By Matt Law
Ange Postecoglou has been brutally sacked by Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy despite ending the club’s long trophy drought.
Tottenham were understood to be finalising the terms of Postecoglou’s exit on Friday afternoon, local time, after the Australian returned from holiday.
Sacked by Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou.Credit: Getty Images
Staff became aware on Friday that Levy had finally decided to sack Postecoglou with confirmation expected to follow.
Telegraph Sport exclusively revealed in April that Postecoglou was heading for the Spurs exit whether or not the club won the Europa League. And having seen Postecoglou lift Tottenham’s first trophy since 2008 and their first in Europe for 41 years, Levy has decided to make a managerial change.
The decision is possibly the most brutal of Levy’s long reign, given Postecoglou delivered on his promise of achieving success, changing the style of play and blooding young players.
Levy is likely to come under fire for how he has handled the situation after Postecoglou was left in the dark for over a week regarding his future, having won the Europa League and gone on holiday after the final Premier League game of the season.
But a 17th-place Premier League finish, alongside the Europa League win, ultimately cost Postecoglou his job even though his squad was decimated by injuries.
Levy has put himself under huge pressure to appoint a successor to Postecoglou who can out-perform the Australian. Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Fulham’s Marco Silva are among the top candidates.
Frank has never won a major trophy as a manager and has not managed in a full European competition, while Silva won the Greek title with Olympiacos, who he also coached in the Champions League.
While many Spurs supporters had expected Postecoglou to be sacked, the Europa League win prompted a huge wave of celebration from players and fans, many of them who changed their mind on the Australian’s prospects. Levy’s decision to ignore that emotion has risked him facing a backlash.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, sacking Postecoglou will cost Tottenham in the region of £4 million in compensation. The 59-year-old also earned a bonus in the region of £2 million for winning the Europa League and clinching Champions League qualification.
More to follow
The Telegraph, London
