Tottenham stars want Ange Postecoglou to stay as issues over replacing him emerge

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur future continues to hang in the balance despite Europa League glory, with the London side slumping to a 17th-place finish in the league

Ange Postecoglou is hoping the tide of emotion will give him a stay of execution as Tottenham boss. The expectation remains that Postecoglou is set for a summer exit despite leading Tottenham to glory in the Europa League final.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is facing a heart-rending call over Postecoglou’s future after the Spurs boss delivered the club’s first trophy in 17 years and a passport into the Champions League. Postecoglou has made it clear he wants to stay, has made a string of public statements to push his claims but, realistically, the Aussie knows that it would take a huge shift for him to get another year.

There is unlikely to be a quick resolution over Postecoglou’s future but the players have made it very clear that the dressing room is behind him after the jubilant scenes in Bilbao last week when Tottenham beat Manchester United. Tottenham midfielder James Maddison has reiterated that the players are behind him as a “winner” after guiding the club to success.

Maddison told Sky: “The start of the season when he says I don’t usually win things, I always win things. We knew that would create uproar in the media. Never once did I stop believing he meant that.

“He’s been brilliant. The season three line was iconic as well, that was the ultimate mic drop moment. His biggest strength is his self belief in what he does and that feeds off into us and it’s been installed into us into Europe this year. Managers and clubs can go long periods without winning trophies – you don’t need a bigger example than Tottenham – but he’s a manager who has always had success.”

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The European success was celebrated with a parade when Postecoglou got a huge reception from the fans as they lapped up his promise that the best TV series have a better third season than season two. However, Postecoglou’s issues came back to haunt him just two days later when Brighton battered Tottenham 4-1 to inflict a 22nd defeat of their Premier League season to leave the club stranded in 17th, just one place above the relegation zone.

That is the reason why it remains highly likely that Postecoglou will be shown the door because the risk will be that if they stick with him then results will not improve. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has admirers within the club while Marco Silva has hinted heavily that he will stay at Fulham even though he is on Tottenham’s hit-list.

Bournemouth are determined to keep Andoni Iraola who is another who has been heavily linked. But Tottenham are set for big changes behind the scenes this summer, although Fabio Paratici could return to the club as director of football after serving a FIFA ban.

It points to a complicated process and that is another factor in why decisions may take time over the manager’s future. Paratici’s contacts book can almost certainly deliver a big-name manager but Levy will be reluctant to make a change until they have a candidate in the bag.

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