Tottenham sack Postecoglou despite Europa League success

Ange Postecoglou has been sacked by Tottenham, just over two weeks after winning the Europa League title.

The decision comes two years to the day since Postecoglou made the move to Spurs from Celtic.

Spurs enjoyed a miserable Premier League campaign, finishing 17th in the table, but they ended their 17-year trophy drought with a European triumph.

Postecoglou, who boldly claimed last September that he always wins something in his second season at a club, backed up that claim, with Spurs beating Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League showpiece on May 21.

That victory came in his 100th game in charge of the club, and it also ended Spurs' 40-year wait for a European trophy, having last won the UEFA Cup in 1984.

Postecoglou is the first Premier League manager to win a major trophy and be sacked at the end of that season since Antonio Conte in 2017-18 with Chelsea.

Tottenham lost 26 matches in all competitions in 2024-25, their most ever in a single campaign in their history.

Twenty-two of those defeats came in the Premier League – it is only the second time they have lost as many matches (after 1934-35) – with 10 of those coming on home soil, their most since 1991-92 (11).

Overall, Postecoglou took charge of 101 matches, winning 47 (D15 L39), finishing his tenure with a 46.5% win rate.

In the Premier League, that win percentage drops to 40.8%, with 31 victories in 76 games, with Spurs averaging 1.4 points per game.

There were 3.47 goals per game in Postecoglou's Premier League matches in charge of Tottenham (264 in 76 games), the highest goals-per-game ratio of any manager to take charge of 50 or more games in the competition's history.

"Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties," Spurs said in a statement.

"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.

"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 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."

Brentford's Thomas Frank is among the favourites to replace Postecoglou, along with Fulham manager Marco Silva and Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner.