Ange Postecoglou was fired as coach of Tottenham Hotspur on Friday despite winning the Europa League. The club finished a disappointing seventeenth in the Premier League last season, just thirteen points above the relegation zone.
The club’s management announced on Friday that the board had unanimously decided that a different approach was needed. “We believe that a change gives us the best chance of success in the coming season and beyond,” Tottenham wrote in a statement.
The 59-year-old Postecoglou, whose contract ran for another two years, was appointed in the summer of 2023 and led Tottenham to win the Europa League in Bilbao last month by winning 1-0 against Manchester United in the final. This made the Australian only the third coach in club history to win a European prize and the first in forty years to achieve this.
Although Postecoglou started his first season strongly with Spurs, he only gained 78 points in the last 66 league games. The London club acknowledges that there were “mitigating circumstances”, such as injuries and a conscious focus on the European tournament. Nevertheless, the board found the sporting achievements insufficient.
“Although winning the Europa League is one of the greatest moments in club history, we cannot base our decisions on the emotions associated with that victory,” said Tottenham, which had not previously finished so low in the Premier League.
It is not yet known who will succeed Postecoglou. According to leading British media, including Sky Sports, Brentford manager Thomas Frank is in pole position for the job.