Ange Postecoglou reveals the star players he failed to sign for Spurs in jibe at former club

Ange Postecoglou has labelled Tottenham Hotspur as 'not a big club' in the wake of the club's decision to sack his successor, Thomas Frank, this week. 

The Dane, who replaced Postecoglou in the North London hot seat, was relieved of his duties on Wednesday following the club's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle that left them hovering above the Premier League's relegation zone. 

It was the final straw in a season that had seen the fans frustrated by Frank's style and only two wins at home all campaign. 

In the aftermath of his departure, much has been made of the issues at Tottenham and for all the mistakes Frank made in his short time in charge, the problems lie much deeper than who the manager is in the dugout. 

Making a timely appearance on The Overlap, the man who brought Spurs their first trophy in 17 years, opened up on his time at the club and took aim at its lack of ambition in trying to compete with the Premier League's elite. 

After finishing fifth in his first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 60-year-old claimed if he'd been allowed to bring in the players he wanted, the club would have competed, but instead he wasn't backed in the transfer market. 

"What are they trying to build? They've built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities,” Postecoglou said.

“But when you look at the expenditure, particularly in their wage structure, they're not a big club.

“I saw that because when we were trying to sign players, we weren't in the market for those players.

“So we end up signing Dom Solanke, I was really keen on him and I really like him, and three teenagers.”
 

The Australian went on to praise the potential of teenagers Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall but revealed he had earmarked proven Premier League players to take Spurs to the next level. 

“I was looking at Pedro Neto, [Bryan] Mbeumo, [Antoine] Semenyo and Marc Guehi because I said we need them if we're going to go from fifth to third.

“That's what the other big clubs would do in that moment.

“Those three teenagers are outstanding and brilliant young players and I think they'll be great players for Tottenham.

“But they're not going to get you from fifth to fourth and third. But what was coming out from the club was that ‘no, we're a club that can compete on all fronts’.”

 

Each name on Postecoglou's shopping list has since moved for big money to a club akin to Spurs' apparent ambitions, with Brighton's Pedro Neto joining Chelsea for £54m in 2024, Bryan Mbeumo moving to Manchester United from Brentford last summer in a £71m deal, while Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo (£62m) and Cystal Palace's Marc Guehi (£20m) both signed for Manchester City last month. 

Postecoglou also talked about the sacking of Frank with hosts Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, calling the decision inevitable after his recent results, but double-downed on questioning if his former club gave his successor the right platform to succeed. 

“It’s a curious club, Tottenham. They made a major pivot at the end of last year, not just with me, but with Daniel [Levy] leaving as well.

“You’ve created this whole environment of uncertainty because there are no guarantees.

"It doesn't matter which manager you bring in. They’ve had world-class managers there; they haven’t had success."

"Thomas is walking in. What’s his objective? What’s the club’s objective?" 

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