"Shocking: Van de Ven Blasts Tottenham's 'Strange' Decision to Axe Postecoglou"

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has expressed confusion regarding the club's decision to dismiss Ange Postecoglou, calling the move "strange".

The north London outfit terminated Postecoglou's contract less than three weeks after their triumphant night in the Europa League final. Their narrow 1-0 win against Manchester United, secured by Brennan Johnson's untidy first-half goal, brought an end to their 17-year trophy drought.

Despite this success, Spurs experienced their poorest domestic campaign in the Premier League era, landing in 17th position with just 38 points. While Van de Ven acknowledged his team's league performance as "unacceptable," he finds it peculiar that the club parted ways with the manager who finally delivered silverware.

During the June international break, following the Netherlands' 8-0 victory over Malta, Van de Ven commented on the Australian coach's dismissal.

"That was ultimately a decision made by the club," he explained. "As players, we don't have much influence on such matters. Of course, he is the first manager in many years to win a trophy and achieve success at Spurs. So from that perspective, it's certainly an unusual decision."

"I believe many players had a good relationship with him [Postecoglou]. And as I mentioned, he's the first coach to bring success to Spurs in quite some time. That demonstrates his quality. It also indicates he possesses a winning mentality. Without question."

Van de Ven joined Tottenham under Postecoglou's leadership two summers ago, and in his Instagram farewell message, the defender stated he would be "forever grateful" to the Australian.

The Dutch player has thrived in north London thus far, with Postecoglou's system challenging Van de Ven's hamstrings while capitalizing on his exceptional recovery defending abilities.

He will now begin working with Thomas Frank, Spurs' newly appointed manager, though Van de Ven might wonder about his defensive partner next season given the uncertainty surrounding Cristian Romero's future.