Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou and weigh up move for £10m Thomas Frank

Tottenham have sacked Ange ­Postecoglou as their manager, describing it as “one of the toughest decisions we have had to make”, and are considering whether to replace him with Brentford’s Thomas Frank, who has a £10m release clause. Marco Silva of Fulham is also in the running.

Postecoglou led Spurs to Europa League glory on 21 May, beating ­Manchester United in the final in ­Bilbao to end a 17-year trophy drought. It sparked delirium among fans, an outpouring of relief and the feeling among some of them that he deserved the chance to continue in the role.

But the chair, Daniel Levy, and the rest of the board, having taken stock since the final game of the season against Brighton on 25 May, reached the unanimous conclusion that Postecoglou had to go based on performances in the Premier League over most of his two-year tenure.

Postecoglou won eight and drew two of his opening 10 games in the league, having arrived from Celtic with Spurs at a low ebb on the back of an eighth-placed finish in 2022‑23. But his league record since then showed 78 points from 66 matches – a detail that Spurs printed in the ­statement they issued at a little after 5pm BST to confirm Postecoglou’s departure.

The club also highlighted how the 17th-placed finish in this past season – with 38 points – was their worst of the Premier League era. Only once have they had a worse league record, in 1914-15.

As reported earlier on Friday, Spurs have met with intermediaries to discuss a move for Frank, who has impressed with his stellar work at Brentford. The Dane took the reins in west London in October 2018 when they were in the Championship and got them promoted via the playoffs in 2020-21. He has established them in the top flight; they finished this past season 10th with 56 points.

Spurs admire the job that Silva has done at Fulham but Frank appears to be the No 1. target. Every player and member of staff at ­Brentford has a price. Tottenham must decide whether to pay the £10m. The club have also shown an interest in Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace – both appear out of reach.

View image in fullscreen Thomas Frank has impressed Spurs with his work at Brentford. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Postecoglou will go down as a hero at Spurs because of Bilbao and he released an emotional statement shortly after his sacking, saying he was “forever connected” to his players and staff, not to mention the supporters. He said his overriding ­emotion was pride and that Bilbao would live with him for a lifetime.

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“Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream,” Postecoglou said. “There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with ­trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. We have also laid ­foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success.”

The Spurs statement ­acknowledged how Postecoglou had sought to return the club to a more attacking style while there was ­gratitude for the trophy he delivered, a line ­noting he was now “alongside ­legendary figures Bill Nicholson and Keith ­Burkinshaw” as managers who have triumphed in Europe.

It said: “At times there were ­extenuating circumstances [for the poor league form] – injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League 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.”

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