Despite huge struggles in the Premier League this season, Ange Postecoglou has managed to avoid facing the sack from his position as Tottenham’s head coach. Does his future depend on the results he can secure during the final month of the season or is he spending what will be his final few weeks in North London?
As well as assessing the chances of Ange leaving Tottenham, we will also look at the main candidates to be his replacement, should he depart.
Current Situation
Ange Postecoglou currently has a little more than two years left on the four-year deal he signed in June 2023. Sacking him would cost a bit of money, but he is not on the kind of salary his predecessor Antonio Conte was on. Additionally, there is room in the budget for Tottenham to get rid of him if they feel this is the right course of action.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13th | Wolves | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 51 | 61 | 41 |
| 14th | Man United | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 39 | 47 | 39 |
| 15th | Everton | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 34 | 41 | 38 |
| 16th | Tottenham | 34 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 62 | 56 | 37 |
| 17th | West Ham | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 39 | 58 | 36 |
| 18th | Ipswich | 34 | 4 | 9 | 21 | 33 | 74 | 21 |
| 19th | Leicester | 34 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 27 | 76 | 18 |
| 20th | Southampton | 34 | 2 | 5 | 27 | 25 | 80 | 11 |
Coming into the fourth-to-last Premier League game of the season, Tottenham sit in 16th place. The best they can hope, realistically, is 13th place while they could yet drop another place to 17th as West Ham trail by just a mere point. Whether it is 13th or 17th does not make a great deal of difference, as it is still a disastrous year domestically. Tottenham are a club that regularly challenges for European places so to linger just above the relegation zone, with 19 defeats (a joint club record in the Premier League) is a source of embarrassment, even if Spurs end on an unlikely mini winning streak.
On the European front, Tottenham are in the semi-finals of the Europa League, where they are facing Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt over two legs. The Londoners are the strong favourites to progress after winning the first leg 3-1, but the Norwegians should not be underestimated, having already eliminated Olympiakos and Lazio. Tottenham have not won any silverware since a League Cup in 2008 so going all the way in the Europa League would be a massive achievement. It may not be enough to make some fans change their opinion of Ange, but it makes firing him a more difficult call.
The Injury Excuse
It is easy to forget that Tottenham actually started this season quite well. In late November, they were in sixth place in the table, three points from third, and with the most goals scored in the division. Playing some exciting football that was also not overly vulnerable defensively, the future looked relatively bright.
Injuries began coming thick and fast though, and over the next few months, the club could have named a full starting 11 of injured senior players. Any side would have struggled losing so many important players, although you could argue that they should not have struggled quite so much.
Some fans are of this opinion and believe that Ange still had a squad capable of picking up more points than he has managed. Others were more sympathetic and suggested he should only be judged when all players have returned. The trouble is, the injury problem has since eased but performances have not improved all that much.
One reason for this is that Ange has dropped his intensive pressing style, witnessed earlier on in the campaign. His side have lost their identity to an extent and look vulnerable at the back, without making up for it with a major attacking threat. The trouble with returning to his intensive style is that it causes injuries, or appears to do so. Tottenham’s lengthy absentee list this year was partly bad luck but also partly a result of Ange’s physically demanding style of football.
If the Australian’s style keeps injuring key players, but at the same time, cannot function without key players, then it is hard to see how he turns things around.
Is Ange On Borrowed Time?
There are currently two main schools of thought surrounding the future of Ange Postecoglou. One is that victory in the Europa League – handing Tottenham their first European trophy since 1984 – will be enough to spare his job. The other is that he is doomed regardless of what happens.
A recent article from The Telegraph suggests the latter is much more likely to be true. Also supporting this claim is the fact that the fan base has largely turned against the Australian and Ange has often reacted to the negativity, whether arguing with fans or the taunting ear-cupping celebration against Chelsea. While fan opinion rarely decides the fate of a manager, it does work against him as a negative atmosphere impacts attendance and performances on the pitch.
Although the players still seem to be behind him, it does seem like the more likely outcome this summer is that Spurs replace Ange, if they can find a suitable replacement. It might be a welcome break for Ange as he has grown increasingly bitter and testy in his press conferences as this awful season has gone on. At first, he seemed to be relishing the job but you would not be surprised now if a split would come at the right time for all parties.
Possible Replacements
Although Mauricio Pochettino is currently the second favourite among the bookmakers to be the next permanent Spurs manager, it is hard to see him leaving his post as United States national boss so soon, especially with the World Cup around the corner. Reports have suggested that Marco Silva and Andoni Iraola are high on the managerial shortlist but both are currently employed by Fulham and Bournemouth, respectively. Neither club will be happy about letting their manager go and neither man has given any indication they want to leave.
The same can also be said for the currently employed Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Kieran McKenna (Ipswich). Should any of these managers really want to move to north London though, a deal of some sort will likely be done. Managers move clubs, while under contract, on a regular basis and clubs generally allow staff to move when they are eager to do so rather than keeping them against their will.
As for available options, that would require no compensation, Tottenham are unlikely to turn to regular caretaker manager Ryan Mason but the recently fired Thiago Motta may offer appeal despite a disappointing stint at Juventus. There is also former Barcelona manager Xavi, who is currently favourite among the bookies and ex-Borussia Dortmund head coach Edin Terzic who has not had a job since leaving Dortmund on his own request after losing the 2024 Champions League final.
There is no obvious standout choice from the list of names mentioned here but whoever Tottenham want, they should sort it out early so whoever is in charge has the full pre-season to prepare.