Tottenham Hotspur's decision to give up Ange Postecoglou, only 16 days after securing the first major trophy of the club in 17 years, shock waves sent by the football world.
Despite the euphoria of a definitive victory of 1-0 Europa League over Manchester United, the gloomy 17th place of the club in the Premier League – their worst in the modern era – turned out to be decisive.
Chairman Daniel Levy and the board mentioned the need for consistent performance in all competitions as the reason behind the looting.
Now, with summer looming, rumbling of dissatisfaction among the play staff and the uncertainty that the future is cloudy, Spurs have to choose a path ahead.
The challenge? Finding someone who can balance the ambition with pragmatism, rebuilt trust in a broken team and navigate through the unique pressure of work under one of the most investigated chairmen of football.
FlashScore has set deeper to the best contenders that are viewed to replace Postecoglou in Tottenham:
Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank is more than just a steady hand. In Brentford he has built a side that beats well above his weight, while cultivating a culture of trust and tactical intelligence.
His use of a 3-5-2 formation can feel conservative, but under Frank it will be a springboard for dynamic wing game and clinical counterattacks.
Frank's stock is high for a good reason. Brentford's Premier League Survival and mid-table respectability were achieved with a fraction of the Tottenham budget.
His recruitment – aimed at data and marginal profit – has excavated gems such as Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Vitaly Janelt.
Brentford Final StandingsflashScore
The calm, articulated attitude of the DANE could appeal to a fan base tired of drama, and his close working relationship with Johan Lange can illuminate the eternal friction that surrounds Levy's hot chair.
In an interview with Sky Sports in 2021, Frank noted: “It's not just about playing the game, it's about building a culture. We want players who are willing to walk through brick walls.”
That Ethos could resonate well in a desire for a Tottenham dressing room.
But questions get stuck. Can Frank translate his methods into a club where benchmarks seem to constantly change for success? Does he have the tactical versatility to manage traces in Europe and the Premier League? And does his modest profile really fit in a club that still sticks to the idea of ​​being one of the big boys in England?
Mauricio Pochettino
For some, Mauricio Pochettino is the solution that hides in sight.
He understands the club, his culture and his limitations. His first spell – including a profit percentage of 54.27 percent, the final of the Champions League and various top four Finishes – remains the gold standard of modern Tottenham.
His ability to cultivate, cherish and transform stars such as Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli adds Dele Alli Development strength to his CV, in particular for a club that gives priority to buying young players with potential resale value.
A 'Poch' refund would be emotionally resonating and supporters offer a story of redemption and unfinished things. Tactically, he still believes in high urgent and vertical transitions, styles that fit the DNA levy, have long tried to set up.
Despite his short trip to London Rivals Chelsea, the Argentinian regularly expressed his wish to return to the club one day, where he really made his name as a top coach.
He said to Sky Sports earlier this year: “When I left the club, I always remember that I remembered an interview that I would like to come back to Tottenham one day.
“What I said then, still after six years or five years I still feel in my heart that I, yes, I would like me to come back.
“We will see with the timing, as Daniel (Levy) said.”
But Pochettino is no longer the new builder he once was. His enchantment at Chelsea was at best mixed and his new post at the American national team makes availability complicated.
Moreover, viewing a relationship in the past can be just as risky as romantic, especially if the circumstances that led to the split have not changed fundamentally.
Andoni Iraola
If there is a wildcard in the race, it is Andoni Iraola.
The Basque coach has perhaps made Bournemouth the most improved team of the season. Under his intense, vertical pressing system, the cherries reached 48 points – their highest count ever in the top flight – playing with an urgency that caught many opponents (including Arsenal and Manchester City).
The style of Iraola evokes memories of Pochettin's early days at Tottenham: High Energy, Fearless Pressing and an emphasis on team coherence. His time at Rayo Vallecano in Spain also showed his predisposition to improving players and bumping over his weight.
During his time in Laliga Iraola once thought: “I want my teams to make the opponent uncomfortable from the first second.” Such a ruthless intensity could cause life to a spurs side that is too often accused of sleep walking due to luminaires.
Yet Iraola remains a risk. His limited experience at elite level and combative attitude in interviews and press conferences can create friction behind the scenes. He would certainly be susceptible to the kind of honest eruptions that Antonio Conte has fired the club, to the great shame of Levy.
Working with Levy requires more than tactical clarity – it requires diplomacy, patience and political nous. Whether Iraola owns those softer skills is unclear.
Xavi Hernandez
The arrival of Xavi would be a daring explanation. Here is a manager who inherited chaos in Barcelona and, within two seasons, has worked recovered order and La Liga. His profit percentage of 62.55 percent expresses volumes to that success.
His style – possession driven, disciplined and rooted in the identity of Barcelona – would bring a technical finesse for Spurs. He is struggling with young players and has demonstrated his ability to guide a club through turbulent times.
“If we control the ball, we control the game. That is how we attack, we defend,” Xavi told El Pais in 2022. That kind of idealism can appeal to a club that is long associated with stylish, entertaining football.
Yet there are valid doubts. Xavi has never coached outside of Spain, never treated with the intensity of the media of English football – something that has contributed to his undo with the Catalans – and he never confronted a chairman as Levy.
His methods, which depend on technical superiority, may not fit a team that is built around pace and printing. And although his name has weight, his Premier League would be steep.
Roberto de Zerbi
If Tottenham wants boldness, Roberto de Zerbi fits into the bill. His side of Brighton became cult favorites and combined tactical risks with ruthless intensity. In Marseille he continued to shift the envelope and his 43.03 percent profit percentage about 409 games only tells part of the story.
Zerbi's football is built on building from the back, positional fluidity and attacking overloads. He enjoys tactical duels and embraces complexity – something that traces often lacked.
His term of office in Brighton in particular showed that he can make brave ideas work in the Premier League, and the Italian is fully prepared to beat his weight.
“I do not want a possession of myself. I want it to create chaos in the opponent,” De Zerbi told the Athletic in 2023. His philosophy could electrify Tottenham – if the club has the guts to continue. They certainly did not do that with Postecoglou.
Just like Iraola, however, his confrontational style cannot be suitable for the hierarchy of Tottenham.
He is known to speak his thoughts – a characteristic that can renew or tear relationships at the board level. And his style requires time, faith and total buy-in. That should not be in accordance with a club where patience is rarely offered.
At the time of writing, the Italian reportedly rejected all the progress of Spurs and continues to commit himself to his current employers.
The next step from Tottenham is not just about tactics or personalities. It's about clarity. What does the club want to be? An entertainment hub or a result machine? An Academy Paradise or a large club with habits with a big club?
The answer may not be in CVs or statistics, but in which manager best understands – and brave enough to define – what Daniel Levy's vision of Tottenham is apparent: success without costs, competition above trophies and very little wobbling space for errors.
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