From Athens to North-London, the stock of Greek-Australian manager, Ange Postecoglou, has seen a meteoric rise and now Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy looks set to appoint “Big Ange” as Celtic give the green light for his departure.
The 57-year-old has seen a lot of success in his time in the hot seat but he is still largely unknown in the wider footballing community.
He managed the Australian National Team during the 2014 World Cup and although beaten in their three group-stage matches, they were praised heavily for their fluid and attacking brand of football.
He has won trophies everywhere he has managed. Two Australian A-League titles were secured in 2011 and 2012 with Brisbane Roar, the Asian Cup in 2015 with Australia and a Japanese K-League Title in 2019 with Yokohama F. Marinos as well as between 2022 and 2023.
Since his appointment as Hoops boss in June 2021, Postecoglou has won two Scottish Premiership titles, a Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cups with Celtic, with a domestic treble secured with Saturday's win over Inverness in the Scottish Cup final.
Many see a move to the Premier League natural progression for Postecoglou, but assuming the vacant post at Spurs, where big names like Antonio Conte and José Mourinho have failed to deliver success, is a tall order.
Under Postecoglou this season, Celtic finished top of the league with 99 points out of a possible 114. Celtic scored 114 goals (3.00 per 90) and only conceded 34 (0.89 per 90). This left the Scottish giants with a goal-difference of +80 and this is a testament to the style of football that Postecoglou employs.
Spurs have come under heavy criticism in recent years for appointing managers that don’t play the 'Spurs way' that fans had become accustomed to under previous manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Postecoglou is more similar to this style of play. He predominantly lines out in an attacking 4-3-3 that emphasises getting his full-backs higher up the pitch and allows his midfield to retain possession of the ball in the final third.
On the defensive end, it’s all about an intelligent press, aimed at taking the ball off the opposition in areas that will hurt them and can lead to counter-attacks. A possession-based style of play aimed at creating chances could be exactly what Spurs need.
Levy will want to get this deal over the line quickly so Postecoglou can look at transfer targets for the start of the new season and he may wish to take a few from Celtic with him. Spurs will also try to keep a hold of Harry Kane this summer which is looking increasingly unlikely with no European football to look forward to next season.
Postecoglou's appointment would represent a departure from the 'superstar manager' strategy that Spurs fans had been used to, but the Australian is tactically adept and a positive-thinking, modern manager. Time will tell as to whether he can replicate his form with Celtic in the Premier League but this would be an exciting appointment for Tottenham Hotspurs.
Postecoglou by numbers:
Trophies won: Nine
Career Win Percentage: 53.86%
Career Wins: 230
Celtic Win Percentage: 77.36%
2.42 Points per Game at Celtic
Win Percentage in Domestic Cup Games in 2022/23: 100%
