The Europa League winners have finally put their Australian head coach out of his misery – but who's the best man to replace him?
Ange Postecoglou has officially been relieved of his duties at Tottenham. That's a sentence most Spurs fans had been praying on for months as results and performances took a turn for the worse during a shambolic 2024-25 campaign.
However, victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final added some shades of grey to the situation, with Postecoglou having delivered on his promise to secure some silverware while earning a spot in next season's Champions League to boot. That that achievement came against the backdrop of a 17th-placed Premier League finish, though, has led to his time in north London being ended.
The Australian coach earned plenty of admirers for his attack-minded style of play in his first year at Spurs as he guided the team to a respectable fifth-placed finish in the league, but the drop-off over the past 12 months has, in the eyes of many, been unforgivable, and chairman Daniel Levy had little choice but to make a change.
In the end, Postecoglou's refusal to budge from his principles led to his downfall (along with a series of bizarre exchanges with supporters and the media). The question now is, who is the standout candidate for the job? GOAL ranks the main contenders below…
Getty Images Sport8Kieran McKenna
Kieran McKenna was reportedly on the radar of Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton after guiding Ipswich Town back to the Premier League for the first time since 2001-02, but he showed admirable loyalty by penning a new four-year contract at Portman Roa. In hindsight, McKenna may now be regretting that decision because his stock has dropped significantly due to the Tractor Boys' struggles in the top-flight.
Ipswich only won four of their 38 league games in 2024-25 as their immediate return to the Championship was confirmed. McKenna worked miracles by delivering back-to-back promotions in Suffolk, but the step up to the top tier proved too big for the 39-year-old, and Tottenham probably won't revive their interest until he has gained more experience.
AdvertisementAFP7Thiago Motta
Juventus brought in Thiago Motta last summer thinking he'd be the complete opposite of Massimiliano Allegri, a progressive young coach with plenty of personality. But the former Barcelona and Inter star ultimately failed to live up to that billing as the Bianconeri continued to play a drab brand of football for the first nine months of the new campaign, dropping out of the Serie A top four in the process, and Motta paid the ultimate price.
However, at the age of 42, he still has a bright career in management ahead of him, having proven his coaching chops by leading Bologna to the Champions League on a shoestring budget in 2023-24. Motta is reportedly now on Spurs' radar, and though it would be a risk to go for a Premier League newbie, they could certainly do a lot worse.
Getty Images Sport6Thomas Frank
Thomas Frank deserves the chance to step up to a big club. That is the only rational conclusion to draw after Brentford's 2024-25 campaign, which ended with a top-10 finish – a remarkable achievement considering Ivan Toney's departure to Saudi Arabia last summer.
Frank has turned the Bees into a fiercely competitive Premier League side over the past four years, earning widespread admiration for his man-management skills and attention to detail in the process. Spurs have reportedly lined Frank up as a candidate to replace Postecoglou, and it's easy to imagine him making the transition across London seamlessly, not least because of the release clause that exists in his Brentford contract.
Getty Images Sport5Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers lifted seven trophies during his first stint at Celtic, and picked up from where he left off after returning to Glasgow in June 2023, delivering the double in his homecoming campaign. The Hoops won another two trophies in 2024-25, while Rodgers also masterminded their surprise run to the Champions League knockout stage play-offs, where they were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich.
Rodgers was in the frame to take over at Spurs before Postecoglou's initial appointment, and his name has been bandied about again now that the Australian is gone, but the 52-year-old has insisted he is focused on strengthening his Celtic squad this summer. Tottenham may yet try to tempt Rodgers, though, and there's a good chance the former Liverpool and Leicester City boss would at least get the team pushing in the right direction again.