Tottenham close to appointing Ange Postecoglou as new head coach
Tottenham Hotspur are close to appointing Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach.
The Athletic has reported that Postecoglou was in pole position to replace Antonio Conte as the club’s new permanent boss, and a deal is now expected to be finalised in the coming days.
Postecoglou, 57, has enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Celtic since being appointed in 2021.
He helped the club reclaim the Scottish Premiership title in his first year in charge, before successfully defending it en route to a domestic treble.
The former Australia national team boss, who has also enjoyed success with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in his homeland as well as Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan, declined to commit his future to Celtic after Scottish Cup success on Saturday.
He said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.”
Postecoglou has enjoyed a hugely successful spell at Celtic (Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)
Tottenham have been without a permanent head coach since Conte departed in March, with assistant Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking over on an interim basis.
The north London club, who finished eighth in the Premier League table, have been seeking a candidate to instigate cultural change and re-energise the style of play.
Arne Slot was a leading candidate before opting to stay at Feyenoord, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann were also options.
Conte left Tottenham by mutual consent in March, which came a few days after he branded his players “selfish” in an explosive rant following a 3-3 draw against Southampton.
His long-time assistant Stellini was appointed as acting head coach but left Spurs less than a month later following a 3-2 home defeat by relegation-threatened Bournemouth and a 6-1 loss against fellow top-four chasers Newcastle United.
Mason took over as caretaker coach until the end of the season, but won only two of six matches at the helm as the club failed to secure European football.
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(Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
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