Ange Postecoglou Critiques Tottenham’s Transfer Strategy and Club Status

omidbasir- Ange Postecoglou, who took the helm at Tottenham in 2023, has openly criticized the club’s transfer strategy, asserting that his former club is “not a big club” in light of Thomas Frank’s recent dismissal.

Frank, who succeeded Postecoglou as head coach last summer, was let go on Wednesday, with Spurs currently five points above the Premier League relegation zone.

During an appearance on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Postecoglou acknowledged the club’s “unbelievable” facilities but pointed to financial constraints that prevented them from signing key targets such as Pedro Neto, Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo, and Marc Guehi in 2024.

“When you look at their expenditure, particularly their wage structure, they are not a big club,” he remarked. “I witnessed this firsthand; when we were pursuing players, we were not in the market for those caliber of talents.”

The Portuguese forward Neto transferred to Chelsea for £54 million in 2024, while Mbeumo was acquired by Manchester United for £65 million last summer. Additionally, Semenyo and Guehi made a combined move to Manchester City for £85 million last month.

Under Postecoglou’s leadership, Spurs achieved a commendable fifth-place finish in the Premier League during his inaugural season. However, he was dismissed after a disappointing 17th-place finish in the subsequent season. Notably, he did end the club’s 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League in 2025.

“I believe there was a failure to recognize that winning requires taking risks,” he stated. “Tottenham seemed to project an image of being among the elite clubs, but the reality is that I do not believe they are.”

Since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, Tottenham has cycled through five different managers. Jose Mourinho led the team from 2019 to 2021 but was dismissed just days before the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City. Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure lasted a mere four months, while Antonio Conte criticized the board and his players before his sacking after 16 months.

Postecoglou himself faced dismissal last summer, and Frank’s contract was cut short after less than a year.

Having been recently sacked by Nottingham Forest after just 39 days, Postecoglou questioned whether Frank was fully aware of the operational dynamics when he accepted the position.

“You know that he can’t be the only issue at the club,” said the 59-year-old. “It’s an intriguing situation at Tottenham, which underwent significant changes at the end of last year—not only with me but also with [executive chairman] Daniel Levy stepping down, creating an environment of uncertainty.”

“There’s no guarantee that any manager brought in will succeed. They have had world-class managers who did not achieve results. What is the reason for this? What was Thomas’s objective, and what is the club’s objective? If you’re making such a major shift, you must accept that instability will ensue. Did Thomas understand the challenges he was facing? I can’t say.”