With Ange Postecoglou on the brink at Tottenham Hotspur, here are five potential next moves for the sack-threatened Spurs head coach…
Tottenham‘s once-beloved Aussie – by the skin of his teeth – remains employed after he may have feared a rare half-time sacking with his struggling side 3-0 down at Everton on Sunday.
The 3-2 final score makes the situation appear less troublesome, though this result solidifies his position as the firm favourite to be the next Premier League manager to be fired.
Spurs have had terrible luck with injuries this season but the 15th-placed side’s Premier League form has been unacceptable as they are only eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Tottenham have lost 12 of their 22 Premier League matches this season; this could force Daniel Levy to repeat the pre-2021 Carabao Cup final sacking of Jose Mourinho with Postecoglou, whose position is becoming untenable.
Most Premier League sides would struggle to cope with Tottenham when Postecoglou and his players get it right, but those occasions are becoming increasingly fleeting and the Everton defeat nudges him perilously close to the exit door.
The whole blame does not lie with Postecoglou; Tottenham’s board also has a lot to answer for, but the man in the dugout will be hung out to dry like other previously successful managers who have failed under Levy.
Postecoglou would inevitably need to take a step down after leaving Spurs, but his full-throttle approach will appeal to certain Premier League owners if they are left searching for a new manager. With that, here are five potential next moves for the Tottenham boss…
Everton
Starting with the club that may have sealed Postecoglou’s fate, Everton arguably produced their best performance (certainly in an attacking sense) against Spurs to move four points clear of the bottom three.
This was David Moyes’ first win since returning to Goodison Park. On the evidence of this performance, the Scottish manager and Everton’s beleaguered supporters could have plenty of fun before the summer’s stadium move.
The Toffees will fancy their chances of avoiding relegation if Dominic Calvert-Lewin can kick on after returning to the scoresheet against Spurs, while Iliman Ndiaye remains their star man.
Still, Everton’s immediate future is clouded in uncertainty. While the internal noise indicates Moyes is their man beyond this season, this could easily change in a heartbeat.
Moyes bringing the good vibes back to Everton should see them to safety, but there are concerns that his pragmatic playing style is too similar to that of Sean Dyche. This may ensure his return is shortlived as their new owners pick a manager to overhaul the playing style to kickstart a new era. Enter, Mr Postecoglou…
READ: Premier League winners and losers: Bournemouth, Van Nistelrooy, Moyes, Postecoglou, Liverpool sub
AFC Bournemouth
Alternatively, there could be a straight swap with Premier League rivals Bournemouth involving Postecoglou and the second-favourite to replace him, Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard’s reputation has rapidly risen since replacing Gary O’Neil as he’s made those who questioned Bournemouth’s decision to sack the supposed deep-thinking tactical genius look incredibly daft.
The 2024/25 Premier League season has been batsh*t and Champions League-chasing Bournemouth have played their part in making the race for Europe wide open and impossible to predict.
Spurs may need to act fast if they want to appoint Iraola because he’ll undoubtedly be in the frame to succeed Mikel Arteta at Arsenal if that ship continues to sail towards more disappointment in the Premier League title race.
As Spurs have discovered, it’s hard to find a team perfectly tailored to Postecoglou, but the potential switch from Iraola to the Tottenham chief is not too dramatic as Bournemouth’s preferred XI could make his system work.
MORE ANGE POSTECOGLOU COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Romano gives Postecoglou sack update amid claims it ‘might be his last week’ at Tottenham
👉 Spurs’ latest humiliation at Everton must spell end of Postecoglou and one Tottenham legend
👉 Tottenham star ‘fed up’ of Postecoglou ‘wants to quit’ with Levy tipped to ‘agree late deal’
Southampton
Postecoglou is in line to be the last Premier League manager sacked this season, but Southampton’s Ivan Juric could change that…
It’s hard not to feel a tad sorry for the Croatian as he’s inherited a squad that’s nowhere near Premier League level; relegation with a whimper would be likely with him or Russell Martin in the dugout.
While recently promoted Championship sides (barring the odd example) have been on a hiding to nothing in the Premier League, they will have much more fun after relegation and expose the quality gap between divisions by appearing a level above the rest of their division rivals.
Postecoglou’s attack-or-bust approach makes him a natural fit for a title contender, so a drop to the Championship with a top-six budget side could be a wise next step for the Aussie if he attempts to replicate what he achieved with Celtic.
Leeds United
Marcelo Bielsa is still adored by the Leeds United faithful as they yearn for the good ol’ days of having the iconic Argentinian and his bucket in the dugout.
Bielsa’s remarkable success at Elland Road has been to the detriment of his successors at Leeds United as none have connected with the fanbase in the same way.
In 2024/25, Leeds are on track to get over last term’s excruciating promotion near-miss and frustrating summer transfer window to seal promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking. Former Norwich City boss Daniel Farke is leading them in that direction after he was somewhat fortunate to keep his job following their dire end to last season.
Even without Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter, the Whites arguably have the best squad in the Championship, so missing out on promotion to rivals of a lower calibre than they faced last season would be a monumental failure.
Farke’s reputation in the Championship has been enhanced at Leeds after he got Norwich promoted twice, but the same cannot be said for his work in the Premier League. An early-season sacking post-promotion and appointment of Bielsa-esque maverick Postecoglou could give supporters another vibes-based side to get behind.
READ: Six surprise relegations that show Manchester United and Tottenham are not too big to go down
Celtic
Instead of Postecoglou replicating what he did at Celtic with Southampton, he could just return to the Scottish giants for a second spell.
Brendan Rodgers felt he had to take a step back to eventually move forward after his sacking at Leicester ended his hopes of joining Spurs, so he decided to return to Celtic.
Rangers’ woes are making life pretty simple for Rodgers, who may eventually get bored and return to a mid-table Premier League side to maintain the Celtic merry-go-round before Postecoglou follows in his footsteps.
Celtic are far superior to their league rivals and can afford to get away with adopting Postecoglou’s style without being punished as regularly as Tottenham in the Premier League. They would still get found out in the Champions League, mind.