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Even winning the Europa League might not save Ange Postecoglou’s job – and he might not want to stay next season in any case - AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth
The possibility of a manager leaving Tottenham Hotspur after winning the Europa League should sound familiar to fans of a certain age, who will remember the remark attributed to Keith Burkinshaw on exiting the club.
Legend has it that Burkinshaw said “there used to be a football club over there” after leaving Spurs for the final time, following the club’s last success in Europe.
Tottenham won the 1984 Uefa Cup – now the Europa League – under Burkinshaw but it proved to be his last game in charge as the Barnsley-born manager left the club over a disagreement with the board.
It has since been claimed that Burkinshaw nodded in agreement at the repetition of the Frank Sinatra song title There Used To Be A Ballpark in relation to Spurs, but the sentiment remains the same whichever version of the story fans prefer to believe.
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Keith Burkinshaw’s last act as Spurs manager was to add the Uefa Cup in 1984 to his two FA Cups – Spurs have only matched his three trophies in the 41 years since he left - Allsport UK/Getty Images
Ahead of the first leg of Tottenham’s Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether or not history could be about to repeat itself. For those of a superstitious nature, it should be added that Liverpool won the league in the same season Tottenham last lifted a European trophy and after which Burkinshaw left.
“I used to be [superstitious], but not any more,” said Postecoglou. “I never used to change my socks, but then I thought: ‘Jeez, if it’s just the socks then what am I doing? What is the point of me being a coach if it’s just the socks that make the difference?’”
Telegraph Sport first reported that Postecoglou has been heading towards the Tottenham exit whether or not the club end their 17-year trophy drought by winning a European competition for the first time since Burkinshaw’s success 41 years ago.
Postecoglou is expected to be sacked if Spurs fail to get past Bodo/Glimt or lose in the final and the Australian may even be dismissed if his team do lift the trophy in Bilbao and qualify for next season’s Champions League, given the disastrous Premier League campaign.
There is also the scenario of Postecoglou choosing to go with his head held high if Tottenham win the Europa League and settle on a mutual split with the club, which has not yet been dismissed by sources who have worked with the 59-year-old.
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Postecoglou has led Spurs into the last four of the Europa League and could leave with his head held high should they win - Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Postecoglou has proved before – just like Burkinshaw did – that he is prepared to walk away, no matter how big the moment, if things are not right behind the scenes or he believes his vision is no longer shared.
It was just two weeks after Australia qualified for the World Cup in 2018 that Postecoglou announced his resignation as coach. Explaining his decision, he said: “I walked away from a World Cup and the reason I walked away was I just didn’t enjoy what I was doing.
“I’ve said all along, it’s not just winning games of football. It’s got to be a higher purpose and my higher purpose in Australia was to change the game. I just don’t think that will happen.”
Postecoglou’s higher purpose at Tottenham has been to try to change a football club, but, under owners Enic and chairman Daniel Levy, that appears to be an impossible task.
Leaving on a high?
Would Postecoglou willingly give up another shot at the Champions League, in which he failed to win a game with Celtic? Only he will really know, but Europa League success would allow Postecoglou to leave Spurs having achieved three of his big aims – to change the playing style, bring through young players and win a trophy.
It would also guarantee him a bonus, which could alleviate some of the compensation Postecoglou would miss out on if he agreed a mutual departure before the end of his contract that is not due to expire until 2027.
Leaving on a high would protect Postecoglou’s reputation to some extent, although equalling and potentially beating Tottenham’s record number of defeats (19) in a Premier League season is not an easy milestone to convince the doubters to look past.
There is also the issue of the environment Postecoglou would have to work in if he did cling on to his Tottenham job. Many believe he would already be long gone if chief football officer Scott Munn, a fellow Australian, had not been at the club.
Postecoglou and Munn work closely together, speaking on a daily basis, but some sources expect Munn to leave Tottenham this summer following the appointment of ex-Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.
The announcement of Venkatesham’s arrival at the end of the season came as a shock to Postecoglou amid mocking surprise among Tottenham’s rivals that the club would appoint a former employee of their arch rivals Arsenal.
In recent weeks, Postecoglou has hinted at some frustration behind the scenes by lamenting the fact that his has been the only public voice at the club and revealing that he has been working to track down a leak.
When discussing Cristian Romero’s hint that he might be interested in a move to Atlético Madrid, Postecoglou cryptically said: “If you ask me a lot of questions about my future, you’d probably get some great headlines.”
Quite what Burkinshaw, now 89 and who rallied against the commercialisation of football when he was in charge of Tottenham, would make of Arsenal’s anthem, The Angel (North London Forever), being played inside the stadium before a boxing match is anybody’s guess.
British Cruiserweight champion Cheavon Clarke walked out to 'North London Forever' at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of his fight with Viddal Riley️pic.twitter.com/OkcuEhsdaH
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 26, 2025
But protesting supporters certainly believe that football has taken a back seat at Tottenham under Enic and Levy, and the immediate landscape does not look particularly encouraging for Postecoglou or any other Spurs head coach.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, Tottenham are facing the prospect of having to sell to buy this summer after the latest set of accounts revealed the club’s net transfer debt – money owed to Spurs minus money they are still to pay out – was £279.3 million.
Champions League qualification through winning the Europa League would improve the situation. But the famous remark attributed to Burkinshaw will feel depressingly relevant if Postecoglou also departs as a trophy-winning Tottenham coach.
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