“ANGE POSTECOGLOU’S job is safe for now but he faces a key week in his Tottenham tenure. The Aussie, 59, is the bookies’ favourite to be the next Prem boss to be sacked after Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Everton made it one win in ten league games. 2 Ange Postcoglou is still safe in his job”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
The Aussie, 59, is the bookies’ favourite to be the next Prem boss to be sacked after Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Everton made it one win in ten league games.
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Ange Postcoglou is still safe in his job at Tottenham HotspurCredit: Getty
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Spurs are currently 15th in the Premier League tableCredit: AFPBut he retains the support of chairman Daniel Levy, who wants to give him the time to turn around the club’s fortunes.
That faith will be put to the test over seven days involving three massive games.
On Thursday, Spurs go to Hoffenheim in the Europa League knowing victory would put them on the brink of automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
They are ninth in the league table and can avoid a play-off in February if they finish top eight.
Then on Sunday in the Prem they host Leicester, who have lost their last seven league matches.
If they beat the Foxes, it may send them 11 points clear of the drop zone.
That would give Postecoglou the breathing space to focus on the domestic cup competitions and Europe ahead of the final group-phase game at home to Swedish side Elfsborg a week on Thursday.
Spurs are languishing down in 15th in the Prem after a 12th league loss this term at Goodison.
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But consideration is being given to a crippling injury list, which saw TEN first-team players miss the loss on Merseyside.
SunSport understands the club will give Postecoglou until at least the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Liverpool on February 6 — with the Londoners 1-0 up.
But any major slip-ups in between could convince trigger-happy Levy to take action.
Were Spurs to make a change, then Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank of Brentford are likely contenders.
But Postecoglou, who steered Spurs to fifth in his first season, remains confident of silverware.
He said: “There is motivation to get through this so that when we do get our players back, we can get something significant out of our season.”
Postecoglou will not put public pressure on club chiefs to move quicker in the transfer market, but has said “help” is needed for his injury-hit squad.
Meanwhile, defender Radu Dragusin had four stitches after a whack on the head from Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s elbow when contesting a high ball at Everton.
Dragusin received lengthy treatment as blood streamed from the wound and came off at half-time.
But the Romanian is believed to be OK for the Hoffenheim clash.
Spurs yesterday recalled striker Dane Scarlett, 20, from his loan spell at Oxford — but plan to farm him out again due to his lack of game time at U’s.
Ndombele joined from Lyon in 2019 with huge expectations after shattering Tottenham’s transfer record.
But he would go on to play just 91 times for the club, scoring 10 goals and is now set to leave one year before the end of his contract.
2) Richarlison – £49.3m
Richarlison almost broke the £50m mark when he arrived from Everton in 2022 as Harry Kane’s back-up.
And while his tally of 12 goals this season was a significant increase on the three from his opening Spurs campaign, he is being linked with a departure this summer.
3) Brennan Johnson – £46.8m
Johnson was signed by Ange Postecoglou last summer and has impressed in patches during his first season in North London.
He scored five goals and 10 assists in 38 games and will look to build on that in the 2024/25 campaign.
4) Cristian Romero – £44.2m
Romero initially joined on loan from Atalanta in 2021, before his impressive displays saw him secure a permanent deal the following year.
He is two games shy of 100 for Spurs and, while he can be reckless with his tackling at times, is beginning to form a promising partnership with Micky van de Ven.
5) James Maddison – £39.4m
Maddison was handed Kane’s No10 shirt after arriving at Spurs and hit the ground running with three goals and five assists in his opening 11 matches.
But after getting injured against Chelsea in October, he failed to return with the same sharpness – managing just five goal contributions in 15 league matches as he missed out on England’s final 26-man squad for the Euros.
6) Davinson Sanchez – £35.7m
Sanchez joined Spurs from Ajax in 2017 and played more than 200 games across a six-year spell.
But he was always considered a somewhat erratic defender who did not play more than 20 games in a Premier League season from 2020 onwards.
7) Pedro Porro – £34m
Porro was another signing who originally arrived on loan in January 2023, before he signed permanently last summer.
He has 54 appearances for Spurs under his belt, scoring seven goals and impressing under Postecoglou this season.
8) Micky van de Ven – £34m
Rapid Dutch centre-back Van de Ven was named Spurs Player of the Season in his first campaign at the club.
His pace, athleticism, and technical ability on the ball have made him arguably Postecoglou’s best signing to date.
9) Moussa Sissoko – £29.8m
Sissoko came to North London for a substantial fee after being relegated with Newcastle and went on to enjoy five years at Tottenham, playing more than 200 games.
Unfortunately for the French midfielder, he is best-known for giving away a controversial penalty for handball in the first minute of Spurs’ 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.
10) Giovani Lo Celso – £27.2m
Lo Celso joined on loan from Real Betis in 2019 – a deal that was made permanent the following season.
He has 10 goals and eight assists in 108 games, with some Spurs fans still unsure about the Argentine.