Spurs line up replacements as doubts grow over manager’s future | OneFootball

Postecoglou Era Nears Its End as Spurs Prepare for Sweeping Summer Upheaval

Spiral of Decline Overshadows Europa League Promise

The strange paradox of Tottenham Hotspur’s season is best summarised in a single contradiction: progress in Europe, regression at home. Ange Postecoglou, once hailed as the voice of bold change and fearless football, now finds himself on the brink, less of a revolution and more of a retreat.

According to The Daily Mail, Postecoglou is expected to leave the club at the end of the season regardless of whether Spurs win the Europa League. That’s despite the Australian leading the club to a semi-final spot and being just three games from securing an unlikely Champions League return.

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Yet in the Premier League, Tottenham’s form has been abysmal. The 18th defeat of the season—this time to Nottingham Forest—left them languishing in 16th, a position so far removed from the club’s ambitions that any talk of progress sounds almost satirical.

Postecoglou, who has repeatedly referenced his track record of winning silverware in his second season, may yet exit with dignity. But dignity, like dominance, has eluded Tottenham in recent months.

Potential Successors and an Identity in Flux

The club has begun the process of looking ahead, reportedly drawing up a shortlist of potential successors. Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Burnley’s Scott Parker are all under consideration.

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Parker, of course, represents a romantic callback to Spurs’ past—popular as a player, familiar with the academy setup, and now thriving as a coach. But his defensive pragmatism jars with the attacking ethos Postecoglou sought to instil.

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“Iraola would, however, appear to be more suited to the shift in tactics and focus on attacking football engineered by Postecoglou,” the article notes. And this is perhaps the key point: Tottenham do not want another rebuild. They want continuity. They want style with substance. But whether they can find a coach who delivers both without an existential collapse in the league table is another question entirely.

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Football Operations Under the Microscope

Spurs’ problems extend far beyond the technical area. A full review of the club’s football operation is underway, with multiple departments—medical, sports science and analytics—now subject to scrutiny. “Nobody is safe,” one insider reportedly said, and it’s not hard to see why.

Scott Munn, the chief football officer who oversaw last year’s review that led to the exit of long-serving medic Geoff Scott, is expected to depart. Injuries continue to plague the squad, and performances remain disjointed. The sense of systemic underperformance permeates every level of the club’s hierarchy.

Vinai Venkatesham, formerly of Arsenal, will join as CEO in the summer. But whether his appointment signals a new power dynamic or simply serves as another layer of bureaucracy remains to be seen. With Daniel Levy, Donna-Marie Cullen, and Matthew Collecott still the club’s core decision-makers, genuine reform may remain elusive.

Trophy Drought, Fan Discontent and Leaks Add Pressure

Beyond the whiteboards and boardrooms, there is a football club at its breaking point. Tottenham have not lifted a trophy since 2008, and while the Europa League offers a faint glimmer of redemption, the damage to trust and unity feels more long-lasting.

Chants against chairman Daniel Levy have become a soundtrack to home fixtures. Postecoglou has had to contend with injuries, a dressing room rumoured to be unsettled, and even a club investigation into leaks.

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Asked about his future after Spurs’ unexpected quarter-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt, the manager gave a typically blunt answer: “You’re going to have to put up with me for a bit longer.” It was a line laced with irony, a nod perhaps to a man who knows the clock is ticking, regardless of results.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

If you’re a Spurs fan right now, you’re probably feeling conflicted. On one hand, Postecoglou hasn’t delivered what many hoped for in the league. Sixteenth? That’s not just underwhelming—it’s alarming. But then there’s Europe. Somehow, they’re in a semi-final. Somehow, there’s still a path to the Champions League.

The talk of Ange leaving, even if they win it all, feels brutal. But this is Tottenham—chaos is the currency. What’s exciting is the potential future. Iraola or Silva could push this attacking identity further, and Venkatesham’s arrival hints at something more strategic behind the scenes.

Still, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this summer will define the next five years. Get it wrong, and they could spiral. Get it right, and they might finally shed this nearly-club tag. Postecoglou leaving with a trophy wouldn’t be a failure—it would be the start of something better. But as always with Spurs, hope walks hand-in-hand with uncertainty.