Daniel Levy makes decision, deals agreed - Tottenham given clear Ange Postecoglou instruction

Tottenham Hotspur's season is fizzling out at a rapid rate after Thursday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.

The Lilywhites got off to a dream start to this season's Premier League, winning eight and drawing two of their first ten fixtures, though Spurs' recent form has seen Champions League hopes fade.

Last night's loss at Stamford Bridge has left Tottenham seven points behind Aston Villa, with a game in hand, leaving Postecoglou's side with it all to do if they are to participate in next year's Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund's victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening has ensured fifth place in England will not receive an additional Champions League slot, in another blow to the Lilywhites.

Many feared the current campaign would play out far worse than it has, particularly following the exit of Harry Kane, with Postecoglou faced with the daunting task of replacing Spurs' leading goalscorer.

Some are less convinced about the Australian and remain unsure of his long-term prospects in the capital. Weighing in on this topic, football.london have shared their opinions below.

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Tom Cavilla

It has been a positive first season for Postecoglou, who walked into the club at a time of great uncertainty.

The Spurs boss will, naturally, be disappointed with how the end of the season has gone, though will surely recognise progress has been made nonetheless.

He will be expected to deliver an improvement next campaign and will likely want to address certain areas of the squad in order to make this possible.

Now is not the time for a change in manager, given all the chopping and changing of recent years. Daniel Levy should stick by his man for at least another season and see where things are at this time next year.

The pressure will be on to finish in the top four in 2024/25, which may feel more attainable given Jurgen Klopp's departure from Liverpool and the ongoing sense of disarray at Chelsea and Manchester United.

Lee Wilmot

It seems crazy to think that we're having a discussion about Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham given how well we (I'm a Spurs fan) started the campaign. Postecoglou came in and was a breath of fresh air, playing open, expansive, attacking football.

Injuries and suspensions hit the team hard - there's not the strength in depth yet that the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and even Arsenal have right now - and results became inconsistent. It was always going to be tough in his first season.

Things have not gone at all well in the past few weeks. The performance against Arsenal in the North London Derby was good, but that aside, it's not been great for weeks really. Fulham (3-0 loss), West Ham (1-1), Newcastle (4-0 loss) and even Nottingham Forest (3-1 win) have not been inspiring.

It's become a bit slow in the build-up play, we're ok in the middle of the park, controlling possession, but in both boxes we've been found wanting. Changing the midfield dynamic every game is not helping either, but I understand why he's doing it - the players he's choosing have not been performing.

To speak about making a change is folly. We've seen how good the football can be under Postecoglou and it will get back to that. The first year is always tough, we just had it too good in the beginning. I've no doubt the Australian will get things right next year and we will kick on.

Joe Doyle

It's been a tough run of results for Spurs fans to stomach recently, and in some ways they are a victim of their own success.

Having started the season so well, there was always a chance that things would sour slightly and a poor run of form has come at the wrong time.

But if you go back to the eve of the season, having lost all-time leading scorer Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, I'm not sure many Tottenham fans would have turned down the chance to be just four points off a Champions League place if they win their game in hand.

Granted, Liverpool, Man City and Newcastle in their last four fixtures is not exactly ideal. But Aston Villa also have to face Liverpool before the end of the season and are still in European competition - it's not a foregone conclusion.

That being said, some of the problems facing Postecoglou recently must rest with him. To paraphrase the old David Moyes quote at Man United which became somewhat of a meme: Spurs must improve in a number of areas, including passing, creating chances and defending.

Being so open during games is entertaining, no question: Spurs are arguably among the most fun teams in the league for the neutral. But it still feels slightly naïve to stick to your guns so stubbornly in the face of the evidence.

It's often said that attack will win you games and defence will win you titles; the top three teams have each conceded at least 16 fewer goals this season across the Premier League. 54 against in 34 games isn't really good enough to nail a Champions League spot.

Judging across the season as a whole, I'd say Postecoglou has done about par for the course with this Spurs side. With more time under his belt at the club and a few key additions, it could be a really exciting season next year.

Isaac Johnson

I think the talk of potentially getting rid of Postecoglou is nonsensical. Few would have been able to revamp Spurs so well after Harry Kane’s exit.

He’s also had hard luck with injuries too - any club that loses their best defender for a lengthy period of time is going to suffer as Tottenham did when Micky van de Ven was absent for two months over the busy festive season. James Maddison’s lengthy setback was also untimely.

The signings of him, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Pedro Porro have been excellent, the performances of Destiny Udogie and Richarlison have reached new heights and Son Heung-min looks back to his prolific self.

Postecoglou is not without fault and while admirable, his one-plan thesis has seen Spurs become unstuck at times. This is something he must amend and morph if Tottenham are to become top-four regulars again.

But Postecoglou is a leader. Some players won't take to him, but most will and those who don’t will soon exit. It’s been a long time since the club had a talisman on the sidelines and to chuck that away after almost achieving a top four finish but for a revitalised Aston Villa side would be baffling.

Kieran Horn

Tottenham have become victims of their own success under Ange Postecoglou. A superb start to the season surprised just about everyone so when heavy defeats against Fulham, Newcastle and Brighton follow, the criticisms are loud.

At the end of the day, this is a project and for it to be effective, patience is required. Unfortunately, football fans having that trait is rare and thus starts the questioning of Postecoglou after a sub-par display or defeat to a team Tottenham should be beating.

There are of course problems, defending set-pieces being the biggest, but that was inevitable considering the drastic change in philosophy, style of play and game plan. Injuries have played their part, with it no coincidence that the best performances and thus results came in the early part of the campaign, and that is why the need for another strong transfer window is paramount.

Depth is still required in several areas across the pitch with it made abundantly clear that Spurs' current options are not up to the standard Postecoglou will demand. The likes of Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero have shown signs of vast improvement under Postecoglou and that will undoubtedly continue throughout the squad in time.

Amie Wilson

The thought of writing about any doubts over Ange Postcoglou’s future at Tottenham would have baffled me only a couple of months ago, even from an outsider looking in. It probably highlights the short-term nature of football at this current time.

The Australian came in in the summer when he lost the talisman in Harry Kane just as the season was starting. His squad have also been hit with injuries and suspensions, and no matter how good your squad is, it’s still going to have an impact when you’re missing key players.

The start was one that got everyone talking, but the side have since dropped off. It may be that the impressive start raised expectations, with disappointment at the overall outcome of the season.

Postecoglou will not change the way he plays, meaning that players will become more accustomed to the style the longer they work with him. Giving him more time should mean an improvement in the understanding of the style of play, as well as summer additions, Spurs will hope for a successful 2024/25 season under the manager.

Isaac Seelochan

Ange Postecoglou's job should not be under threat this summer, but at the same time he needs to take a share of the blame for Tottenham's drop-off. His bizarre reluctance to acknowledge Spurs' issues from set-pieces is similar to the strange reluctance from Erik ten Hag to acknowledge the huge number of shots Manchester United are facing.

Not sounding bothered about Spurs missing out on the Champions League is also unusual, particularly considering his team's strong start to the campaign. Their mini-collapse has been alarming.

But it has still been a season of progress after losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich and enduring a miserable campaign last term. Finishing fifth would be a good result for Tottenham.

However, it should also be acknowledged that the struggles of United and Chelsea this season presented a great opportunity for the club to make a return to Europe's elite competition. And if the Lily Whites continue to struggle in their remaining fixtures this season, then the Australian should come under more pressure if their slump is not addressed at the start of 2024/25.