What Ange Postecoglou needs to do to keep his job as Tottenham manager | OneFootball

Ange Postecoglou has had some struggles in his sophomore season at Spurs. The Australian manager had a decent campaign in his first season in charge at the N17, but injury troubles have seen Tottenham plummet down the table, currently sitting 15th in the Premier League on just 37 points from 32 matches.

His struggles have seen many Spurs fans call for him to be fired, but some still believe in Postecoglou. Here is everything Ange needs to do to ensure he is the manager of Tottenham come next season.

1. Win the Europa League

After a win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, Tottenham have moved on to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. Spurs are now only 3 games away from lifting their first major trophy since 2008, with a tie against Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt in the semifinals. With an easy path to the finals, Tottenham have a 35% chance of winning the competition, per Opta Analytics.

Being the favorites to lift a major trophy is a massive chance for Tottenham to make up for their poor showing in the Premier League this season. It would also qualify them for next year's UEFA Champions League, and this competition represents their final chance to qualify for next seasons' European competitions.

Ange Postecoglou is no stranger to winning trophies, especially in his second season. In his last stint at Celtic, he was able to win a double in his first year with the club, following it up with a domestic treble in his second season.

Before he took over at Celtic, he managed Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, and after leading them to a cup final in season number one, was able to win the J1 League in year two at the club. Postecoglou needs this trend to continue if he wants to continue as Tottenham manager, as a trophy and qualification for the Champions League are the last things that could overshadow the absolutely atrocious league finish.

2. Complete the signing of Mathys Tel

It should be news to no one that Tottenham captain and club legend Heung-Min Son is growing older, and this season seems to be the first where he has truly lost a step. Son has yet to record 10 Premier League goals this season, a mark he has not missed since his first for the club in 2015/26.

However, Spurs were able to sign 19 year-old Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munchen at the end of the January transfer window, a player who thrives in an extremely similar role to Son. Tel originally dismissed the opportunity to join Tottenham for the second half of the season, but after speaking to Postecoglou about how he would fit into the manager's plans for the rest of the season, Tel agreed to join for the back half of the campaign.

Although the loan deal contains a buy option, allowing Tottenham to sign Tel as a permanent transfer when the loan expires, this buy option contains an extra clause. Although Bayern themselves cannot decline a permanent deal, Tel can. For Spurs to permanently sign the French youngster, both the club and Tel himself must agree to the move.

As Postecoglou was able to convince Tel to join Tottenham on the loan deal by sharing his plans for him after Tel initally rejected the deal upon speaking with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, he must make sure these plans are made fully clear to the forward before his loan spell ends at the end of the season. Starting Tel in more matches, especially with the recent injury to Heung-Min Son, could inspire Tel's confidence in a permanent move to North London. Winning the Europa League would also likely have a huge impact on the chances of landing Tel permanently. If Ange plays his cards right to end the season, he may helped secure the future of Tottenham's attack.

But is it enough?

Although Tottenham still have the chance to win a trophy this season, some fans argue that Postecoglou cannot save his job. If it holds, a 15th place Premier League finish would be their worst since 1993/94. Although the trophy would be the club's biggest achievement in the last 18 years, many fans view this league performance as a fireable offence.

Even if Postecoglou wins the Europa League and completes the signing of Tel, the board might still not find reason to keep him going into next season. Only time will tell what the future holds for Ange Postecoglou.