LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Tottenham have reportedly hired Ange Postecoglou, making him the first Australian manager in the English Premier League, as the London club starts its most recent makeover following yet another trying season.
The fourth permanent manager to be hired since Mauricio Pochettino left in 2019 is the 57-year-old Postecoglou, who recently won a trophy treble with Celtic in Scotland. Postecoglou is charged with turning around Spurs’ fortunes after 15 years without a trophy.
As the successor after Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte, all of whom had brief terms in office, he signed a four-year contract.
Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham, stated that “Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play.”
“He has a proven track record of producing players, and he recognizes the value of the connection from the academy — everything that is significant to our club.
“We are thrilled to have Ange join us as we get ready for the upcoming season.”
Postecoglou won five trophies during his two seasons at Celtic, including two league championships, the Scottish Cup, and two League Cups. Tottenham will be hoping he can repeat that success in his time with them.
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Although there is genuine disappointment that we are losing Ange, he has determined he wants to look at a new challenge, which we appreciate. Of course, we wanted Ange to continue with us at Celtic.
Previously, Postecoglou was the coach of both Australia and the Japanese team Yokohama F. Marinos. He was born in Greece and reared in Australia.
When speaking to his players and the media, he is direct and has a distinct vision for soccer.
After failing to make the European playoffs for the first time since 2009, Postecoglou joins Tottenham.
Tottenham has also had to endure the upheaval of Conte’s departure in March, which was quickly followed by the exit of his former assistant Cristian Stellini, who was appointed interim manager until the end of the season.
The team’s form was so poor under Stellini that he lasted just four games — the last a 6-1 rout by Newcastle, which saw Spurs concede five goals inside 21 minutes. Another assistant, Ryan Mason, took over to the end of the campaign.
As well as managerial instability, Tottenham has also lost managing director of football Fabio Paratici after he lost his appeal against a 30-month ban for his part in a false accounting scandal involving former club Juventus.
Supporters are putting pressure on Levy to make the right choice with his most recent hire as tensions over the prolonged trophy drought rise.
Mourinho and Conte, who are primarily pragmatic, defensive-first coaches, were brought in as a shift of policy by Levy, but it failed, so he has reverted to his earlier strategy of selecting a manager who plays more expansive soccer and elevates younger players.
Harry Kane may be persuaded to stay at Spurs as one of Postecoglou’s first tasks at his new team.
With one year remaining on his contract, the English striker has been linked to moves to Real Madrid and Manchester United this summer.
This season, Kane surpassed club legend Jimmy Greaves’ record of 266 goals to become Spurs’ all-time best scorer. With 55 goals, he also broke a national record.
He has 213 Premier League goals under his belt and is on pace to surpass Alan Shearer’s 260 career goals total.
While Postecoglou would have a large gap to try to fill, his departure may net Tottenham up to $124 million to reinvest in the team.
Postecoglou called his time spent at Celtic a “honor.”
A new opportunity has been provided to me, and it is one that I wanted to explore, he added.
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“They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic, and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me.”
“Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years. My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about, and I think we have achieved that.”
Football Australia enthusiastically praised the transfer to Tottenham, with its chief executive James Johnson praising Posetcoglou’s “enduring determination, skill, and vision as a leader” and calling it a “moment of great pride for Australian football.“
According to Johnson, it “highlights this current golden age” in Australian soccer and that his nation “has emerged as a new power in global football.”
Prior to stepping down after the squad qualified for the 2018 World Cup, Postecoglou managed Australia at the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Asian Cup—which Australia won on home soil—and the 2017 Confederations Cup.