LONDON (AP) — Tottenham fired manager Ange Postecoglou on Friday, two weeks after the Australian led the club to the Europa League title to end its 17-year wait for a trophy.
Tottenham beat Manchester United in the Europa League final but otherwise had a dismal season as it finished 17th in the Premier League standings.
“Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties,” Tottenham said in a statement.
Postecoglou spent two seasons at Tottenham after joining from Celtic in June 2023.
Spurs made a bright start in the Australian's first season in charge, playing an attack-minded and entertaining style of football led to both high-scoring wins and losses. It narrowly missed out on a Champions League place by finishing fifth in 2023-24, but then saw a major dip in results this past season.
It's 17th-place finish was its lowest since the Premier League was founded in 1992. Tottenham lost 22 of its 38 games and ended the campaign just one position above the relegation places.
It meant that securing the club's first piece of silverware since 2008, while also qualifying for next season’s Champions League, didn’t save Postecoglou from losing his job.
“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,” the club said in a statement. “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.”
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The Associated Press
