Ange Postecoglou could allegedly find himself on 'the brink' of being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur if they lose to Aston Villa in Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round match.
The former Celtic treble winner has overseen a largely miserable 2024-25 season in the Spurs hotseat, and his side's hopes of EFL Cup glory evaporated in a chastening loss to Liverpool on Thursday evening.
Despite possessing a 1-0 advantage from their opening encounter, that slender lead proved inconsequential as Arne Slot's men produced a merciless comeback to reach the final with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
The Lilywhites are also languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table, although they could still return to European competition via the FA Cup or Europa League, having progressed to the last 16 of the latter competition.
Spurs must navigate a tricky test away to Villa in Sunday's FA Cup showdown, though, and according to GIVEMESPORT, Postecoglou's future could be in jeopardy if Tottenham suffer another knockout defeat in the space of a week.
Postecoglou future 'to come under microscope' if Spurs lose to Villa
© Imago
The report stresses that for now, Postecoglou retains the backing of Tottenham chiefs, including chairman Daniel Levy, who sanctioned three new signings in January in the shape of Mathys Tel, Kevin Danso and Antonin Kinsky.
However, Tottenham's pitiful performance against Liverpool has led to growing doubts over whether Postecoglou will be at the helm for the rest of the season, and his job will be 'under the microscope' if Spurs are defeated at Villa Park.
The Tottenham board are sympathetic to the Australian's situation, though, as he has had to steer Spurs through a debilitating injury crisis over the winter period, and the club's fitness situation worsened yet again on Thursday.
Luckless striker Richarlison was substituted with a calf injury at Anfield, and the Brazilian is one of 11 Tottenham players currently out of action alongside Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, James Maddison and Radu Dragusin.
Bayern Munich loanee Tel came off the bench to replace Richarlison in the 4-0 loss to Liverpool, and the Frenchman is now expected to make his full Tottenham debut in the FA Cup battle with Aston Villa.
Is Postecoglou worried about Tottenham sack threat?
© Imago
Postecoglou was questioned on whether he feared the axe from Levy in Friday's pre-match press conference, but while the 59-year-old accepted that such speculation would inevitably swirl, he insisted that he was not paying attention to the rumours for a minute.
"That doesn't enter my head space," Postecoglou replied. "I get that's obviously a massive topic of discussion because when things aren't going well you look at the person who's largely responsible for that and that's me.
"It is what it is. You've got to get on with it. It doesn't change the decisions I make, how I feel, how I work today or how determined I am to continue on this path. Right now, the focus is on getting this group of players recovered for Sunday.
"It's a big game and hopefully a positive result and then over the next couple of weeks we'll get some significant players back, which I think will help."
Postecoglou would also be in line for a significant severance package if he was to be sacked by Tottenham, as the Australian still has two-and-a-half years left to run on his contract in North London.
The 59-year-old - who memorably claimed in September that he always wins trophies in his second year - boasts a record of 39 wins, 11 draws and 29 defeats from 79 matches in charge of Tottenham, taking a record 26 points from his first 10 Premier League matches.
Ben Knapton
