A poor run of results has Ange Postecoglou under pressure but his job at Tottenham is safe, at least for the time being.
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That is according to Premier League insider David Ornstein, who said on NBC Sportsthat he has been told the Australian is “100 per cent safe in his job”.
“There is no uncertainty over his future, despite the pressure he appears to be feeling in some of his public comments,” Ornstein added.
“They’re backing him to lead this project forward and they’ll hope he delivers.
“They have a chance of a League Cup trophy and a Europa League trophy. They’re focusing on that, and they’re also fighting to get into the top four, although realistic about their chances on that too.”
It follows a 2-1 loss to Newcastle on Sunday morning which only further cast the spotlight on Postecoglou, who was in his second season in charge.
Postecoglou’s sophomore campaign at previous clubs has usually brought far more success, with the Australian winning titles with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar and Yokohama F Marinos in his second season or full year in charge.
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But it has been a different story at Tottenham, with Postecoglou struggling to find consistency from a side that put it all together in big wins against Manchester City and Aston Villa only to also record losses to Ipswich and Crystal Palace.
Injuries have certainly taken their toll, with Postecoglou confirming before the Newcastle game that defender Destiny Udogie (hamstring) had joined the team’s lengthy casualty ward.
The defence was particularly hit hard, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario sidelined along with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies.
Postecoglou spoke in late December of his intentions to work hard to bolster his squad during the January transfer window and he has already started that process.
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Tottenham announced Sunday they have signed Czech under-21 international goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth about £12.5 million ($A25 million).
Spurs have been without first-choice goalkeeper Vicario since he fractured his ankle during a 4-0 win over Manchester City in November and he is set to be sidelined until the end of February.
Fraser Forster has been deputising for injury-hit Spurs but the England international missed the loss to Newcastle with illness, meaning Brandon Austin deputised.
The 21-year-old Kinsky, whose goalkeeping father was a Czech international, completed a medical at Tottenham on Saturday and has signed a contract until 2031.
He has made 29 appearances for Slavia Prague this season, keeping 14 clean sheets.
The goalkeeper told the Slavia Prague website the move was a “dream come true”.
“It was clear that such an opportunity may not come again,” he said.
“I decided to go for it, and then it was all down to a deal between the clubs.”
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The loss to Newcastle was Tottenham’s fifth from its past seven league fixtures and while it was a tough assignment against an in-form side that is firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, previous results meant pressure is still building on Postecoglou.
Spurs, without a major trophy since 2008, are still in contention for the English Cup and play against Liverpool in the first leg of their semi-final on Thursday morning.
Postecoglou had previously admitted that he was well aware of the need to produce results, telling reporters after a loss to Ipswich in November that if Tottenham was 10th by Christmas “it won’t be great”.
“Rightly so, there’d be a lot of scrutiny and probably a lot of scrutiny around me. That’s not where I plan for us to be,” he added.
Tottenham sits 12th after Sunday’s defeat to Newcastle.
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