Ange Postecoglou responds to Tottenham sack talk in job that is ‘harder’ than prime minister’s

Ange Postecoglou has joked that being a Premier League manager is a tougher job than running the country as he responds to continued talk that his future at Tottenham is under threat.

The Australian eased some of that talk as his side crushed Southampton 5-0 last weekend to end a run of five games without a win and faces a big Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester United on Thursday night as Spurs look to end their current 16-year trophy drought.

Speaking at his press conference for the United clash, Postecoglou reflected on the departure of top-flight peers Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin at Wolves and Southampton respectively.

“This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life,” declared the Tottenham boss. “You can say politics but this is harder than any job. The tenure and longevity of this role means very few are going to come out of it without any scars.

“How many times does [Keir Starmer] have an election? I have one every weekend. We have an election every weekend and either get voted in or out.”

Martin was sacked by Southampton after Tottenham’s 5-0 rout at St Mary’s on Sunday, with Postecoglou expressing his disappointment with Martin being asked to carry out post-match press duties only to lose his job within the hour.

“You don’t even get sacked in the morning now, you’ve got to change your song,” he added.

“We have lost all sort of modes of respect in our society where guys are in jobs and they are putting up names of who is going to replace them while they are still working.”

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Postecoglou slams cut-throat approach to sacking managers

The latest Man Utd boss, Ruben Amorim, replaced Erik ten Hag, who lost his job in October after a little over two years in charge at Old Trafford, and Postecoglou was scathing about the treatment of managers.

He added: “This notion that clubs want to bring managers in and build stuff doesn’t exist. The moment there is a bit of a wobble there will be flak coming from all areas.

“Gary and Russell are both outstanding young managers who have long careers ahead of them. Unfortunately, for them at the beginning of their careers that’s what a manager’s career is going to look like.

“You’ll find that from now on managers are going to have about 20 clubs on their CV. Even the successful ones.”

As for Postecoglou’s plans at Tottenham, he continues to insist that he want to go one better than just ending the club’s trophy drought.

He added: “I always say that my ambition is to build a team and a club that has an opportunity for sustainable success. I don’t think winning a trophy will have done that but it will help the cause as it will show the ability to win things, create an environment that does bring trophies.

“If you win one and you fall off the cliff in another, I don’t think it’s the way forward.”

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Latest Tottenham news: Keeper touted for January switch / Ange eyes another Leeds star

Tottenham are reportedly set to open talks with a Brazilian goalkeeper over a potential January transfer window switch.

Spurs No.1 Guglielmo Vicario has been out injured since the 4-0 rout of Manchester City, with veteran stopper Fraser Forster taking over his spot for the last six games in all competitions.

Although the 36-year-old has performed very well in those outings, Forster will be out of contract next summer and there was always a feeling that Tottenham might try and find another stopper to compete with Vicario in the new year and beyond – and it appears they have singled out that man in the form of Botafogo’s John Victor.

Meanwhile, Tottenham could be back in business with Leeds United in 2025 after a crucial defender in Daniel Farke’s squad supposedly caught their attention – and that of two Premier League rivals.

Spurs are really struggling for depth at centre-back at the moment and have had to use some players out of position as cover, such as Archie Gray, who arrived at the club in the summer after making his name as a midfielder or right-back for Leeds.

Clearly, it would be beneficial for Tottenham to bring in more expertise at centre-back – and to do so, they could turn to Leeds again, with talk of a move for Elland Road star Pascal Struijk.

What position should Tottenham prioritise for the January transfer window?