- Ange Postecoglou won the Europa League to end Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought
- But, after a woeful domestic campaign, the Australian’s future remains in doubt
- LISTEN: Was ‘Fergie Time’ real? Veteran Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg reveals all on the first episode of the Mail’s brand-new football podcast Whistleblowers
The cost for Tottenham of sacking Ange Postecoglou has been revealed.
The Australian manager earnt Spurs a £100m windfall by masterminding their Europa League triumph, the club’s first trophy for 17 years.
A 1-0 victory over Man United in last month’s final in Bilbao won Tottenham a place in next season’s Champions League but, after a dire domestic campaign, their manager’s position remains in doubt.
Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League table and lost 22 matches — the most by any side to avoid relegation.
Mail Sport reported in April that Spurs were set to cut ties with Postecoglou regardless of whether his team won the Europa League or not.
And, should chairman Daniel Levy wish to end Postecoglou’s reign, it would cost Tottenham £4million in compensation — according to The Telegraph.
Ange Postecoglou has returned from holiday in Greece and is expected to learn his fate soon
Daniel Levy has a tough decision to make over the manager who ended Spurs’ trophy drought
Postecoglou delivered on his promise to win silverware in his second season at Tottenham
That is on top of the £2m bonus he received for lifting the Europa League.
The 59-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, with the terms of his exit decided when he signed the deal that brought him to London from Celtic.
The report adds that the manager has now returned from holiday and should be receiving clarity over his position in the near future.
While sacking Postecoglou will take around £4m on its own, the total cost of then appointing a replacement could see Spurs splash out roughly £10m.
The club would have to pay compensation to one of their Premier League rivals if they were to secure one of the two favourites to replace Postecoglou — Brentford boss Thomas Frank or Fulham’s Marco Silva.
Postecoglou did not sound like a man who was expecting the chop when he spoke to ABC’s Australian Story last weekend from southern Greece where he has been spending time with his family.
He insisted that lifting the Europa League must be just the beginning for Spurs not the peak.
‘I didn’t want us to just enjoy the moment,’ he said.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank is one of the favourites to replace Postecoglou at Spurs
As is Marco Silva who guided Fulham to an 11th-place finish in the Premier League last season
Son Heung-Min is expected to be targeted by the Saudi Pro League later this summer
‘I also wanted us to think about what’s next, you know, don’t settle for this. We’ve got a taste of it now. My players have got a taste for it. The club’s got a taste for it. Well, let’s make sure we’re back here again.’
And it’s not just Tottenham’s manager whose future is in doubt but also their captain.
Son Heung-Min is expected to be targeted by the Saudi Pro League later this summer.
The 32-year old has turned down offers previously from Saudi giants but is now in the final year of his contract and the club may listen to suitable bids.
Back in January, the north London club triggered an option in Son’s contract to extend his current deal by a year — with it now running until 2026.
Son has been at Tottenham for almost a decade, making 454 appearances and scoring 173 goals.
There is interest in Son from the Saudi Pro League, with the South Korea international seen as the ideal replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
