Tottenham SACK Ange Postecoglou despite historic Europa League win

Tottenham sacked Ange Postecoglou on the second anniversary of his appointment and 16 days after he led the club to its first European trophy for 41 years.

Thomas Frank of Brentford is the leading candidate to replace him.

Postecoglou returned from a holiday in Greece to learn his fate and Spurs issued a statement to explain the decision had been taken after a review of performances and 'significant reflection'.

Chairman Daniel Levy held a meeting into the night after the final game of the Premier League season, a 4-1 home defeat by Brighton, just five days after the euphoria of beating Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Levy later visited the Bahamas where he met with members of the Lewis family, the club's majority shareholders.

Postecoglou made it clear he wanted to stay and continue the work he had started and plenty of Spurs supporters who wanted him out in midseason relented after the emotional scenes in Bilbao and on the trophy parade through the streets of north London.

Levy and the board made clear their gratitude to the 59-year-old Australian for ending a 17-year wait for a major trophy and restoring the 'attacking brand of football traditionally associated with the club' but, according to the statement, 'unanimously' agreed the need for a change in the dug-out outweighed any sentimentality. 

They cited the dismal return of 78 points taken from the last 66 Premier League games and the worst league finish of the modern era, after an encouraging start under Postecoglou.

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'Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph,' said the Spurs statement.

'It is crucial we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond.

'This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.

'We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.'

Postecoglou, who in a lengthy statement said 'he opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime,' was feted as part of the club's raucous trophy parade, but with a view to improving the side ahead of the next campaign, chairman Levy and the Tottenham board have opted to move on the manager after just two seasons.

The Australian has been forced to make do without many of his first team regulars this season after an unprecedented injury crisis which has particularly hit his defensive line. 

This includes first choice centre backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, while stars such as Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison have also missed large chunks of action.

Postecoglou had also struggled to connect with the Spurs faithful before his historic trophy win, with the former manager coming in for abuse after appearing to taunt fans in the stands after Tottenham scored a goal - which was later ruled out - against Chelsea in their March Premier League meeting. 

The head coach was booed loudly by travelling supporters in Stamford Bridge, but remained adamant in the aftermath that he had only been trying to gee up the crowd as he cupped his hand to his ear.

The mood in north London had grown increasingly sour, with Postecoglou hitting out at the board in a recent press conference, implying that he was taking the lion's share of the blame for Tottenham's failings. 

'The only voice you hear is me,' Postecoglou said. 'When we're talking about the bigger clubs, there seem to be a lot more voices. And not always defending. You need scrutiny and constructive criticism as well. We definitely get enough of that but never get any of the other stuff.' 

Postecoglou also raised concerns over a suspected leak within his Spurs set-up as recent injury news appeared to hit social media before his formal announcement. 

But on the heels of their triumph in Bilbao, Postecoglou had been more bullish about his suitability for the task at hand in north London. 

'In all the best television series, season three is better than season two,' Postecoglou told a whipped-up crowd at the conclusion of Spurs' trophy parade. 

Postecoglou was also interviewed by an Australian outlet during his family holiday in Greece, stressing that lifting the Europa League trophy was merely the beginning of his aspirations, rather than the peak. 

'I didn't want us to just enjoy the moment,' he said. 'I also wanted us to think about what's next, you know, don't settle for this. 

'We've got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club's got a taste for it. Well, let's make sure we're back here again.' 

The next head coach will be the 14th of the ENIC era led by Levy. 

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Postecoglou had admitted before leaving for his vacation that he was unsure whether he would remain in charge for the 2025-26 campaign. 

Frank, the leading candidate, has two years remaining on his contract and Brentford will expect a compensation package to release him but talks between intermediaries have been ongoing for some time.

The 51-year-old Dane had planned to stay at the Gtech Community Stadium for at least one more year but that there is a growing feeling that the Bees are at the end of a natural cycle with forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa likely to leave this summer.

Frank has worked for nine years at Brentford and been in charge since Dean Smith left for Aston Villa in October 2018.