Ange Postecoglou could be sacked from Tottenham Hotspur if his side fails to beat Aston Villa this weekend, according to reports.
The 59-year-old, who joined Spurs in June 2023, has overseen a poor campaign so far with his side sitting 14th in the Premier League, having lost 13 games. Dreams of a Carabao Cup final appearance were also left in ruins after Liverpool dismantled Spurs 4-0 on Thursday, despite Postecoglou's side going into the second-leg tie with a 1-0 advantage.
Decision makers at Spurs are reportedly still backing their under-fire boss, with chairman Daniel Levy's willingness to make moves in the January transfer market emphasising such support. However, defeat to Unai Emery's Villa in the FA Cup on Sunday could leave his future at risk, with senior figures ready to discuss the Australian's position should Spurs exit the Cup, according to GiveMeSport.
Should Spurs find themselves without a manager come Monday, Express Sport have identified five contenders who could take over the hot seat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Andoni Iraola
Bournemouth's Spanish coach has emerged as one of the most in-demand coaches in the Premier League. The Cherries have been one of the surprise packages this season, currently sitting seventh in the table, with Iraola getting the better of Postecoglou, Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim, Enzo Maresca and Eddie Howe so far this term.
The 42-year-old has also coped well with a crippling injury crisis where he lost both of his strikers, Evanilson and Enes Unal. He is currently one of the leading favourites with the bookies to take the job should Postecoglou's reign come to an end.
Thomas Frank
The Brentford coach has earned plaudits for leading his team to promotion from the Championship in the 2020/21 season via the play-offs and maintaining their Premier League status ever since. Lauded for a positive brand of attacking football, Frank would reportedly be a leading candidate due to his openness to one day leaving the Bees.
Speaking in December 2024, The Dane outlined what it would take for him to leave Brentford. "I think the club you're going into, can you instantly improve it? Is there low-hanging fruits, or is it difficult to raise the bar? And is their finances good? Can you get the players in and out you want to? I think that's the key," he said.
"I think there's a part of me that thinks that one day, maybe I need to try something different. Is that a bigger club, Champions League, bigger challenge? I don't know."
Mauricio Pochettino
Could it really happen? Despite going on to manage rivals Chelsea, Pochettino has a major soft spot for his former club. The Argentinian was sacked by Levy in late 2019 after a poor run of results despite leading his side to the Champions League final in the season prior, ultimately losing to Liverpool.
Speaking to BT Sport in November 2022, Pochettino opened up on a potential return: "Deep in my chest, my soul, my heart - I am sure that we will cross [paths] again. My dream is to be back and to try to finish the work that we didn't finish." However, despite coming in around 5/1 with the bookies, his commitment to leading the United States national team to the 2026 World Cup could prove a major stumbling block.
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Kieran McKenna
The 38-year-old caught the eye after he guided Ipswich back to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years with back-to-back promotions. While the Tractor Boys have struggled this season, with Ipswich sitting 19th in the table with just three wins under their belt, McKenna spent seven years playing with Spurs' academy and rejoined the club in 2015 as an Under-18s coach.
His prior knowledge of the club, coupled with his success in the lower leagues and his young age, could put him high on Levy's list. He is currently 11/2 with some bookmakers to be offered the job should Postecoglou leave.
Edin Terzic
Terzic is currently without a club after leaving Borussia Dortmund last summer. He took the Bundesliga side to the Champions League final in 2023/24 where, despite being the better side, his team lost 2-0 to Spanish giants Real Madrid. The German also guided them to the DFB-Pokal in 2020-21.
In an intriguing twist, while Terzic was linked with the Besiktas job, their club president seemed to hint that he was on his way to Spurs in the wake of the increasing uncertainty over Postecoglou, as per Football London. Serdal Adali, president of Turkish side Besiktas, told Turkish TV broadcaster Tivibu Spor last month: "Edin Terzic was one of our foreign alternatives. In the meeting, he said he was expecting an agreement with Tottenham. That book is closed." Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was instead hired as the new boss of the Turkish side.