Ange Postecoglou has ‘fallen out’ with ‘at least four’ of his ‘senior stars’ at Tottenham this season, a new report has claimed, though supporters should not fear that claims of the alleged bust-up will hasten speculation over his future in N17.
The Aussie boss was seen as a breath of fresh air upon his appointment by Spurs last summer, with his straight-talking demeanour quickly winning over fans and media alike, while his style of football was seen as pleasing on the eye and having established Tottenham as the early pacesetters in last season’s Premier League with eight wins and two draws from their first 10 games.
But fast forward a year later and the situation at the club is very different, with the club suffering three defeats in their last five Premier League games to leave them a lowly 10th in the table. And with Tottenham doing very Spursy things by allowing Ipswich to claim a 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last time out – the Suffolk side’s first Premier League win in over 8,000 days – evidence is starting to grow that all is not well at the club.
More evidence that cracks are starting to show in the Postecoglou regime has seemingly gathered pace amid a damaging new report from Football Insider that the 59-year-old has fallen out with at least four senior stars this season.
They name Italy internationals Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario and South American pair Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero as the quartet among those who have been upset by Postecoglou.
Their report goes on to add that ‘sources say his straight talking in public and behind the scenes has had a negative reaction in the dressing room and has sewn the discord at the heart of the team’s wild swings in form’.
Furthermore, they claim questions over Postecoglou’s future are starting to be asked and a failure to improve over the next few weeks could negatively impact his future.
‘Pressure will now intensify on Postecoglou following the international break, with Tottenham set to face Man City next week (23 November).
‘Senior Spurs sources have told Football Insider that the next month is pivotal to his future in north London, with an improvement required to cement his medium-term future at the club.’
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Indeed, the possibility of Tottenham sacking Postecoglou has, somewhat surprisingly reared its head over the past week, even though a win over Ipswich would have thrust the club into the top three had they managed to claim a win over Ipswich.
And wins at Manchester United, combined with home successes over Manchester City (in the Carabao Cup) and Aston Villa have shown what the side are capable of.
Furthermore, despite their 3-2 loss at Galatasaray thanks to an inspired performance from Victor Osimhen, Spurs are also well on track to progress to the next round of the Europa League.
That competition remains hugely important for Postecoglou, with the manager making no secret of his wish to lift a trophy at Tottenham – the club last lifted silverware in 2008, some 16 years ago – and with Spurs also knowing success in the Europa League offers a guaranteed pathway to the Champions League, which has been set as a target for Postecoglou by chairman Daniel Levy this season.
Nonetheless, despite their recent struggles, Alan Shearer insists it is far too soon to begin speculation over Postecoglou’s future.
“Typical Spurs though, isn’t it? My goodness me. They beat City at home, they beat Villa at home with a great win, and then you got Ipswich at home. Ipswich turn you over,” Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast.
“I don’t think so [Postecoglou under pressure]. No, I think you just look at it like that, he took responsibility, didn’t he?
“He said it’s his fault, his problem. He’s got to sort it out. But when you see them in the second half against Villa and then beating City, it’s just, it’s the inconsistency again. How long have we been saying that about Spurs?”
Evening Standard journalist Dan Kilpatrick also insists Postecoglou is not in any immediate danger of being axed.
“So I don’t know what Levy and the board are thinking. To be honest, I think all the noises from the club, that they sort of accept that this is a medium-term venture,” Kilpatrick said on the Tottenham Way podcast.
“I mean, they’ve talked about being successful in the here and now, but they’ve also talked about building a squad, that they want to be successful in four or five years.
“And that’s been obvious in the age profile of the players they’ve signed, the three teenagers over the summer, two more coming next year.
“So, I think that there is a kind of commitment to see this through, or at least keep saying where it goes. But again, I can understand anyone associated with Spurs who’s losing a bit of patience or getting frustrated.”
Latest Tottenham transfer news: Greek striker targeted / USA midfielder to sign
Meanwhile, Tottenham are hurtling towards their first signing of 2025, with a move for Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso set to be sped up in relation to speculation that Aston Villa have joined the hunt for his signature.
Spurs negotiated a crafty agreement to give themselves first dibs on the USMNT star in 2025 as part of the arrangement that allowed Giovani Lo Celso to rejoin the LaLiga side.
But in recent weeks the player has also been linked with a move to Unai Emery’s side and that interest has seemingly convinced Levy to push through his signing with details on the fee Spurs will pay also coming to light.
Elsewhere, Spurs are being linked with a move for Greek striker Stefanos Tzimas, who has caught the eye during a loan spell with Nurnberg.
That temporary switch is set to be made permanent next year, but the German side are eyeing an instant profit and with Spurs one of three Premier League sides being tipped to move for the teenage prospect.
And finally, Tottenham have reportedly joined Liverpool in the hunt for Takefusa Kubo, who it’s claimed Real Sociedad could find it ‘difficult to retain’ next year.
The Japanese winger is highly rated by the LaLiga side but his big-money release clause is understood to have caught Spurs’ attention.