Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy explains Ange Postecoglou sack decision - 'Can't lose sight'

Daniel Levy has explained why Ange Postecoglou was sacked. The Tottenham Hotspur chairman was heavily criticised by large sections of the fanbase when the 59-year-old was dismissed just weeks after winning the UEFA Europa League.

Despite leading the Lilywhites to their first major trophy in 17 years, Postecoglou was let go. During an exclusive interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, Levy set the record straight, claiming that the decision to sack the former Celtic boss was data-driven.

“Ultimately, the decision sits with me, but it's always a collective decision," said the Tottenham chairman. "We have a board of directors, but under the board, we have a group of technical staff, and they advise.

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"We had to explain the decision to part ways with Ange. Ange just won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he's always going to be in our history."

Levy added: "However, we couldn't lose sight of the fact that we finished 17th in the league, we lost 22 Premier League games, and it's impossible for Tottenham to be in that position, and so we had to take the emotion out of it and we had to give some data points as to why we decided to do what we did.

"Whichever level you do it, no one likes telling somebody, ‘You're losing your job’, but it is the nature of football. We're there to win and yes, we won a European trophy – and it was fantastic – but we also need to win on all fronts – and the Premier League says it all."

Neville also asked Levy if he gets enough credit for the progress Tottenham have made under his leadership. The Spurs chairman said: "I think it’s one of those situations – when I’m not here, I’m sure I’ll get the credit.

"When you come here and look at this wonderful building [Tottenham Hotspur Stadium], and the fact that other clubs are now trying to copy what we’re doing, that should be a sign that maybe we did do something bold, and something right."