Leading Tottenham Hotspur to its first major trophy in almost two decades wasn’t enough to save Ange Postecoglou.
After months of speculation, the English Premier League football club has officially announced that the Australian coach will not return next season.
In a statement, the club said that “the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.
“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.”
Read the full statement below.
After joining Tottenham in 2023, the former Socceroos head coach guided them to a 1-o victory over Manchester United in last month’s Europa League Final – the club hadn’t won a European trophy for over 40 years.
Previously, Postecoglou scored several major honours with Scottish club Celtic, whose fans still hold him in the highest regard, and guided Australia to the 2014 World Cup.
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The Melbourne-raised manager appeared to be in the firing line for some time, given Tottenham’s 17th-placed finish in the latest ELP season, however some fans hoped that the Europa League win would have bought Postecoglou at least one more season to turn the ship.
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Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.
Ange joined us from Celtic in the summer of 2023 and oversaw a period of change on the pitch, returning us to the attacking brand of football that has traditionally been associated with the Club, while writing a new chapter in our history by leading us to UEFA Europa League glory in Bilbao last month – an achievement that will live with us all forever.
We are extremely grateful to Ange for his commitment and contribution during his two years at the Club. Ange will always be remembered as only the third manager in our history to deliver a European trophy, alongside legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw.
However, the Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place. Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. At times there were extenuating circumstances – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club’s greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph.
It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond. This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude. We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.
We have a talented, young squad and Ange has given us a great platform to build upon. We should like to express our gratitude to him. We wish him well for the future – he will always be welcome back at our home.
News on the appointment of a new Head Coach will be announced in due course.
