Ange Postecoglou isn't one for taking the easy route, as his with has demonstrated. While they sit 17th in the table, Spurs are now one of three clubs across England to have a shot at European glory this month.
Postecoglou's side take on Ruben Amorim's in the final on Wednesday at the Estadio de San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain. This is Tottenham's first European final appearance since they were beaten 2-0 by in the 2019 – and the Australian gaffer is now on the cusp of silverware.
In every managerial position he's been in, has taken on a squad requiring a rebuild, fought against expectations and proved his worth every time. At South Melbourne, he proved doubters wrong by winning the league trophy on three occasions, and moved up the ranks to eventually become the manager of the Australian national team.
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With this squad, he rebuilt once again before walking away ahead of the World Cup to head to Asia for pastures anew. In Japan, he arrived a stranger and left a league champion, before taking on the . In , he won a domestic double in his first season, before lifting the treble with a totally revamped squad that dominated the league from the moment he stepped into the role at Parkhead.
Now, at Tottenham, he's facing the most significant challenge of his career – leading a club that has historically struggled to clinch major trophies to their first piece of silverware in 17 years.
The final hurdle edges ever closer for , and despite his attacking football strategy earning him fans, the Aussie boss' true scrutiny will begin from minute one in Bilbao.
Ange Postecoglou’s net worthPostecoglou's career has been a gradual climb – no shortcuts, no lucrative moves until they were earned. His initial coaching roles in just covered the bills, and when he was dismissed as the national youth coach, he had to move in with his mother-in-law to get by.
Now, he's among the top-earning managers in England. His reported annual salary at Tottenham is £5million, a considerable increase from his days at Celtic where he was reportedly earning around £2m each year.
Unlike some of his peers, Postecoglou shuns the flashiness of designer suits and luxury watches while pacing the touchline. The Spurs manager's wealth is thought to hover around the £9m mark.
Postecoglou's family lifeAs for Postecoglou's personal life, he isn't known for his charm. He presents as blunt, focused, and a man of few words, which are traits his wife, Georgia, knows all to well.
When they first crossed paths at South Melbourne in the 1990s, her role of marketing manager couple with his role as the coach, she found little to be impressed by.
"He's not charismatic, he's not a charmer," Georgia said in the ABC documentary The Australian Story: The Age of Ange. "I didn't get why people respected him so much."
However, she soon came to understand the qualities others saw in him. "It was only afterwards I got to understand him as a person," she added.
Together, they have experienced every high and low of his career - sackings, moves to different continents, and times when it felt it could all go south. Postecoglou openly attributes his survival through tough periods to his wife's support.
The couple has also been blessed with three sons: James, Alexi, and Max. All three have observed their father tirelessly working on his career, even before they came into the .
As reported by The Sun, Georgia recalled how Postecoglou nearly missed Max's premature birth due to job commitments. "Max came early," she said. "Ange was supposed to fly to London, and I told him, 'You're not leaving me.'"
The next day, Max was born and just 24 hours later, his father boarded a flight for work. But that's just how things work in the chaotic household.
Pressure in north London
The Premier League season has been a difficult one for Ange and his squad, with 21 losses compared to 11 wins and five draws.
Some of the heaviest defeats this campaign include a 6-3 and 5-1 thrashings by champions Liverpool, a 4-2 loss to and most recently, a 2-0 loss to .
While Postecoglou has been handed a tough deal with injuries and suspensions this season, it hasn't stopped fans and pundits alike from criticising his constant, offensive football style.
Even leading up to the final, Spurs will be without for the game due to a knee injury picked up in the first leg of the semi-final win over Bodo/Glimt.
Dejan Kulusevski will also miss the final, after just returning from injury in April from a foot injury that kept him out for seven games.
Despite this, that the Tottenham hierarchy may decide to move Postecoglou on from his role as manager; even if he wins the Europa League trophy on Wednesday evening.
So despite silverware and European glory for the first time since 1984, chairman Daniel Levy may still decide to give the Aussie the axe, due to the club's worst Premier League season in two decades.
His future at TottenhamSo while questions remain on whether the Spurs board will sack Postecoglou or not, the 59-year-old backs himself to continue his history of success with the club.
Speaking to the media in Bilbao, the veteran boss spoke about his past in leaving clubs with success, and claimed he will be "comfortable" no matter what happens.
Postecoglou said: "I've been in this position before where the big game was the last game I managed. It's not unusual territory for me.
"I qualified for a World Cup and left. Won the Treble with Celtic and left. Won at Brisbane and left. It's actually more common than you think.
"I've always navigated it pretty well. I'm pretty good at just making sure all my focus is on giving this football club the best opportunity it's had for a while to do something special.
"Whatever happens after that, I'm very, very comfortable that I'll continue on trying to win trophies wherever I am."
But despite being at peace with his potential impending doom in north London, Postecoglou insists his future is far from over with Spurs.
He added: "I don't think my job is done here. I really feel like we are building something and what a trophy does is hopefully accelerate that. So, I still think there is work to be done.
"It is quite obvious with the challenges we've had this year, which I think are well chronicled, but there is some reasoning in the context of that, but also there has been some growth and I would like to see through.
"Whether that happens or not is not that important right now, but I don't think this job is finished, far from it. I certainly feel there is some growth there that we can take this club to where it needs to be."
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