Despite guiding Tottenham Hotspur to Europa League glory just six days ago, the future of Ange Postecoglou remains very much up in the air.
Ordinarily the deliverance of a club’s first trophy in 17 years wouldn’t carry even a flicker of debate on a manager’s job security, but a torrid Premier League campaign which consisted of 22 defeats means that the Australian doesn’t have that luxury.
On Tuesday, Alasdair Gold reported for football.london that Daniel Levy is unlikely to make a decision on whether to back or sack the 59-year-old this week, with most of Spurs’ staff (including the manager) leaving for their post-season holidays after the loss to Brighton on Sunday.
The reporter claims that ‘there remains a chance’ of the chairman maintaining faith in Postecoglou after last week’s emotional triumph in Bilbao, and he’s set to take multiple factors into account when deciding on the future of the former Celtic boss.
Levy is aware of the prospect of supporter backlash if he fires the Australian, who has the full backing of the players for delivering Europa League glory and for helping to instil a tight-knit mentality within the group.
However, the chairman won’t simply disregard Spurs’ dismal domestic season and will contemplate whether or not he believes the 59-year-old can improve the club in that regard when they’re also competing in the Champions League.
Levy facing massive call on Postecoglou
There’s no getting away from the humiliation of the north Londoners being the lowest-placed Premier League team not to be relegated this season, but the significance of European glory in Bilbao last week can’t be overstated.
Postecoglou put his neck on the line a few months ago with his infamous remark about always winning a trophy in his second year in a job, and it’s to his enormous credit that he came good on that statement at a club where silverware has been in short supply for many years.
Another factor which may count in the Australian’s favour is – the Europa League final excepting – his commitment towards a high-wire style of football which can often be too enterprising for his own good.
Many Spurs fans bemoaned the excessive pragmatism of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in previous campaigns – the current boss could hardly provide a starker tactical contrast.
Who could replace Postecoglou if Levy pulls the trigger?
If ending the trophy drought isn’t enough to convince Levy to keep Postecoglou in the job, the debate will then turn to who replaces the 59-year-old, with some insiders rating him ’50-50′ as to whether or not he stays.
Thomas Frank is reportedly a leading candidate for the north Londoners, having enjoyed another terrific season in charge of Brentford while remaining largely true to an attacking brand of football.
The other burning question is whether the Dane would want to leave the Gtech Community Stadium, a factor which could also influence the Spurs chairman’s thinking as he weighs up the future of the current manager in N17.
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