The i Paper

Bournemouth expect Andoni Iraola to stay for at least another season and resist any overtures from Tottenham Hotspur if they decide to sack Ange Postecoglou.

Iraola is understood to figure prominently in Tottenham’s thinking if they decide to fire Postecoglou, who is relying on the Europa League to save a desperately disappointing season.

But the idea that they will be able to prise Iraola from Bournemouth appears fanciful, given both his nature and the scale of the project that is underway on the south coast.

It is understood that Iraola has already begun planning for next season at the Vitality Stadium and appears “all in” at Bournemouth at the moment, where owner Bill Foley has funded a state-of-the-art training ground that opened last month and is close to bringing a Portuguese side into the multi-club project that he hopes will maintain the impressive progress made over the last 12 months.

The Cherries have been one of the surprise packages of the season, but insiders say there is a determination to prove it is no flash in the pan, and that ambition has been stressed to Iraola in positive recent meetings.

Those who know Iraola also describe him as “uniquely focused” on the role at hand and not a manager prone to keeping one eye on possible job opportunities.

He has a year left on his contract and there is a belief that he will stay for at least that, especially with European qualification a possibility in 2025-26.

Iraola has shown in the past that he will carefully select the right roles, turning down a mid-season move to Leeds United in 2023 because he didn’t believe the timing was right and didn’t want to ruin his reputation at Rayo Vallecano.

Having been appointed and then backed by Bournemouth, there is a feeling that he will remain loyal for another year.

The theory is that at that point he may be able to get his pick of roles – or renew with Bournemouth.

Tottenham would appear to present less of an attractive possibility given the internal conflicts at the club and ownership issues that are rumbling in the background.

The i Paper has been told that interest from Qatar Sports Investment (QSI) has not gone away, with some senior figures in football of the belief that it is undermining future planning at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

They have lost 17 out of 32 games this season, languish in 15th place and appear in dire need of a substantial rebuilding job in the summer.

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It would be a huge surprise if Postecoglou, whose side head to Eintracht Frankfurt for a season-defining game on Thursday, was around to see it.

The kind of uncertainty does not exist at Bournemouth, where planning for the summer is already well underway.

And while there has been furious speculation around the future of the players who have lifted them into contention for a place in Europe, the club are under no pressure to sell and are understood to have placed high prices on all of their top prospects.

The outstanding Dean Huijsen – who has a £50m release clause – is certain to leave after just a season at Bournemouth given there is interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

The club will look to bank a hefty profit to ease any worries around profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and ensure any further sales are on their terms.

Liverpool are advancing their interest in Milos Kerkez but Bournemouth want “at least” £40m for the left-back.

Tottenham 3-1 Southampton (Johnson 13′, 42′, Tel 90+6′ | Fernandes 90′ )

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — Home hasn’t provided much comfort for Tottenham lately, but a win in N17 was welcome ahead of Thursday’s pivotal meeting with Eintracht Frankfurt – even if it did come against Southampton, now relegated with seven games still to play.

Ange Postecoglou has been adamant that one of Spurs’ worst seasons in recent memory could yet have a glorious finish. The cockerel’s eggs have long been placed in the Europa League basket, as Spurs have slipped and slid down the Premier League table like an amateur ice skater.

Nevertheless, if Spurs are to end their trophy drought, they will need to generate momentum from somewhere and fast. That was presumably why Postecoglou selected arguably his strongest side, bar Ben Davies for Micky van de Ven, whose taut hamstrings were given a reprieve.

There were positive signs, albeit with the caveat that they came against one of the worst teams in Premier League history.

Brennan Johnson will feel both delighted and annoyed to score two goals, given Mathys Tel selfishly denied him a chance to claim a first Premier League hat-trick with the penultimate kick of the contest.

Some of the attacking football was enterprising and effective, with James Maddison pulling the strings.

The tenets of Angeball have become increasingly tough to spot, but the opening goal was the perfect projection of the Postecoglou philosophy. It started with Cristian Romero’s press-breaking pass from the back and ended with Johnson finishing first-time from Djed Spence’s cutback.

Johnson’s second of the day and 11th league goal of the campaign owed more to Southampton’s statuesque defending than intricate play, with Maddison nodding into his path for another one-touch finish, but a two-goal lead was no less than the hosts deserved.

Spurs played with as much purpose and intensity in the first-half as they have in months, embodied by the dynamic Lucas Bergvall. He has been a blonde-haired beacon in a season of gloom.

In a statement after the publication of the club’s latest annual accounts at the start of April, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy doubled down on a polarising transfer policy by reiterating a commitment to make “smart purchases within our financial means”.

That certainly applies to Bergvall, who has been an unqualified hit since making an £8.5m move from Swedish side Djurgardens last year. Spurs have squandered millions on high-profile players but have struck gold with the 19-year-old, who plays with an assurance and maturity that belies his years.

It was a testament to the Swede’s growing responsibility in this team that he was one of the players peeled off prematurely with Thursday’s game in mind. He had a great game, first in a box-to-box role and then as a sitter, and was unfortunate not to register his first Premier League goal with an instinctive finish.

Postecoglou has long been a dissenting voice against VAR and another lengthy stoppage for Bergvall’s eventual non-goal – clocked at four minutes and 50 seconds – will have done little to quell his anti-tech standpoint.

Complacency set in after the restart as Spurs minds wandered to midweek. Mateus Fernandes’ 89th-minute strike threatened to set up a humiliating finale before Johnson won the penalty that Tel converted.

This was just Spurs’ second home victory in the Premier League in their last 11 games and with the sun shining, most supporters made their way to the exits contentedly.

The scene was different beforehand as hundreds staged a second protest in as many months. Many wielded yellow scarves and banners bearing anti-Enic and Daniel Levy slogans.

“Can Beyoncé play up front?” was a popular chant. With six tour dates slated in for June, Bey will rival most of Spurs’ defenders for appearances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.