Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham players show solidarity as Spurs board set to deliver $4.1m golden handshake

‘Big Ange’ Postecoglou is now written into the annals of Australian sport folklore after being the first coach to take a UK Premier League side to a major cup victory, and his likely reward ... a $4.1 million golden goodbye handshake from Tottenham.

As Spurs fans celebrate the north London side clinching the Europa Cup against Manchester United, to snap a 17-year major trophy drought, the news that their “gaffer” could be moved on is not sitting well.

Postecoglou’s contract bonus for the achieving the victory is a staggering $4,1 million bonus according to UK football pundits, which is a relatively small price to pay for the Tottenham board who are set to reap the rich benefits of an elevation the EUFA Champions League.

The bonus is set, secured, a done deal according to reports.

The big problem now for Tottenham boss chairman Daniel Levy is he has already been canvassing potential managers to replace the Australian mentor.

As Levy stood and looked around Bilbao Stadium at the rapturous Spurs faithful wearing cork-stringed hats and holding inflatable kangaroos, the realisation dawned his transition plan just became whole lot harder.

After a diabolical Premier League season, it has been the ‘worst kept secret’ that Levy has been on the lookout for a replacement manager.

Postecoglou in turn focused his energy on the Europa League, and true to his word his men claimed the title in his second year at the helm.

The cries are now blaring for the newly sainted Postecoglou to keep his job, with his players and former Spurs greats leading the clamour.

Spurs’ 1-0 triumph has prompted a “Save Ange” wave of sentiment, with victorious club captain Son Heung-min offering the strongest support.

“He won the trophy. Nobody (else) did it,” South Korean superstar Son said.

“It’s an unbelievable moment for Spurs. People asked me today, ‘do you think the manager will go?’ but how can you get rid of a manager who just won a European Cup?” Spurs’ Irish great Robbie Keane asked on talkSPORT radio.

“You need stability at the club and you’re not going to get that if you keep changing every couple of years. They need to build on this and build on momentum now,” added the striker who was in Spurs’s League Cup-winning team 17 years ago.

Son was far from alone among the Spurs squad going in to bat for Postecoglou.

Spurs’ keeper Guglielmo Vicario, one of their big Bilbao heroes, declared: “Of course I want him to stay. He’s my gaffer, he’s the person who decided to bring me to this football club.

“I’m very happy for him, for what we achieved altogether. He told us this group is going to change something, it’s going to change the history of this football club and we did it,” Vicario said.

“Credit to him. He was the first to start to believe in something special and we did it.”

Former Northern Ireland World Cup hero and Spurs star Gerry Armstrong told the BBC: “I’m backing Ange for next season.

“He deserves another year after what he has done and I’m hoping that winning the Europa League is going to make a difference.”

With AAP.