Australian insists he will never forget Europa League achievement after being dismissed just two weeks later

Defining image: Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Tottenham despite winning their first major trophy since 2008 in the Europa League

Action Images via Reuters

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Ange Postecoglou has expressed his “pride” at ending Tottenham’s long trophy drought, insisting that the achievement will “live with me for a lifetime” after he was sacked by the club.

The Australian was officially relieved of his duties on Friday evening, just over two weeks after leading Spurs to their first piece of major silverware for 17 years with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

That memorable triumph – the club’s first trophy since winning the League Cup under Juande Ramos in 2008 and their first in Europe since lifting the UEFA Cup in 1984 – saw Postecoglou live up to his bold promise of always winning something in his second season.

However, ultimately it was not enough to save his job as he ended up paying the price for overseeing Tottenham’s worst-ever Premier League campaign in which they slumped to a disastrous 17th-place finish, one spot above the relegation zone, losing an unprecedented 22 of 38 matches along the way.

Brentford’s Thomas Frank is believed to be an early front-runner to succeed Postecoglou, with the likes of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, Fulham’s Marco Silva and Crystal Palace’s FA Cup-winning manager Oliver Glasner also potentially in the frame.

“When I reflect on my time as manager of Tottenham, my overriding emotion is one of pride,” Postecoglou said in a statement following his sacking that was released via his agency, CAA Base.