Next Tottenham manager: Thomas Frank, Marco Silva and the contenders to replace Ange Postecoglou | OneFootball

Search for new boss underway as attention turns to who will take over at Spurs

Tottenham have confirmed the sacking of Ange Postecoglou.

Here, Standard Sport assesses who is in the frame to take over...

Thomas Frank

After Harrogate Town’s Simon Weaver and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Frank is the third-longest-serving manager in English football.

Buzzing Bee: Thomas Frank

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The Dane has spent almost seven years at Brentford and he his reputation has grown since he guided them to the Premier League in 2021.

The 51-year-old has alternated between a 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 shape in his time with the Bees, often plumping for the former against stronger opposition and the latter in games that his side are expected to win.

Brentford finished 13th in their first season in the Premier League, before an finishing 9th in 2022-23 when they only missed out on European football on the final day.

In 2023-24, Frank had to contend with an injury-ravaged squad, and he kept the Bees afloat after a season of uncertainty. Last season, they finished 10th.

Andoni Iraola

The Bournemouth boss has excelled in his second season in charge at the Vitality Stadium.

Cherry blossom: Andoni Iraola

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The Cherries finished ninth in the Premier League and have played some scintillating football, securing some big scalps along the way.

They did the double over Arsenal, beat Manchester City 2-1, thrashed Manchester United at Old Trafford, and dismantled Nottingham Forest 5-0 at home.

Before his move to Bournemouth in 2023, Iraola built his managerial pedigree in his native Spain, taking Mirandes to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for just the second time in their history in 2020.

He got Rayo Vallecano promoted to La Liga in 2021, before leading them into the last four of the Copa del Rey the following season.

The Spaniard tends to prefer a possession-based style of play, favouring a 4-2-3-1 shape - a blueprint that Spurs are used to.

Marco Silva

Another coach from the Iberian peninsula, Siva’s reputation in the English game has grown greatly during his four years at Fulham.

Premier League proven: Marco Silva

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He led Fulham to an immediate return to the Premier League in 2022, clinching the Championship title.

Since then, he has consolidated and progressed the Cottagers. He guided them to 10th in their first season back in the top-flight, before 13th and 11th finishes.

The Portuguese previously managed Hull City, Everton, and Watford.

On the continent, he has taken charge of Estoril and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, and he won the Greek Super League in his one and only season at Olympiacos.

Oliver Glasner

FA Cup-winning manager has done a brilliant job at Crystal Palace and led them to their first ever major trophy at Wembley last month.

Palace chairman Steve Parish has made it clear that Glasner will be at Palace next season to lead the Eagles into the Europa League, but the Austrian is liked by top clubs around Europe.

Winner: Glasner led Palace to FA Cup glory this season

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He was a target for Bayern Munich during last summer and impressed with his work at Palace since taking over at Selhurst Park in February last year.

The FA Cup was his second major trophy as a manager after the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.

Xavi

Perhaps a wildcard pick, Barcelona legend Xavi is still without a club since he left his boyhood club last year.

Wildcard: Barcelona icon Xavi

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The Spaniard’s first managerial role came in Qatar, where he led Al Sadd to seven trophies, as well as the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League in 2019, where they were defeated by Saudi side Al-Hilal.

He moved to Barcelona in November 2021 to replace Ronald Koeman, and he won La Liga in 2022-23, having won the league eight times as a player.

Across 142 games in the Barca dugout, Xavi won 89 of them, giving him a 62.68 win percentage.

In 2023, Xavi told Mundo Deportivo that he took “a little bit” from all the managers he played under, including Louis van Gaal, Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola, and Luis Enrique.

As is to be expected with Barcelona’s principles coursing through his veins, Xavi’s favoured system is a possession-based 4-3-3.

Other candidates

As for other names that have been linked with the vacancy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is a long-shot, having joined the United States national team in September 2024.

In his time in north London, the Argentine had a 54.27 win percentage, winning 159 of his 293 games in charge.

Familiar face: Mauricio Pochettino

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He took them to within an inch of the Premier League title in 2015-16, only to be pipped by Leicester City, and he also led them to the Champions League final in 2019.

Since then, he has taken charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, but both spells were largely unfruitful.

Francesco Farioli has just left Ajax in wake of an end-of-season collapse that cost them the Eredivisie title.

Ajax were top of the Dutch top flight with a nine-point lead with seven games to go but ended up finishing a point behind champions PSV Eindhoven.

Burnley’s Scott Parker has also been linked with the Spurs job.

Parker, who played for Spurs between 2011 and 2013, took Burnley back to the Premier League at the first time of asking this season as they finished second in the Championship with more than 100 points.

Smooth operator: Scott Parker

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Before that, the former England international took charge of Fulham and Bournemouth, taking both clubs back up to the top flight from the Championship.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna would be returning to familiar surroundings if he joined Spurs.

The Northern Irishman played in the academy at Tottenham but did not make a first-team appearance.

Tractor Boy: Kieran McKenna

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Instead, a hip injury prevented him from developing as a player, and he pivoted into coaching, where he began plying his trade in the Spurs youth set-up.

He departed for Manchester United in 2016, working through the ranks up to the first-team, where he assisted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before taking his first managerial position at Ipswich in League One.

The Northern Irishman developed a reputation for an entertaining style of play in a 4-2-3-1, and that would suit Spurs’ philosophy.