What happens next for Tottenham and manager Postecoglou?

Having won the Europa League, there is little more manager Ange Postecoglou can do. What happens next is in the hands of Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

And Levy gave no clarity about the Australian’s future in his end of season message on Sunday morning.

“We have now tasted success and we are determined to use this as a springboard for more,” he said, without giving any indication whether that desire for more means retaining Postecoglu as manager.

Spurs host Brighton later on Sunday in the final game of a season that’s swung between sublime and abysmal.

Defeat would condemn the club to a 17th-placed finish with 38 points, their worst ever Premier League campaign.

But given what has unfolded over the past few days, that disappointment, certainly in the eyes of supporters, is irrelevant.

For Tottenham are no longer nearly men. They are winners and the euphoria of Wednesday night’s Europa League final success over Manchester United won’t fade for some time yet.

So, it seems inconceivable then that the architect of Spurs’ first trophy triumph since 2008 – and first European silverware since 1984 – is facing uncertainty over his future.

But that is where we find ourselves regarding Postecoglou at the end of this troubled campaign.

The club’s abysmal domestic campaign has meant Tottenham have started the process of identifying candidates to succeed the Australian before the 2025-.26 campaign.

Indeed, it is widely accepted Postecoglou’s tenure would almost certainly have ended had they lost to United in Bilbao.

But they didn’t. And therein may lie a quandary for Levy.

Should they lose on Sunday, 22 league defeats would be unacceptable for a club with Tottenham’s squad and resources.

In usual circumstances, the manager would take the rap for that and be relieved of his duties.

But these aren’t usual circumstances. Postecoglou has succeeded where so many – including Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte – have failed.

Aside from the glory, victory in Bilbao means Spurs have qualified for the Champions League – and the huge financial and reputational benefits of that achievement are well-documented.

Many of those supporters who’d given up on Postecoglou just a few weeks ago were singing his name at the club’s trophy parade on Friday.

In the space of a 90-plus minutes on Wednesday night, the 59-year-old has managed to alter the narrative and galvanise a fanbase who had been down on their haunches for so long.

So with that in mind, you wonder how much public opinion and the swathes of affection thrown in Postecoglou’s direction over the previous four days will influence Levy.

While the case for keeping Postecoglou would have been a hard sell had they lost the final, there is certainly a far stronger argument for it now.

Even those who had become so disenchanted by his reign would surely accept there should at least be a conversation over whether he deserves to start a third season at Tottenham.

Another pertinent factor here is which manager could Tottenham appoint to excite supporters so much that they would accept the Australian’s departure?

There is a danger that replacing Postecoglou, given his new-found affection, with an underwhelming appointment could antagonise a fanbase that already has a difficult relationship with Levy and the club’s ownership.

You’d imagine Tottenham fans would accept Postecoglou’s departure for, say, someone like Jurgen Klopp or Carlo Ancelotti – but given the adulation towards the Australian over the last few days, would they accept it for a manager without a proven track record of winning trophies?

You’d imagine Levy could score some major brownie points by retaining Postecoglou.

The strength of the bond between players and manager may also have him pondering his decision.

Senior players have all come out in support of Postecoglou in recent weeks. Winning a trophy will only serve to solidify a connection that looks to have grown towards the end of the season.

When Postecoglou meets Levy to decide the next step, you’d imagine the coach will point towards that relationship.

He may also point to the risks involved in ripping up a project that has just had a watershed moment and that this is a moment to build, not start again.

Whether the aforementioned factors will be enough for Levy to hold his nerve remains to be seen.

Levy said he had “shared in that pain and frustration” of the fans this season before the Europa League triumph, and thanked Postecoglou and the players for “making this incredible achievement possible”.

He added: “This is one trophy – our clear ambition as a club has always been long-term, sustained success, competing for top honours every year.”

Much of what transpires in the next 72 hours will depend on whether the chairman has been swayed by the emotion since Bilbao.

History tells us Levy can be ruthless. He sacked Mauricio Pochettino just six months after he led Tottenham to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool.

He also sacked Jose Mourinho just days before the 2021 Carabao Cup final, which they lost to Manchester City.

The evidence indicates Levy pays little attention to emotion.

That said, you’d have to be a robot not to have been guided by the outpouring of love towards Postecoglou this week.

The former Celtic boss intends to go on holiday early this week, so there will be a desire to resolve his future before he jets off.

His intriguing address to supporters during the parade reception on Friday night captured the imagination.

“I’ll leave you with this: in all the best television series, season three is better than season two,” roared Postecoglou.

Perhaps he knows something we don’t. Perhaps he doesn’t.

We’re about to find out.