Although the initial rhetoric that Ange Postecoglou could still be fired as Tottenham manager with a Europa League title win seems to have died down, there is still a distinct possibility that a Europa League triumph won't save Big Ange because of how extensive the rot is at the club amidst a 17th place standing in the Premier League.
But a lot of the options that Tottenham have been looking at aren't exactly appealing either, and, now, another problematic option has apparently emerged on the radar to potentially replace Postecoglou at the end of the season.
According to a report from Italian transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio, Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi is one of the names in the background to replace Postecoglou as a manager. Marco Silva of Fulham is the favorite, but De Zerbi and Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola are the main secondary options for Daniel Levy and Co.
Roberto De Zerbi's ceiling may be lower than Ange Postecoglou's
While De Zerbi had a great season for Brighton in 2022/23, he flamed out hard and has been up-and-down at Marseille, too. His main claim to fame with the Ligue 1 giants, his biggest job yet, is controversial signings like Mason Greenwood and Elye Wahi. Despite significant investment, OM are nowhere near the Ligue 1 title race, nearly 20 points behind hated rivals PSG and barely above Monaco in third.
De Zerbi is a strong tactical manager who had great success at lower levels for Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk, but he eventually folded under the bright lights of the Premier League at a supportive club and ditched them for Marseille, where he also seems to be folding under the pressure.
Tottenham don't need yet another manager of the Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte ilk who is strong in tactics but unhinged and famous for blowing up at teams. De Zerbi is a volatile figure, and, unlike Mourinho and Conte, he has yet to achieve true success at the top level - or even really at a level slightly below that.
There are worse options than De Zerbi, but one of them isn't Ange Postecoglou. For as lousy as things have gotten for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, Postecoglou has still taken them to the Europa League Final, which is more than anything De Zerbi has accomplished. And Big Ange's first-season turn-around for Spurs was at least as impressive as De Zerbi building on Graham Potter's success in Brighton.
Even though Postecoglou has serious problems, the grass isn't always greener. De Zerbi is a high-risk, high-reward manager, but the reward is merely theoretical. At least Tottenham know Postecoglou is capable of taking them to a major final and putting them on the doorstep of Champions League qualification (technically twice now).