Source : ABC NEWS
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has penned an emotional tribute to Ange Postecoglou following the Australian’s sacking as the club’s manager.
Spurs axed Postecoglou on Saturday morning AEST, just over two weeks after he guided his side to a 1-0 win against Manchester United in the Europa League final.
The win in Bilbao last month ended a 17-year trophy drought for Spurs.
The Australian was “relieved of his duties”, with Spurs citing the club’s poor results in the Premier League as the key reason behind the decision.
They finished 17th out of 20 teams.
Writing on Instagram, Son said Postecoglou deserved to be remembered as a Spurs great.
“You’ve [Postecoglou] changed the trajectory of this club,” Son wrote.
“You believed in yourself, and us, since day one and never wavered for a second. Even when others did.
“You knew what we were capable of all along. You did it your way. And your way brought this club the best night it’s had in decades. We will have those memories for life.
“You trusted me with the captaincy. One of the highest honours of my career. It’s been an incredible privilege to learn from your leadership up close, I am a better player and a better person because of you.
“Ange Postecoglou, you are a Tottenham Hotspur legend forever. Thank you, mate.”
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England international James Maddison also praised Postecoglou for the contribution he made to Spurs.
Maddison thanked the former Socceroos head coach for helping shape his career.
“Your unwavering self-belief and strong mindset is infectious and a massive reason in why you were the man to end this club’s 17-year drought for a trophy,” Maddison wrote on Instagram.
“A family man with great morals and I have honestly learnt so much from you. More than you will probably ever know. All the very best.”
Spurs star James Maddison (right) paid tribute to Ange Postecoglou. (Getty Images/Danehose: James Gill)
In its statement announcing Postecoglou’s departure, Spurs said the club could not base the “decision on emotions aligned” to the Europa League triumph.
“It is crucial that we are able to compete on multiple fronts and believe a change of approach will give us the strongest chance for the coming season and beyond,” the statement read.
“This has been one of the toughest decisions we have had to make and is not a decision that we have taken lightly, nor one we have rushed to conclude.
“We have made what we believe is the right decision to give us the best chance of success going forward, not the easy decision.”
Spurs said a decision on who would replace Postecoglou as manager would be “announced in due course”.
