Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva leading contenders if Tottenham sack Ange Postecoglou
Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva will be among the leading candidates to succeed Ange Postecoglou if Tottenham Hotspur feel forced into changing the club’s head coach.
Pressure is growing once again on Postecoglou following Sunday’s defeat by Silva’s Fulham that has left Spurs 14th in the Premier League table with just nine games left to play.
Bournemouth are expected to fight to try to keep Iraola, but there are doubts emerging over Silva’s future at Fulham, despite the superb job he has done at Craven Cottage.
The Europa League is being viewed as being critical to Postecoglou’s job prospects and the competition could yet save Tottenham’s season, given it offers the chance of silverware and qualification to the Champions League.
There has been no suggestion from Tottenham that Postecoglou would be sacked if Spurs were to fail to win the Europa League or were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Eintracht Frankfurt.
The club have remained supportive of Postecoglou and have been understanding of the injury crisis that was a huge contributing factor to Tottenham’s form and results.
Postecoglou, however, has seen Tottenham fail to beat Bournemouth and Fulham since having a number of players back, as well as struggling past AZ in the last-16 of the Europa League.
Iraola has done a superb job at Bournemouth this season, despite last Saturday’s defeat by Brentford. The club are competing for European qualification and face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after the international break.
There have been reports that Bournemouth want to extend Iraola’s contract, although sources close to his camp have indicated that he would be interested in the prospect of taking over at Tottenham.
Iraola’s current contract runs to 2026 and owner Bill Foley has confirmed that he plans to talk to Iraola personally about his future when he is scheduled to be in the UK next month.
Bournemouth face the threat of losing some of their stars this summer, with defenders Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez among those attracting interest from big clubs.
Silva’s Fulham team beat Tottenham on Sunday to maintain their bid to qualify for Europe and the Cottagers are also in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, where they will face Crystal Palace.
But sources have cast doubt on Silva’s future at Fulham past this season, believing he and the club could be heading for a parting of the ways.
Like Iraola at Bournemouth, Silva is contracted to Fulham until the end of next season and it has previously been reported that the Portuguese has a £6 million release clause.
It remains to be seen whether or not Fulham would demand the full clause to let Silva leave, or whether Tottenham, or another club, would be prepared to pay it.
Postecoglou has remained largely popular with Tottenham’s players and fans throughout what has been an extremely challenging season, although some cracks have appeared.
The Australian was again caught on camera confronting an angry supporter at the end of the defeat by Fulham, while his team selection for the game raised some eyebrows.
Tottenham’s goalscorers in the victory over AZ, Wilson Odobert and James Maddison, both started on the substitutes’ bench against Fulham, along with Lucas Bergvall who has been one of Spurs’ best players.
Postecoglou is being careful with the fitness of his players and understandably also dropped Micky van de Ven back down to the bench after the Dutchman had started in Europe.
But the decisions regarding Odobert, Maddison, Bergvall and captain Son Heung-min caused some surprise given Tottenham do not play again until April 3, when they travel to Chelsea, and also prompted debate over whether or not Postecoglou is prioritising the Europa League over the Premier League.
Topics
-
Tottenham prepare for Fulham clash as Postecoglou considers changes
Tottenham Eye Fulham Clash with Squad Rotation on Postecoglou’s Mind Ange Postecoglou faces a selection conundrum as Tottenham prepare for a tough Premier League encounter against Fulham on Sunday. ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Fulham 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur: Cottagers win it late with Muniz, Sessegnon goals
Fulham frustrated Tottenham Hotspur for the better part of 90 minutes before hitting Ange Postecoglou's side with two goals in the final 15 minutes to win 2-0 at Craven Cottage.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Ange defends 'pure human' Vicario amid fan anger
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has described Guglielmo Vicario as "one of the purest human beings I've ever come across."ESPN - Mar. 8 -
'We showed a real mentality' - light at end of tunnel for Tottenham?
Manager Ange Postecoglou hails Tottenham's spirit after his side come from behind to draw with Bournemouth.BBC News - Mar. 9 -
Ange Postecoglou’s passionate response to critics in FULL
Ange Postecoglou launched into a passionate response to the criticism he has faced this season at Tottenham.Here’s the best quotes and full transcript from a stunning press conference…People ‘li...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Wilson Odobert helps Spurs overcome AZ Alkmaar and their nerves to keep season alive
For Tottenham Hotspur the season remains alive. For Ange Postecoglou he fights on. It felt like it could – that it would – have been over for the head coach had they not over-turned a first-leg ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Tottenham announce XI for UEL clash against AZ
Tottenham return to North London for the second leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie against Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar. Ange Postecoglou's Spurs outfit are still in with a decent chance of ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
'You have got a responsibility to the fans' - Rooney on Spurs changes
Ange Postecoglou missed an "opportunity" by rotating his squad against Fulham on Sunday, says former Premier League striker Wayne Rooney. The Tottenham boss made seven changes to his starting XI ...Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Report: Tottenham make contact with Premier League manager to replace Postecoglou
Tottenham suffered yet another defeat in the Premier League on Sunday which dropped them down to 14th position in the standings.Ange Postecoglou’s side were beaten 2-0 by Fulham who are chasing ...Yahoo Sports - 3h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Callum Walsh, Dana White's first boxing experiment, has the rest of the combat world seeing green
Callum Walsh rang in St. Patrick's Day with a thunderous knockout in New York City. Is Dana White's pet project a harbinger of things to come in the boxing world?Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Anthony Davis assigned to G League as he prepares to return to Mavericks
Davis has been out since his Mavericks debut with an adductor injury.Yahoo Sports - 16m -
West Virginia will not play in any postseason tournaments
West Virginia will officially not be participating in any postseason tournaments. If that wasn't obvious by their omission from the brackets of the NIT and Crown, it became so when Athletic ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
2025 Players Championship purse is $25 million. Rory McIlroy snags prize money Monday
Rory McIlroy bested J.J. Spaun in Monday's playoff for The Players Championship win at TPC Sawgrass.Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Breaking down Tennessee basketball's chances for 2025 Final Four, Elite Eight, Sweet 16
Breaking down Tennessee basketball's chances to make the 2025 Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet 16 in March Madness.Yahoo Sports - 19m
More in Sports
-
Play Connections: Sports Edition. Tackle Today’s Puzzle.
Group sports terms that share a common thread.The New York Times - 11m -
Callum Walsh, Dana White's first boxing experiment, has the rest of the combat world seeing green
Callum Walsh rang in St. Patrick's Day with a thunderous knockout in New York City. Is Dana White's pet project a harbinger of things to come in the boxing world?Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Anthony Davis assigned to G League as he prepares to return to Mavericks
Davis has been out since his Mavericks debut with an adductor injury.Yahoo Sports - 16m -
West Virginia will not play in any postseason tournaments
West Virginia will officially not be participating in any postseason tournaments. If that wasn't obvious by their omission from the brackets of the NIT and Crown, it became so when Athletic ...Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Fernandes on Keane criticism: It motivates me
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes said he has plenty of respect for Roy Keane but he wants to do things in his own way.ESPN - 18m