Pressure is rapidly rising on Ange Postecoglou as he hangs on to his post as Tottenham boss by a thread.
But the Australian’s fate in the Premier League is a very different tale than was told north of the border as he led Celtic to domination in Scotland. Struggling Leicester City became the latest club to pile the misery on Postecoglou as his injury-ravaged Tottenham squad slumped to a 2-1 defeat that lifted the Foxes out of the relegation zone.
The bodyblow to under-fire boss Postecoglou’s tenure comes just days after a plea to the Spurs’ higher-ups to make a move in the market before he close of play in January with fitness issues decimating their campaign. Star striker Dominic Solanke is on an 11-man injury list with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and prospect Yang Min-hyeok the only recruits to come through the door in North London so far this month.
Going into the clash with Leicester, Postecoglou sent a pointed SOS to chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange – warning they were “playing with fire” if they didn’t dip into the market.
‘I don’t think I’m stating anything other than the obvious and for me to come in here and say something else would be disingenuous. This playing group needs help, there’s no doubt about that. We’re playing with fire by not bringing anyone in but the flip side is that the club are doing everything in their power to try and change that situation.”
It’s a far cry from his tenure at Celtic in 2021, when he was quickly backed in the market with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi following him from Japan. After his first season in Glasgow’s east end – which saw him claim a trophy double – he would note the support in the market from the board.
“When the opportunity came to speak to Dermot – Peter Lawwell set it up for us – then I had a great chat with him. “It was not so much about football, he’d done his research. It was more about me as a person and to give him an idea of who I was and my values. We had a great conversation. He has been really supportive of me.
“I’ve said consistently that the one thing I’ve felt since I got this position is a real strong backing and support. The fans, players, staff have been unbelievable and that includes the management.
“Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay, Dermot and the board, even Peter Lawwell who is no longer involved but has been very supportive of me. I couldn’t start to achieve in terms of building a team and trying to get to this point without that sort of support.”
Six months later he was talking up the Hoops once again for the support in the market: “I’m comfortable in the business we have done. I am really pleased with the players brought it. We have got the targets that we sort of set out to get in this window.
“For that to happen, the whole club has to be aligned and we are. One side nominates the targets and we work together to get it done. It has worked well for us so far.”
But fast-forward to January 2025, Postecoglou has no such kind words for Levy and Co. In what could be his final press conference as Tottenham boss, Postecoglou was pressed on the need to snap up players in a “defining week” in the market.
He responded: “I’ve said all along, the players need help and I’ve also said the club are working hard in that area to try to alleviate some of those problems, because Pape Sarr shouldn’t have played today. He obviously wasn’t fit.
“The players are going out there and giving everything then can because we can’t call off games. We’ve got another game in three days’ time that these players have to front up for.”
As it stands, Postecoglou is set to fall well short of the vision he had on day one as boss. Speaking at his first press conference, he said a rebuild would be needed – just like at Celtic when he stepped in after the dismal bid for 10 league titles in a row.
He said: “It’s fair to say every position I’ve had has needed some sort of rebuild. I had a brilliant two years at Celtic, loved every minute of it, but it was challenging, particularly at the start. I don’t know if it’s about patience. You can’t ask people to feel a certain way or dampen expectations. I think what I’ve tried to do wherever I’ve been, including Celtic, is allow them to form their own opinion based on what they see not what I say.”
But despite £350m being spent during his tenure it hasn’t been enough to see Spurs compete in the upper reaches of the table. It may fall to another boss to kickstart another rebuild in the long-standing pursuit of a trophy.