Ange Postecoglou ‘leaving no stone unturned’ to prepare Spurs team whom fans can be proud of

LONDON – New Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has said that he would do everything possible to ensure Spurs return to playing exciting football the fans have longed for and can be proud of.

Italian serial winner Antonio Conte left the club by “mutual agreement” in late March, with his assistant Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge of the struggling side.

Tottenham then appointed the Greek-born Australian Postecoglou on a four-year contract on Tuesday and the former Celtic coach has his task cut out, after the team finished eighth in the English Premier League and missed out on European football.

Spurs fans have longed for the exciting brand of football they played in the halcyon days under Mauricio Pochettino when they were league title contenders and even reached the 2019 Champions League final, losing to Liverpool.

Postecoglou, who finished his career at Celtic with a domestic treble in the recently concluded season, said the Spurs job represented an “exciting opportunity” for the club to go in a new direction.

“It’s great to finally get started as manager of this great football club,” he said in a statement.

“(We want to) play football and create an environment that embodies the values and traditions of this fantastic football club, hopefully a team you can all be proud of and, more importantly, get excited by. I can assure you that, right through pre-season, we won’t leave any stone unturned – myself, the staff and the players – to make sure that, when the league comes around, you’ll all be as excited as I am about the season ahead.

“I really look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium, in particular at our first home game and look forward to the journey ahead.”

The 57-year-old – who will be the first Australian to manage a team in the Premier League – boasts a remarkable record, having won successive A-League titles with Brisbane Roar in 2011 and 2012.

He guided Yokohama F. Marinos to their first Japanese top-flight league title in 15 years in 2019 and had a four-year stint with Australia during which he led them to the 2014 World Cup and secured their first major title at the 2015 Asian Cup.

He leaves Celtic with five domestic trophies in two seasons at the Scottish champions.

Postecoglou’s success in at Celtic Park was no mean feat. He took over in 2021 right after the club missed out on a record 10th consecutive title and finished 25 points behind bitter rivals Rangers.

The former Australia defender, who has a reputation for being ruthless in clearing out players in under-performing teams, oversaw an overhaul by bringing in 12 players in his first transfer window while letting eight go.

More astute signings were made in the next window before the Glasgow club finished four points ahead of Rangers to seal the Scottish league title in his first season. They also won the Scottish League Cup.

A year later, Celtic’s dominance was even greater.

Under Postecoglou, they averaged the most goals per game (three) and the highest average possession (73 per cent) of any team in Europe’s top-10 leagues in 2022-23.

They won the league with four games to spare and clinched a domestic treble, which included the Scottish Cup.

“To win five out of six domestic trophies is a tremendous achievement and that is testament to the real focus and relentlessness of the manager,” Celtic captain Callum McGregor said of Postecoglou on his departure.

“We have delivered something very special to our fans and done it under the manager’s direction, by playing an exciting and attractive brand of football. I wish Ange great success in his next challenge.”

Postecoglou will take charge of Spurs on July 1 and his first match will be on his home turf when they play newly crowned Europa Conference League champions West Ham United in a pre-season friendly in Perth, Australia on July 18. 

AFP, REUTERS