By Matt Law and James Ducker
Ange Postecoglou is in line to earn a bonus in the region of $4 million if he can clinch Tottenham Hotspur’s first European trophy for 41 years.
It leaves Postecoglou in a win-win position financially, whatever the outcome of next week’s Europa League final. Win or lose against Manchester United in Bilbao, he is likely to earn a pay-out from chairman Daniel Levy and Tottenham’s ENIC owners – either in the form of a lucrative bonus or compensation. He could even pocket both if he wins the Europa League, securing Champions League football next season, and then departs.
Those who know him insist the financial implications of winning or losing the final – and keeping his job or leaving – will not be of any interest to Postecoglou and that his sole focus is trying to lift the trophy and give Tottenham fans something to celebrate.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is also believed to be on course to earn a bonus if his team can overcome Tottenham, the size of which is not clear.
Postecoglou is not the only man at Spurs who could earn a bonus if he can end the club’s long wait for a European trophy. It is understood that the club’s players are expected to share a bonus pot of more than $6 million if they beat United.
That is significantly more than the player bonus pool available to United’s squad, worth roughly $2 million, for winning the Europa League, with the club’s main financial incentives relating to Champions League involvement.
United’s players will land huge salary hikes expected to total more than $62 million should the club win the competition. Amorim and his squad will mostly be in line for 25 per cent pay increases if they beat Spurs and, with it, secure a return to Champions League football.
Tottenham players celebrate after making the Europa League final.Credit: Getty Images
Despite leading Tottenham to their first European final since 2019 and potentially becoming the club’s most successful manager since Keith Burkinshaw, who left the club immediately after winning the Uefa Cup in 1984, Postecoglou’s position remains in doubt.
Tottenham have lost 20 Premier League games this campaign, which is a club record, and sit 17th in the table, but have the chance to turn their season into a success in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
Postecoglou’s future beyond the final is uncertain and The London Daily Telegraph has reported that he has been heading towards the Tottenham exit, despite the club’s European run that could end in glory.
Sacking Postecoglou after winning the Europa League would ensure that the 59-year-old would be due compensation alongside his lucrative bonus.
Alongside the possibility of Postecoglou being sacked is the scenario that the Australian could settle on a mutual exit and leave with his head held high if Tottenham were to win.
Earning his bonus for winning the Europa League and qualifying for next season’s Champions League would soften the financial blow of Postecoglou missing out on his full compensation package in the event of him agreeing to leave mutually or quitting.
Postecoglou quit his job as the head coach of the Australia national team after clinching qualification for the 2018 World Cup, over differences with federation chiefs.
Were Postecoglou to stay on after winning the Europa League, then the former Celtic manager would remain on his current contract that expires in 2027 and be paid his bonus on top of his salary.
The Australian is likely to be unimpressed by any talk of bonuses or payouts. He has already made it clear that his biggest motivation at Tottenham is to try to achieve success and break the narrative of failure that has existed around the club under Levy.
Tottenham’s players are aiming to overshadow the unwanted record of 20 Premier League defeats by becoming the club’s first team to win a trophy since 2008 and the first to clinch success in Europe since 1984.
United’s wage bill for this season is likely to drop to around $670 million – from $752 million in 2023-24 – as a consequence of not playing in the Champions League.
But it is estimated to increase by about 10 per cent, or $67 million, to almost $743 million should they clinch the Europa League and, by doing so, trigger the Champions League participation clauses in the players’ contracts for the 2025-26 campaign.
While the player bonus pool for actually winning the Europa League is only thought to be around $2 million, it is understood United’s squad would share a bonus pool of around $20 million if the club were to win the Champions League.
The London Daily Telegraph
