Tottenham hold ‘informal talks’ with high-quality Postecoglou replacement as concerns grow over freefall

Rob McCarthy 19 Jan 2025 11:41 AM

Max Allegri could replace Postecoglou at Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly held talks with an elite European coach over potentially replacing Ange Postecoglou, as the club continues to slide alarmingly toward the relegation zone.

Spurs have won only one of their last nine Premier League outings to drop to 15th in the table and are only eight points above the drop zone as it stands. Indeed, 16th-placed Everton can close to within four points of Postecoglou‘s men if they win the clash between the two sides at Goodison Park on Sunday.

Tottenham’s hopes of getting a positive result from that game have suffered another blow on the eve of the contest, with striker Dominic Solanke set to be out for a while after suffering a knee injury in training.

It’s the latest in a long line of injury issues that Postecoglou has had to deal with during his time in north London, with the Australian already without three-quarters of his first-choice back four – as he has been for weeks.

Brennan Johnson and Yves Bissouma are also doubts for the game on Merseyside to further compound Postecoglou’s problems and he must be starting to wonder whether his spell at Tottenham is actually jinxed.

That being said, the Spurs chief has not always helped himself with his insistence on still playing his same high-risk, borderline-reckless, style of football – despite asking inferior players who are not regular starters to do just that.

To that end, his job continues to be a source for endless debate, even though TT have been told that he is not under any pressure due to the club’s ongoing injury crisis.

However, Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport reports that former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has been spoken to by the club as a potential replacement for Postecoglou, who still has more than two years remaining on his contract.

The report states that Allegri held ‘informal talks’ with Daniel Levy but didn’t receive an offer. This suggests that the Spurs chairman wants to continue with Postecoglou, although Corriere do not say when the discussions actually took place.

Allegri, who has been out of management since agreeing to terminate his contract with Juventus at the end of last season, was actually at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in November for a 2-2 draw against Roma in the Europa League.

Despite a difficult end to his second reign at the Allianz Stadium, he was a success with the Old Lady, winning the Coppa Italia in his final game in charge. He also delivered five Scudetto titles in his first spell in charge and is still regarded as one of the elite managers in the European game.

West Ham United are known to have made an offer to Allegri last summer that was rejected, while Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Shabab and Belgium’s national team were also snubbed by the 57-year-old.

Postecoglou angry at job scrutiny

Speaking back in December, Postecoglou lamented the fact that managers no longer get the chance to build squads they want any more while also admitting that management is tougher now than it’s ever been.

“This job is the hardest job now in any walk of life,” declared Postecoglou. “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.”

Postecoglou was speaking after Spurs’ only win in their last nine Premier League games, the 5-0 rout of Southampton that ended up costing Russell Martin his job.

The Spurs chief also feels there is a lack of respect for managers who are in jobs and then get continually asked about who could replace them – something he could be dealing with very soon if results continue as they are.

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

Latest Tottenham news: PSG approach being considered / Richarlison wants out

Tottenham are ‘considering’ an approach for a high quality PSG star, though his profile may not suit Ange Postecoglou and the terms the Parisians are demanding make a deal doubly risky for Spurs.

Spurs kicked off the January window by signing goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in a £12.5milion deal, but remain keen on landing two more defenders and a striker before the February 3 cut-off point.

And, according to a report on Saturday, PSG’s Milan Skriniar is once again in the spotlight.

Multiple outlets have reported on Tottenham’s interest in the 29-year-old who’s won both Serie A and Ligue 1 titles with Inter Milan and PSG respectively over the past few seasons.

And according to a fresh update from journalist Ben Jacobs, Tottenham are considering a loan bid – but PSG have other ideas.

Meanwhile, Richarlison wants out of Tottenham and one specific exit route is opening up, while a report has outlined why Ange Postecoglou is to blame in the Brazilian’s eyes.