Ange Postecoglou has delivered a scathing verdict on Tottenham, declaring the north London outfit cannot genuinely be considered among English football’s elite.
Speaking to The Overlap, the Australian was unsparing in his criticism of his former employers following Thomas Frank’s dismissal on Wednesday.
“Tottenham as a club will say ‘we’re one of the big boys’ and the reality is I don’t think they are in terms of my experience over the last two years,” Postecoglou stated.
The former Spurs manager pointed to a stark contrast in transfer spending between the club and their rivals.
“When Arsenal need players, they spend £100million on Declan Rice,” he said.
“I don’t see Tottenham doing that. Not just in my history, pre-dating me.”
Frank’s departure came in the wake of Tottenham’s 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Tuesday, leaving the club languishing in 16th position with a mere 29 points from 26 matches.
Ange Postecoglou has delivered a scathing verdict on Tottenham, declaring the north London outfit cannot genuinely be considered among English football’s elite
|THEOVERLAP
Postecoglou questioned what objectives Frank had been given upon his arrival, and what direction the club itself was pursuing.
He stated: “At the start of the year, they said to compete on all fronts.
“Well, the club hasn’t competed on all fronts for a very long time and the most influential person at the club for the last 20 years [Daniel Levy] is also going.”
Thomas Frank was sacked by Tottenham with the club facing a relegation battle | GETTYThe Australian suggested such sweeping changes would inevitably bring turbulence.
“So if you’re going to do such a major pivot, then you’ve got to understand there’s going to be some instability there,” Postecoglou said.
Postecoglou repeatedly characterised Tottenham as a “curious club” during his interview, highlighting the parade of high-profile managers who have come and gone without delivering silverware.
Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino all took charge at the club in recent years, yet none brought sustained success.
“If you look at the list of names, there isn’t really a common theme there in what they are trying to do,” Postecoglou remarked.
He acknowledged that Spurs have traditionally valued a particular style of football.
Five facts about the Premier League | PA/GETTY/REUTERS/GBNEWS“I do think part of Tottenham’s DNA – for the lack of a better word – is that they do like their teams to play a certain way,” he explained.
Postecoglou was adamant that Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich in 2023 left a void that proved impossible to address.
“If I had had Harry in that first year, I’m convinced we would have finished in that Champions League spot. Even him leaving, you cannot plug that hole. It’s impossible,” he stated.
The Australian believes Kane’s contribution during Pochettino’s tenure has been underestimated by observers.
During Postecoglou’s final campaign at Spurs, the club recorded their lowest Premier League points total in history with just 38, finishing 17th.
However, they salvaged their season by lifting the Europa League trophy, securing passage to the Champions League. Postecoglou himself was subsequently dismissed from Nottingham Forest after just 39 days in charge in October.