Micky van de Ven has opened up on the departure of Ange Postecoglou just weeks after Tottenham won the Europa League.
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Postecoglou sacked due to Premier League formPlayers believed to be unhappy at decisionVan de Ven opens up on 'strange' decisionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Despite ending their 17-year wait for silverware, Postecoglou was dismissed by chairman Daniel Levy less than three weeks after winning the Europa League in Bilbao. The Australian head coach did the unthinkable but sacrificed the club's Premier League campaign for the run in Europe.
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After his dismissal, reports emerged that several Spurs players were unhappy at the decision, with Postecoglou creating a tight-knit dressing room atmosphere. Nearly the entire squad took to social media in thanks for the former Celtic boss, and now Van de Ven has spoken out on international duty.
WHAT VAN DE VEN SAID
Speaking to Voetbal Zone after scoring his first goal for the Netherlands in an 8-0 win over Malta, Van de Ven said: "That was ultimately a choice from the club. We, as players, have little to say about that.
"Of course, he is the first coach in a long time who has won a trophy has had success at Spurs. So if you look at it that way, it is of course a strange choice.
"It is a choice from the club about which we have little to say, so we will see what happens now. Of course, we see some rumours about the Brentford head coach [Frank], who it will probably be. So yes, a choice from the club about which we have little to say.
"I think many of the players got along with [Postecoglou] well. And of course, what I say, he is the first coach who has brought success to Spurs in a long time. That also shows that he has a certain quality. That also means that he has a winning mentality. 100 per cent.
"From that, you would of course say that it is strange that he was fired. What we have shown in the Premier League is, of course, unacceptable. That would, of course, have multiple factors, but that would not only have been the coach."
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Thomas Frank is on the verge of being named as Postecoglou's replacement but the Brentford head coach may have some damage control to manage on his arrival in North London. Frank will however have a chance to immediately win silverware when Spurs face Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup on August 13.
