Tottenham Hotspur have parted ways with manager Ange Postecoglou after a week of deliberation, with Matt Law claiming that an official confirmation is expected soon.
Postecoglou’s future has been a hot topic over the past week. He oversaw the worst campaign in Tottenham’s top-flight history as the North Londoners finished 17th on the table.
But he also succeeded where many of his more experienced, high-profile predecessors failed. He ended Spurs’ 17-year wait for a major trophy, beating Manchester United in the Europa League final.
Postecoglou received plenty of stick almost throughout the season when he reminded everyone of his title-winning record in his second season at previous clubs.
That placed more pressure on the Australian to deliver, and he was vindicated in Bilbao, with the added benefit of getting Tottenham back into the Champions League.
Unfortunately, his European success wasn’t enough to get him a third season at Tottenham despite hinting that his future lies with the North Londoners during the club’s trophy parade.
Postecoglou was reportedly informed that his time at Spurs was over earlier today, and talks are already underway to finalise his exit.
The former Celtic gaffer has been on the hot seat for a while. As early as April, there were already reports that he would be replaced regardless of how the season ended.
At that moment, many Spurs fans would have agreed with the decision, given how miserable the Lilywhites were in the Premier League.
But after his triumph in Bilbao, this could be considered one of the harshest dismissals of Daniel Levy’s tenure. The Spurs chairman is already facing backlash over how he handled the situation.
Postecoglou was left in the dark over his future, only to be dismissed after one of the club’s most celebrated triumphs in recent history.
The Europa League success was expected to herald a new era, but Tottenham have decided to chart a different path, and a few names are already on their shortlist.
Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva are leading candidates. Either one would be a step down from Postecoglou and could set Tottenham’s growth back a few years.
Meanwhile, sacking Postecoglou will cost Spurs around £4 million in compensation, on top of the £2m bonus he earned for delivering the Europa League title and Champions League qualification.