row at the end of the season, which included the FA Cup semi-final and final, where he got the winner.

He also recorded 11 assists, and clubs across Europe have listed him as a potential target this summer.

TEAMtalk are reporting that Tottenham are one of those clubs, and could close a deal for the attacking midfielder relatively quickly, owing to his £68 million release clause. The clause is said to activate this summer, but will end two weeks before the end of August.

They are said to be mulling a player-plus-cash offer first but may have to be quick, with Crystal Palace opening negotiations to extend the Englishman's stay at Selhurst Park.

Manchester United, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal and Aston Villa, are all said to be aware of the situation, while Bayern Munich see Eze as a alternative to Florian Wirtz, who appears to be on his way to Liverpool.

Eze is displaying a level of gratitude to Crystal Palace and is FourFourTwo understand he is not looking to force a move through, but is open to a move to an elite side and stake a claim to be heavily involved in England's squad at the 2026 World Cup.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, there is a small number of clubs that if they were to move for Eze, he should leave for. Clubs competing in the Champions League are an obvious leap up, however his ability suggests it would be a leap he could make, and other than that, a move away from Palace probably makes little sense.

Eze will be playing Europa League football next season if he stays at Palace, and moving sideways wouldn't make a huge amount of sense, given how important he is to his current side.

For Tottenham, it would signal their intent to not suffer the same fate as this season. Eze could immediately come into the first team, as an attacking midfielder, or off the left hand side and add creativity and goals.

If Spurs can slide in before a new contract and potentially offer player-plus-cash it will be good business as far as Daniel Levy is concerned.

Tottenham Hotspur could have a busy summer ahead of them as they look to build on this season's awful domestic campaign and Europa League victory.

Ange Postecoglou's side lifted Europe's secondary trophy on Wednesday evening - the club's first silverware since 2008 - but sit 17th in the Premier League going into the final day.

That Europa League win brings with it dual boost to the club's prestige and finances, however, and Spurs are expected to invest in their young squad this summer to help them put in a more convincing league showing next season.

Fabio Paratici's Europa League final sighting intensifies Tottenham return rumours

To that end, Spurs are reportedly on the verge of bringing back former managing director of football Fabio Paratici to oversee the club's work in the transfer window.

Paratici joined Tottenham in 2021 and signed numerous key players including Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero.

However, Paratici stepped down from the post in 2023 after his appeal against a worldwide ban from football-related activities.

The ban came after an Italian FA (FIGC) investigation into Juventus' financial and transfer dealings during Paratici's time with the Serie A club, prior to his move to Spurs.

The FIGC imposed a 30-month ban on Paratici, which FIFA then extended worldwide. The Italian initially took a leave of absence from Tottenham while appealing that decision, but announced his resignation after the appeal failed.

Tottenham's transfer policy since Paratici's departure has come in for criticism, with their particular focus on young players last summer leaving Postecoglou with a promising but callow side.

And now Paratici is rumoured to be set to return to Spurs once his ban ends in July, with Tutto Mercato Web reporting that he was present at the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Paratici had also been linked with AC Milan last month, with Eurosport claiming that a verbal agreement had been made for him to to to San Siro this summer.

Milan then apparently made a U-turn on that decision following a warning from FIGC president Gabriele Gravina that an impending criminal trial against Paratici related to Juventus' financial scandal could end up putting Milan at risk of sanctions of their own if they hired Paratici.

Ange Postecoglou delivered Tottenham Hotspur’s first trophy in 17 years this week, but he could soon be out of a job.

The Lilywhites narrowly defeated Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday night to claim their long-awaited first piece of silverware.

Not only that, the victory also grants them entry into next year’s Champions League for the first time since the 2022/23 season.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou to jet off from England

But such highs do somewhat paper over the enormous crack of Spurs’ Premier League form, which sees them just one place above the relegation zone heading into the final day of the season.

Chairman Daniel Levy has a big call to make, but Postecoglou isn’t hanging about.

Following Tottenham’s game against Brighton on Sunday, Postecoglou has admitted he’ll be out of the country the next day.

Questioned about his next steps, he told journalists: “Monday I’ll go on holiday with my beautiful family because I deserve it. And que sera sera."

At the Lilywhites' victory party in Bilbao, Levy did deliver some words of congratulations, but kept his cards close to his chest with regards to the direction of travel of Postecoglou’s future.

“I want to thank Ange and all of the coaching staff, all of the players,” Levy said. “You guys have gone down in history. Thank you very much."

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, once Friday’s trophy parade and Sunday’s game against Brighton is out of the way, Levy must be ruthless.

With Champions League football secured and the financial boost that provides, Spurs have a fantastic chance to heal from what has been an incredibly tough season this year, with the momentum of trophy success behind them.

If Levy doesn’t believe Postecoglou is the man to exploit that opportunity to its fullest, and that there's a better candidate out there, then he must dispense with the Australian now, rather than partway through next term.

Ange Postecoglou delivered Tottenham Hotspur’s first trophy in 17 years, yet he could still face the sack.

Journalist David Ornstein believes it’s “most likely” Spurs will relieve the Australian of his duties, despite his success in the Europa League.

But not everyone, including some Lilywhites players, believes that’s the right call.

Tottenham Hotspur players back Ange Postecoglou

Daniel Levy could still pull the trigger this summer on Postecoglou’s time at Tottenham and, in fairness, with 21 Premier League losses to their name this term, it would be with substantial justification.

That decision, however, may have an impact in the dressing room, after key players like Son Heung-min and Guglielmo Vicario chimed in to offer their boss strong words of support.

Son said: “He won the trophy. Nobody else did it. So, look, it's not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts. At the fact that we hadn't won in 17 years, but this is the day we finally won it.”

Gloveman Vicario backed up his captain in offering support for Postecoglou, showering praise on the head coach for delivering the trophy.

"Yeah, of course. He's my gaffer. He's the person who decided to bring me to this club,” the goalkeeper said. “I'm very happy for him, for what we achieved altogether. It's a brilliant night, he deserves this a lot.

"He was the first to start to believe in something special, and we did it. It's unbelievable."

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while the end of the season for Spurs will, quite rightly, focus on their long-awaited trophy success, it’s an inescapable fact that Postecoglou has suffered 21 losses in the league this season.

He’s already in his second season, approaching the point where you’d expect him to be getting a good handle on the squad and, from a domestic perspective at least, the trajectory does not look positive.

Levy may have lessons to learn from Manchester United last season, who kept Erik ten Hag on following his FA Cup triumph, before having to sever ties just a few months into the season, at significant expense both financially and on the pitch.

Decision-makers like Levy earn their crust getting important calls like this one right; he has plenty of deliberating to do.

Tottenham will play in their second European final in the last six years against Manchester United in Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou's Spurs have battled their way to the city in northern Spain and have given their incredibly below-par season a shot at redemption, with a trophy and Champions League qualification.

Curiously, Tottenham will wear all white shirts, socks and shorts against Manchester United, a change they make for all European ties, but why do they do it?

Why do Tottenham wear all white in Europe?

The tradition dates all the way back to 1961 and the clubs first ever European game against Polish side Gornik Zabrze.

Folklore suggests it was the decision of legendary manager Bill Nicholson, who is ranked at no.35 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever. Back in those days, managers had final decision over everything, from kit colour and design.

Rumour has it, that when Tottenham played in white for the first time it was to mimic European giants Real Madrid, who had won just the first five instalments of the European Cup which started in 1955.

Unfortunately, the story is far less glamours than that.

Spurs had actually been experimenting with kit colours for a while, especially on floodlit pitches. The reason for doing so was increased visibility, as almost 85 years ago, the floodlights weren't quite the same as they are now. Shocking, we know.

The first experiment with all white came in 1956 when they switched for a floodlit friendly against Racing Club de Paris, in which they also wore shirst made of a reflective material called Rayon.

The kit was binned after a few games due to it being quite hot and uncomfortable for the players, although it was trialled in 1958 in an amber colour-way.

The idea of white shorts persisted however, and was trialled several times over the following years in midweek games, often played in the evening on floodlit pitches.

So whilst the story of mimicking Real Madrid may be more romantic in football terms, the real reason Spurs wear all white was due to trying to maximise player performance.

Now there is probably no need, however it is nice that Spurs carry on the tradition as they look to write more European history.

As Tottenham prepare for one of the biggest games in their recent history work is being done behind the scenes to ensue the events of this season aren't repeated.

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham have lost 21 Premier League games this term and sit 17th, in the Premier League, with 41 points the maximum they can make this season.

Whilst they have been on the wrong end of luck when it comes to injuries, several first-team players have significantly underperformed, and it needs to be addressed heading into the next campaign.

Tottenham join Nottingham Forest in battle for 'next Desire Doue'

Whilst Tottenham have scored plenty of goals, it would be generous to say that their attackers have been in outstanding form.

Brennan Johnson is their top scorer across all competitons with 17 goals, whilst last summers big money signing Dominic Solanke has managed to find the net just 15 times. Reinforcements are needed should they wish to take a crack at the Champions League places next season.

Movement is already being made, with French outlet L'Equipe reporting that they have made a move for Monaco's Maghnes Akliouche.

Akliouche broke into the Monaco first team in the 2023/24 season and established himself this season, playing 32 times in the league, scoring five goals and providing 10 assists.

Tottenham have reportedly joined Nottingham Forest in active discussions over the player, after Manchester City and Liverpool both made enquiries over the player

PSG sniffed around the attacker last season, ultimately making a move for Desire Doue, and are rumoured to be interested in making a move again this time.

His current market value stands at €40 million according to Transfermarkt, while Monaco are asking for €60 million to make a move possible.