Daniel Levy faces his biggest dilemma as Ange Postecoglou's job remains on the line despite their Europa League victory - but should the Tottenham chief stick or twist this summer?

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

Nine days after Bilbao, one week on from the trophy parade with euphoria subsiding, and still there is no clarity from the Tottenham boardroom about the future of Ange Postecoglou.
He has two more years on his contract, but the feeling is growing that no news is bad news for the Australian.
Chairman Daniel Levy is taking his time to consider his options. Some close to Levy expected him to relent and stand by Postecoglou after he delivered Spurs the Europa League, a first major trophy for 17 years and the first in Europe since 1984.
But with every day that passes, it seems he is leaning more towards a change in the dugout.
Levy has been quietly exploring alternatives for some time, as the Premier League campaign unravelled. Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth and Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace featured but do not look like they are moving anywhere, leaving Thomas Frank of Brentford and Marco Silva of Fulham among the Spurs chief's leading options.
Both have enjoyed excellent seasons. Both might be tempted across London.
There is a groundswell of support for Frank, who has made Brentford more expansive and fun to watch in a season when only four teams scored more Premier League goals than them.
His case is reinforced by the Danish link to Johan Lange, the Spurs technical director, and the acceptance that Brentford are approaching the end of a natural cycle, under pressure to sell prolific forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.
But there is no vacancy — and suddenly plenty of Tottenham supporters think the proper thing would be to stand by the man who ended the long wait for silverware, albeit after abandoning the breathless brand of attacking football he brought when he arrived from Celtic.
At the League Managers Association gala dinner on Tuesday, Postecoglou was among five recipients of the John Duncan Award, given to those who lead their clubs to historic successes.
Had he been at the Grosvenor House hotel in Park Lane to collect his prize, he would have found a sympathetic audience inclined to agree any head coach who takes their team to such heights deserves an opportunity to continue their work.
Firing Postecoglou risks puncturing the jubilation Spurs fans have longed to savour. Levy will be conscious of this.
The Europa League is only the second trophy of his chairmanship and a definite upgrade on the League Cup in 2008, which didn't even warrant a parade. Just as he will be conscious of an unacceptable Premier League campaign, with 22 defeats, finishing in 17th, one place above relegation. This is Levy's dilemma and perhaps he has been wise to let the emotions settle.
If there is a conclusion to draw from two whirlwind seasons under Postecoglou, it is that his full throttle, 'we never stop' football, with intense training methods required to make it work, is not compatible with the English fixture schedule and the sort of squad at his disposal. The schedule is not about to ease.
More likely the opposite, in fact, with a UEFA Super Cup final now wedged into the days before the new season and a return to the Champions League, an entirely different level of midweek distraction.
Postecoglou's squad was ravaged by injuries playing just 41 games in 2023-24 and laid to waste in 2024-25 when the Europa League and a decent
Carabao Cup run made it 60 games across the same period. First they abandoned the style of football, then the pursuit of Premier League points.
The make-up of the squad is unlikely to change a great deal, either. In more than two decades under Levy, there have been some token short-term allowances to placate one manager or another but rarely a significant deviation in the broad approach.
Champions League qualification provides a windfall, but Spurs will not suddenly compete with the wealthiest clubs for the world's best players.
Postecoglou signed off for the season after losing 4-1 at home to Brighton on Sunday with a cry for Champions League experience to be added to the squad.
Postecoglou signed off for the season after losing 4-1 at home to Brighton on Sunday
'Players who have played at that level, who are going to be comfortable at that level,' he said. 'Not players stepping up to that level, that's the difference.'
Spurs, though, are locked into a strategy to sign younger players with scope for development.
So, if neither the fixture schedule nor the recruitment policy is about to change, then the style of play and training methods probably should. Postecoglou, you could say, figured that out for himself in the end, moving from Ange Ball to Ange Wall.
Can he settle into a middle ground? Is there a way to turn the high-octane stuff on and off? To move up and down through the gears? Is that viable with the Champions League thrown into the equation? Moreover, is it what Postecoglou wants? It has never sounded like it is.