Tottenham sack Europa League winning coach

Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, describing it as "one of the most difficult decisions we have had to make". The decision comes as the club consider Brentford's Thomas Frank, who has a £10m release clause, and Fulham's Marco Silva as potential candidates for the hot seat.

Postecoglou had previously led Tottenham to Europa League glory on May 22 (Vietnam time), defeating Man Utd in the final in Bilbao, ending the club's 17-year trophy drought. The success had created great excitement among fans, bringing a sense of relief and belief that he deserved the chance to continue his role.

Tottenham sa thải huấn luyện viên vô địch Europa League - 1 — Postecoglou leads Tottenham to win Europa League 2024-25 (Photo: Getty).

However, chairman Daniel Levy and the board, after assessing the situation since the final game of the season against Brighton on 25 May, have come to the unanimous conclusion that Postecoglou must leave, a decision based on his Premier League performances over the majority of his two-year tenure.

Postecoglou made an impressive start with eight wins and two draws from his opening 10 league games, having arrived from Celtic when Spurs were in decline (finishing eighth in 2022-23). However, his league record since then has been just 78 points from 66 games - a detail Tottenham highlighted in a statement confirming his departure just after 5pm on 6 June (local time).

The club also pointed out that last season's 17th-place finish, with 38 points, was their worst in the Premier League era. They have only ever finished worse in the league once, in 1914-15.

Tottenham have met with intermediaries to discuss a move for Thomas Frank, who impressed with his excellent record at Brentford. The Dane took charge in west London in October 2018 when they were in the Championship and guided them to promotion via the play-offs in 2020-21. He has kept Brentford in the top flight, finishing 10th last season with 56 points.

Tottenham also admire the work Marco Silva has done at Fulham, but Frank appears to be their number one target. Every player and staff member at Brentford is valued highly, with Tottenham having to decide whether to pay £10m. The club have also shown an interest in Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola and Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, both of whom are thought to be within reach.

Tottenham sa thải huấn luyện viên vô địch Europa League - 2 — Postecoglou helps Tottenham end 17-year title drought (Photo: Getty).

Postecoglou will undoubtedly be a hero at Tottenham after the win in Bilbao. He released an emotional statement shortly after his sacking, saying he was “forever connected” to the players, staff and supporters. He said his greatest emotion was pride and that Bilbao would stay with him for the rest of his life.

“Bilbao is the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and a lot of noise that comes with trying to achieve what many said was impossible. We have also laid the foundations that mean this club does not have to wait another 17 years for the next success,” said Postecoglou.

Tottenham's statement acknowledged Postecoglou had sought to return the club to a more attacking style and expressed gratitude for the trophy he had brought, noting that he now "joins legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw" as managers to have won in Europe.

“Sometimes there are unavoidable circumstances (for poor league form) such as injuries and then the decision to prioritise our European campaign. While winning the Europa League was one of the club’s greatest moments, we cannot make decisions based on emotions surrounding this victory. It is important that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change in approach will give us the strongest possible chance for the coming season and beyond,” Tottenham said in a statement.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tottenham-sa-thai-huan-luyen-vien-vo-dich-europa-league-20250607070146143.htm