Postecoglou to brutally show £8.5m Tottenham star the door with mammoth bid planned for former Man Utd man

One in, one out at Tottenham as Postecoglou targets Brazil midfielder and shows Timo Werner the door

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou is ready to make some tough transfer calls

Ange Postecoglou is reported to have decided to waive his option of turning Timo Werner’s loan move to Tottenham into a permanent deal next summer in the wake of his stinging criticism of the Germany star this week – while Spurs are being linked with a surprise raid on Fulham for an in-form star.

The Lilywhites have endured an inconsistent campaign so far, cruising to wins at Manchester United and Manchester City, but then suffering frustrating losses to the likes of Bournemouth, Ipswich and Crystal Palace, with the latter two struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League table. As a result, speculation has begun to build on the Australian coach, who suddenly sees his long-term future at Tottenham coming under the spotlight.

Postecoglou allowed his frustrations to bubble to the surface on Thursday evening when, after their 1-1 Europa League draw against Rangers at Ibrox, he publicly hung Werner out to dry after condemning his “unacceptable” display.

Now according to Givemesport, the north Londoners have decided as a result to not take up their option to sign the Germany star, currently in his second season on loan from RB Leipzig, permanently, even though the bargain option on his signing is set at just £8.5m (€10m, $10.7m).

Meanwhile, reports in Brazil claim Postecoglou wants to add more steel to his midfield in the January window and is plotting a surprise raid on Fulham for Andreas Pereira.

According to Trivela, Postecoglou has set his sights on the Brazil international, who has become a figure of real consistency at Craven Cottage since moving to London from Manchester United in July 2022 for a fee of around £10m.

The nine-times capped Brazil midfielder is approaching 100 appearances for Marco Silva’s side and would not be sold on the cheap, with his current deal running to 2026, though the Cottagers do have a one-year option on top of that. Trivela reckons though that a huge bid is under consideration by Spurs with the January window opening for business in 18 days time.

Pereira says leaving Man Utd has aided career surge

The midfielder has not commented on his chances of leaving Craven Cottage, though the Brazilian outlet suggest the move across London would tempt him were Spurs to make a concrete offer for his services.

In the meantime, Pereira is clearly enjoying the responsibility Silva has afforded him in SW6, having admitted earlier this year that he is enjoying the chance to prove Manchester United wrong for not giving him a regular opportunity at Old Trafford.

“I think it was the best decision I made in my life,” the 28-year-old told the Evening Standard. “To come to live and play here, to enjoy my football, to get back into the national team with great players, to enjoy my football in the Premier League, leaving is the best decision I made.

“The time I was [at Man Utd], I really enjoyed being at a fantastic club. But I don’t regret leaving. We [the players in my situation] have this desire to show it was wrong that we didn’t play.

“With everyone’s help around me [at Fulham], I achieved a great season. We started the season by losing a very important player, [Aleksandar] Mitrovic.

“We had to search for the way we have to play without him. In January, Rodrigo [Muniz] came in, scored all the goals and made my life easier!”

Latest Tottenham news: More backing for Postecoglou; LaLiga defender targeted

Much of Tottenham’s struggles in recent weeks have come off the back of the injury issues suffered by first-choice centre-halves Micky van der Ven and Cristian Romero. As a result, Postecoglou was forced to field a makeshift central defensive line of Radu Dragusin and teenage midfielder Archie Gray at Ibrox on Thursday.

With that in mind, it is no surprise to see Postecoglou being linked with a few options to strengthen their rearguard – and sources confirmed that Spurs have a genuine interest in signing Omar Alderete, with the Getafe star having a tempting exit clause in his deal.

Any move could be funded by potential sales and one of those strongly linked with an exit is Richarlison amid claims Newcastle United are considering a raid in the January transfer window.

Elswhere, Teddy Sheringham has pleaded with Daniel Levy to stay faithful to Postecoglou in the wake of growing speculation over his future. The iconic former Spurs man has urged the Tottenham chairman to remember the more pragmatic football served up by Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, having stated exactly why they need to stay loyal to the Aussie.