Tottenham Hotspur have dismissed manager Ange Postecoglou, the club announced Friday, just 16 days after the Australian led them to Europa League glory – their first major trophy since 2008. The decision comes despite this continental triumph, with the club citing their disastrous 17th-place Premier League finish as the primary reason.

In an official statement, Spurs explained: “While we celebrated our Europa League victory, the board unanimously agreed a change was necessary after securing only 78 points from our last 66 league matches.” Postecoglou’s departure marks exactly two years since his appointment and follows what became the club’s worst top-flight campaign since their 1976-77 relegation season.

The 59-year-old manager, who previously claimed he always delivers silverware in his second season (as he did at Celtic), had faced mounting pressure throughout the domestic campaign. While injuries and European commitments provided some mitigation, Tottenham’s league form proved unacceptable despite reaching the League Cup semifinals and qualifying for next season’s Champions League through their Europa League win over Manchester United.

Chairman Daniel Levy now begins his search for a fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino’s 2019 departure, with Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner among the early candidates linked to the vacancy. Several players had publicly backed Postecoglou following the Bilbao triumph, but the board emphasized they “couldn’t let emotions override long-term sporting decisions.”