Europa League glory would be 'turning point' for Tottenham, Postecoglou says

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou believes winning the Europa League to end a 17-year trophy drought will change the perception of the club as one which “always fluffed it on the big stage.”

For the Australian coach, beating Manchester United in the all-English final in Bilbao on May 21 is about more than simply capturing silverware and earning a place in next season’s Champions League.

It’s about altering the view of Tottenham from inside and outside the oft-derided London team.

“Look at the historical backdrop to this club and what it has sort of been on for the last 20-odd years,” Postecoglou said on Monday at Tottenham’s media day for the title match. “I feel like it could be a turning point in terms of the way the club is perceived and how it perceives itself.

“Until you do that, irrespective of what else you accomplish, people will say you haven’t won anything. And in our game and life in general, that’s the things which matter when people assess where you’re at.”

Tottenham hasn’t won any silverware since the 2008 English League Cup, and its last European trophy was the 1984 UEFA Cup, the precursor to the Europa League. Before that, the club’s big trophy-winning era was under Bill Nicholson from 1958-74, when Tottenham captured its most recent English league title (1961), three FA Cups (1961, ’62 and ’67), two League Cups (1971 and ’73), the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963 and the UEFA Cup in 1972.

Postecoglou said he sees the photos inside Tottenham’s stadium and “a lot of them are in black and white.”

“Can we get this group up on that wall?” he posed.

“I guess that’s the hurdle this club has to overcome. Because it’ll always be there. Until you actually do it, then you are fair game for people to say you’ve always fluffed it on the big stage. Irrespective of what the opposition says or anyone else says, what you’ve got to do is break that cycle and whatever motivation you need to do it, you tap into.”

Winning the Europa League might be the only chance Postecoglou has of staying in his job, with Tottenham enduring a dismal campaign on the domestic front. The team is 17th in the 20-club Premier League after losing 20 of its 36 games.

It has felt like Tottenham has given up on the league and put all of its focus on Europe, and Postecoglou laughed when saying he’d be putting his players “in cotton wool” over the next few days at the end of an injury-plagued season.

Even last weekend, playmaker Dejan Kulusevski came off in the 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace with a muscle injury, the last thing Postecoglou needed after losing two midfielders, James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, for the remainder of the season.

Returning to the squad against Palace, however, was club captain Son Heung-min after a month out injured and the South Korea forward will be hoping to convince Postecoglou of his fitness ahead of the United match. Tottenham has only one game before that, at Aston Villa on Friday.

Postecoglou said sentimentality would not come into play when deciding whether to start Son in the final at the end of the winger’s 10th year at Tottenham.

“It comes down to (being) ready to play,” Postecoglou said of Son, “and make the decision from there. It’s got nothing more than that.”

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Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou salutes fans after the Europa League semifinal soccer match between Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham Hotspur at Aspmyra Stadium, Bodo, Norway, Thursday May 8, 2025. (Mats Torbergsen/NTB via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during a training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, London, Monday May 12, 2025. (Ben Whitley/PA via AP)

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during a training session at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre, London, Monday May 12, 2025. (Ben Whitley/PA via AP)

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou speaks at a press conference following the Europa League semifinal soccer match between Bodø/Glimt and Tottenham Hotspur at Aspmyra Stadium, Bodo, Norway, Thursday May 8, 2025. (Mats Torbergsen/NTB via AP)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state of the battleground state.

Gilchrist, a progressive Democrat from Detroit, did not cite a specific reason for the change in his video announcement, but said he is not finished being a “public servant.” His departure clears up the Democratic primary and benefits the frontrunner, Jocelyn Benson, who is the current Secretary of State, in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The secretary of state is Michigan's top election official, a highly politicized and visible role since the 2020 presidential election.

“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said.

As Whitmer’s second in command and her running mate in two elections, Gilchrist struggled to match Benson’s name recognition and fundraising. He reported having around $378,000 of cash on hand as of October compared to Benson’s $2.98 million.

Benson is now set to face only Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary in August.

The inclusion of a well-known independent candidate has created a new problem for Democrats this year. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is avoiding costly primaries altogether by running as an independent. The Michigan Democratic Party slammed the former Democrat last week for not standing up to President Donald Trump’s second term policies.

In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aaric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard are jockeying for the nomination.

In his bid to become secretary of state, Gilchrist will face four other Democrats: Barb Byrum, Ingham County clerk; Aghogho Edevbie, deputy secretary of state; Suzanna Shkreli, a former Whitmer aide and commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery; and Adam Hollier, a former state senator from Detroit.

Michigan does not hold primary elections for the secretary of state position; the nominee is chosen by precinct delegates during party conventions. The Michigan Democratic Party convention is scheduled for April 19.

State Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention March 28 and GOP figures chasing the party's nomination for secretary of state include Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk, and Monica Yatooma, an Oakland County executive.

In addition to the office of the governor and secretary of state, Michigan voters will be selecting a new state attorney general and a U.S. senator in November.

FILE - Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II waits before the State of the State address, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)