Tottenham Hotspur have “lined up” a “sensational” manager as their top target if the club decide to sack under-fire boss Ange Postecoglou – and one who was a “leading candidate” to succeed Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea before Enzo Maresca got the job.
Ange Postecoglou under pressure amid inconsistent Tottenham form
This time last season, Postecoglou was a seriously popular figure in N17, collecting 26 points from his first 10 Premier League games as Spurs boss, breaking records in the process.
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Postecoglou recorded the best start ever made by any new manager in the division’s history in 2023/24, racking up more points in his opening 10 games than legendary Premier League managers like Arsène Wenger and José Mourinho, but fans are now starting to turn on the Australian.
Spurs’ head coach was spotted confronting a group of supporters in the away end at Bournemouth as words were exchanged, before stewards eventually defused the situation and waved Postecoglou away.
“They’re disappointed and rightly so,” said Postecoglou on the confrontation.
Tottenham vs Chelsea
December 8
Southampton vs Tottenham
December 15
Tottenham vs Liverpool
December 22
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham
December 26
Tottenham vs Wolves
December 29
“They gave me some direct feedback, which I’ve taken on board. I didn’t like what was being said because I’m a human being but you’ve got to cop it.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that when things don’t go well, you’ve got to understand the frustration and disappointment. And they’re rightly disappointed because we let a game of football get away from us. But that’s OK. I’m OK with all that.”
Barring a sensational 4-0 win away at champions Man City, the Lilywhites have suffered recent defeats to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Bournemouth, all while failing to beat Roma in the Europa League and Fulham last weekend.
The results have been sub-par, and you could argue that Spurs have regressed since last season.
Postecoglou certainly hasn’t been helped by injuries to Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero – who form the defensive spine of the team – but their inconsistency was still present when all three were fit and available.
Postecoglou retains backing in the Tottenham boardroom according to reports last month, but if they continue on this downward trajectory, that probably won’t last much longer.
Tottenham line up Kieran McKenna as top target
According to Football Transfers, contingency plans are being put in place by chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange if they do opt to hand Postecoglou his P45.
Indeed, it is believed Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has admirers within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following the Englishman’s back-to-back promotions at Portman Road and reputation as one of the country’s most promising young coaches.
Tottenham have lined up McKenna as their “top target” to potentially replace Postecoglou, coming after Chelsea were widely reported to be after the 38-year-old as a candidate to step into Pochettino’s shoes in the summer.
GiveMeSport’s Dean Jones backed reports at the time that McKenna was a “leading candidate” for the Chelsea job, owing to how highly rated he is in the game, with Liverpool legend John Barnes also calling him a “sensational” tactician.
Interestingly, McKenna was also briefly a youth player at Tottenham, and featured in their reserves before retiring (Transfermarkt).