SCATHING VERDICT: ANGE POSTECOGLOU CLAIMS TOTTENHAM ARE "NOT A BIG CLUB" TODAY
Ange Postecoglou claims Tottenham "isn't a big club" in a scathing review of their transfer policy following Thomas Frank's sacking.
Ange Postecoglou didn’t mince words about why Tottenham keep falling short. He says the club’s refusal to really compete with the Premier League’s top spenders holds them back, simple as that.
Postecoglou got the boot last June, right after he delivered a Europa League trophy and ended a 17-year wait for silverware. Now his replacement, Thomas Frank, is out too. Tottenham sit 16th in the league, just five points clear of relegation, and they’ve got league leaders Arsenal up next. Not exactly a fun place to be.
After Frank’s sacking, Postecoglou went on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast and pretty much called out Tottenham’s whole approach. “If you look at what they spend and how they structure wages, they’re just not a big club,” he said. He saw it firsthand while trying to sign players; Tottenham just weren’t in the race for the big names.
In his first season, Postecoglou managed to get Tottenham up to fifth. But things went downhill. The next year, even with that Europa League win, they slipped to 17th. He’s convinced the club just doesn’t get what it takes to win, you have to take some risks, and they just won’t.
“I felt like the club was saying, ‘We’re one of the big boys,’ but honestly, they’re not,” he said.
Frank was Tottenham’s fifth full-time manager since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019, even though Pochettino took them to a Champions League final. Fans are frustrated. Tottenham keep missing out on their transfer targets. Frank wanted Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest last summer, but that didn’t happen. Arsenal snatched up Eberechi Eze instead.
Postecoglou, who later had a short, rocky stint at Forest himself, thinks Frank might not have realised what he was getting into. “There’s no guarantee with any manager. They’ve had some world-class people in that job and still no real success. Why is that?” he asked. “What’s the real objective here? Did Thomas even know what he was walking into? Who knows?
ELLIOT ANDERSON DOWNPLAYS TRANSFER RUMORS; STAYS FOCUSED ON ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP RUN
Elliot Anderson prioritises England’s World Cup glory as Manchester United and City challenge Newcastle for his signature
Elliot Anderson has downplayed rumours about a high-profile transfer from Nottingham Forest this summer, emphasising that his focus remains on the World Cup.
England manager Thomas Tuchel will likely want his squad fully concentrated on the tournament in the US. Anderson, a Whitley Bay native, is expected to be part of the 26-man Three Lions squad, set to face Croatia, Ghana, and Panama in the group stage.
Newcastle has publicly expressed interest through sporting director Ross Wilson in Anderson, who is reportedly on their radar. Yet, recently, Manchester United and Manchester City have also shown strong interest, pointing toward a possible competition between the two northwest clubs for his signature.
Newcastle risks being priced out if either Manchester club enters the fray. Their key motivation might grow if Sandro Tonali or Bruno Guimaraes moves to a rival team, intensifying Newcastle’s interest in Anderson.
Still, Anderson remains focused on England duty. Speaking today, he said, 'We've got the World Cup coming up this summer, so that's where all my attention is.' Wearing the England badge now means that’s all I’m thinking about at the moment.
Eddie Howe has always been a supporter of Anderson and suggested the midfielder should never have left. Earlier this season, Howe described the sale as rushed: We were on the clock and trying every angle to avoid a points deduction. We had little leverage to negotiate buyback clauses or similar protections.
Asked if he regrets the board's decision to sell Anderson due to Premier League financial rules, Howe admitted, 'It's not on my mind every day, but certain moments bring it back.' It never felt right then, and it doesn’t feel right now that we, as a club, had to make a decision we didn’t want to make. Elliot gave everything progressing through our ranks, aiming to play for Newcastle, but financial constraints ended that. Still, we wish him nothing but success.
He was clear it wasn’t about Anderson personally, but about the tough restrictions the club faced.
Given Anderson’s impressive performances for Forest and England, Newcastle are finding it tougher to secure a deal as time goes on.
WHY ROBERTO DE ZERBI IS NOW OPEN TO JOINING SPURS IMMEDIATELY DESPITE SUMMER PREFERENCE
Tottenham sets a 48-hour deadline for Roberto De Zerbi to accept the manager job as Igor Tudor exits amid a relegation crisis.
Tottenham have reportedly given Roberto De Zerbi just 48 hours to decide if he wants their manager's job. He’s now the clear favourite to replace Igor Tudor as Spurs scramble to avoid relegation.
Tudor left by mutual agreement on Sunday after failing to win any of his five Premier League games. He stepped in as a short-term fix after Thomas Frank, but things only got worse for Spurs with him in charge.
Right now, Spurs are 17th, just one point clear of the drop zone. Club bosses don’t want to wait any longer. They hope to have a new manager in place before the players come back from international duty, and talks with De Zerbi have really picked up.
At first, De Zerbi wasn’t keen on jumping in before the summer, but it sounds like he’s changed his mind.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Tottenham’s given him an ultimatum: he’s got a day or two, tops, to give a straight answer.
The paper said that until recently, De Zerbi kept saying no, but apparently, something shifted.
Now he’s seriously considering the offer, especially since taking the role now could boost his standing if he manages to keep Spurs in the Premier League.
If De Zerbi says yes, his first game would be on Sunday, April 12, away at Sunderland. That match suddenly looks massive given how close Spurs are to the bottom three.
They may already be in the relegation zone by then. West Ham, who sit 18th, play Wolves on Friday. A win for West Ham would shove Tottenham into the bottom three, though Spurs would still have a game in hand over their rivals.
Not everyone’s thrilled about De Zerbi coming in. Three major Tottenham fan groups have spoken out against the potential appointment because of comments he made about Mason Greenwood during his time at Marseille.
