Ange Postecoglou is now in growing danger of the sack at Tottenham following their defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday, with sources confirming three replacement options are already being looked at by the club.
Spurs have had a dismal season and find themselves 14th in the Premier League table and out of both domestic cups, with the Europa League their only chance of salvaging anything this term.
Postecoglou has always won a trophy in the second season of his tenures at previous clubs and was hopeful of doing so with Tottenham, but the chances of that are diminishing.
Many are now asking questions about Postecoglou’s future. There is an acceptance behind the scenes that Tottenham’s injury problems this season have had a major impact, but ultimately football is a results business.
Tottenham have won just one of their last eight Premier League games and now find themselves 10 points outside the relegation zone, after losing to third-bottom side Leicester City two weeks ago.
TEAMtalk understands that there are options on the table should Tottenham be forced into making a managerial change. Sources point towards their home game against Manchester United on Sunday as being crucial for Postecoglou’s future.
An elite European manager who reached the Champions League final last season is on Tottenham’s shortlist, along with two current Premier League bosses.
Tottenham keeping close tabs on three managers – sources
As we reported in January, former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is on Tottenham’s radar. The fact that he is currently out-of-contract and available is attractive to the club.
The 42-year-old left Dortmund last summer after guiding them to the Champions League final, and now he’s ready for a new challenge. Terzic would be very interested in joining a Premier League club for his next job.
TEAMtalk sources state that Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is ‘liked a lot’ by Tottenham and he would be considered should Spurs choose to sack Postecoglou.
However, luring Iraola away from Bournemouth would be very difficult mid-season and we understand he is fully focused on helping the Cherries finish as high as possible this term.
Sources close to the situation have also confirmed that Brentford boss Thomas Frank would be a top managerial target should Tottenham part ways with Postecoglou.
The London side looked at Frank before they appointed Postecoglou in 2023 and he is highly regarded by club chiefs.
Sources suggest that Frank could leave Brentford at the end of the season and he is set to be a big target for a number of top sides should they change manager.
The suggestion from sources is that Frank is ready to take the next big step in his career and take charge of one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
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How low can they go? Tottenham when they sacked recent managers
Postecoglou currently has Tottenham sitting 14th in the Premier League table, which is significantly lower than they would expect to be. But how far down the table have they been when sacking other managers in their recent history?
Antonio Conte: 4th
Despite some early optimism, Conte never seemed the right fit for Tottenham when they were hoping for a progressive future. A mutual agreement was reached in March 2023 for the Italian tactician to step down after what had been an emotional season on and off the field for him.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club had “a fight on [their] hands” to qualify for the Champions League, but they were actually in fourth place at the time of Conte’s exit.
Chaos was to come, though, with Spurs next sacking their acting head coach Cristian Stellini and placing Ryan Mason back in caretaker charge as they sank to an eighth-placed finish.
Nuno Espirito Santo: 9th
The search for a new permanent manager ahead of the 2021-22 season was a nightmarish one for Tottenham, who were turned down by several of their preferred candidates before deciding to go for ex-Wolves boss Nuno – someone they had originally ruled out of the running.
Nuno won the Premier League Manager of the Month award in August 2021, but Spurs’ form spiralled and he lasted only until the start of November before he was ousted for Conte.
Tottenham were ninth at the time of the switch, but Conte steered them back up to fourth by the end of the season.
To add insult to injury, Nuno is now working wonders back in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest – a club who weren’t even in the top flight in the season when he was in charge of Spurs.
Jose Mourinho: 7th
Mourinho has always made a big deal of the fact he was sacked by Spurs on the verge of a cup final, but it must have been their league form weighing on the club’s decision makers when they got rid of him in April 2021.
Tottenham were seventh in the table at the time – and that’s where they would finish as well, under the stewardship of caretaker boss Ryan Mason.
Mason’s first game in charge was the Carabao Cup final Mourinho had been looking forward to, which Tottenham lost to Manchester City to prolong their extended wait for silverware.
Mauricio Pochettino: 14th
The only manager to ever get Tottenham to a Champions League final, Pochettino had some credit in the bank for how he had inspired a resurgence in north London over his five-year reign. But it wasn’t enough to spare him from the sack when Tottenham found themselves languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League by November 2019.
“We were extremely reluctant to make this change. It is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste,” Levy said at the time. “Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.
“It falls on the board to make the difficult decisions – this one made more so given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff – but we do so in the club’s best interests.”
Replacement Mourinho ultimately led Tottenham to sixth in the final standings that season.