Five options on Tottenham shortlist to replace Ange Postecoglou as sack pressure mounts

Ange Postecoglou's difficult time in charge of Tottenham continued as they lost to rivals on Thursday with the dark clouds still gathering. Defeat left the north Londoners firmly in the bottom half as fans frustration grew.

Victory for the Blues meant they completed the double over their London neighbours with the away section at Stamford Bridge chanting "you don't know what you're doing" at the Australian in the dugout.

Postecoglou has remained defiant all year despite being set to post their worst finish in more than 15 years. It has led to inevitable questions over him and his future at the club with Daniel Levy known to pull the trigger when things get tough.

The likes of Andre Villas-Boas, and have felt his wrath and attention has already turned to who could replace Postecoglou if the Tottenham chairman does opt to wield the axe again.

On-field success is now a must for Tottenham with their lack of a trophy closing in on the 20-year mark. For all their exploits away from the pitch the frustration mounts with each passing season and Levy may soon have to look at who can make Tottenham a force as he draws up a possible shortlist.

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Marco Silva

There's a number of managers who have outperformed their resources this term and the Portuguese manager is among them. He's really been able to settle into his tenure after showing brief sparks at the likes of Hull, and .

There is doubt about whether Silva will remain at Craven Cottage beyond this season, even without talk of him taking the Tottenham job, and he may feel as though he's taken Fulham as far as he can with a new challenge now on his radar.

Andoni Iraola

When a relatively unknown Spanish manager rocked up on the Dorset coast there were plenty of red flags, but it has proved to be a masterstroke from the hierarchy.

After a slow start Iraola proved what a shrewd tactician he is and the Cherries enjoyed a promising campaign in his debut year but have catapulted to new heights this term with European football a genuine possibility. Iraola is seen as one of the most exciting managers in England and it is very much a case of when, not if, he makes a step up.

Kieran McKenna

The Ipswich Town boss is a bit of an outlier. It is easy to see him as a man who is about to take the Tractor Boys down without much of a fight, but what he did in the years prior to that was quite stunning. Taking Ipswich from League One to the Premier League in two years and who knows what he could do with extra resources.

He's also shown himself to have an eye for a player with Liam Delap's signing and subsequent development a huge notch on the ex-Manchester United assistant.

Thomas Frank

He's been increasingly linked with top jobs having turned Brentford from a Championship outfit into a stable Premier League side. Despite losing top players annually Frank has kept the Bees in a good spot and the manner in which he plays the game has also been a huge compliment to him. Brentford have claimed numerous big scalps with Frank seemingly not afraid of any challenge.

Maurico Pochettino

The outsider but the talk about a romantic return to Tottenham has been mounting and we know that Levy has his number saved. Pochettino took the club to their highest heights since the Premier League began and he's currently coaching the USA, but could well be tempted to make a move back.

There would no doubt be reservations, but the Argentine was able to tap into some stellar young talent and may well back himself to do so again. But while it would be a move that tugs on the Tottenham heartstrings, it will also do the same to the purse strings.

The reported that the release clause in his contract with the US national team is "one of the biggest financial compensation fees in football history". Whether Levy would green light that for a manager he has already sacked once, remains unlikely.

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