Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has been linked with several English Premier League coaching jobs. While he has poured cold water on the reports thus far, the media attention surrounding his potential departure from Glasgow is beginning to gather steam.
Before dissecting which clubs have expressed their interest in the Australian, let’s take a look at his rise to prominence over the past decade.
When news broke of Ange Postecoglou’s appointment as the new manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic at the beginning of the 2021/22 season, it was a decision that was in large part met with confusion and frustration. Not many fans or pundits in the northern hemisphere knew too much about him – and given the enormity of the Celtic brand – it was unusual to see a relative no-name in European football hired for such a competitive and sought-after role.
However, Postecoglou’s reputation in football south of the equator preceded itself, with the Australian experiencing enormous success in various roles across multiple continents. After winning back-to-back A-League titles with the Brisbane Roar in Australia’s premier football competition – in which he set the record for the longest undefeated sporting streak in the nation’s history – Postecoglou was appointed as the Socceroos top man.
He was not in the role long before accruing silverware, guiding the Australian national team to an Asian Cup triumph in 2015. Postecoglou would eventually resign from the position roughly three years later, just two weeks after they had qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Postecoglou would go on to achieve further success after departing the international coaching ranks, winning a title with Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan’s J-League, which marked the first time the club had reigned supreme in 15 years.
That leads us to today, which sees Postecoglou riding high off his success last season. When the 57-year-old took over the managerial job at Celtic, he was facing an uphill battle. Arch-rivals Rangers were coming off an unbeaten campaign the season prior, and there were concerns amongst Celtic fans that their cross-city foes were going to further widen the gap in 2021/22.
However, Postecoglou showed why he is one of the most underrated managers in world football today – as his man-management skills, shrewd signings and iron-clad gameplans saw Celtic upset the football bets odds and win the famed Scottish Premiership in his first season at the helm.
As mentioned earlier, his feats in Scotland has grabbed the attention of certain Premier League clubs looking for a manager. After initially being linked to the Brighton & Hove Albion job, any potential of that happening was quashed after it was recently announced that Roberto De Zerbi was appointed to take over the top job in East Sussex.
However, there has been another club to express their interest, with cellar dwellers Leicester City reportedly eager to discuss a potential deal. Postecoglou has since categorically denied that he will be leaving, noting the passion he has for his current gig in Glasgow.
“Don’t read much into it. Twelve months ago I was favoured to get the sack by Christmas,” Postecoglou said.
“I’m really happy where I am – it’s a massive football club. We play in front of 60,000 people every week. We’ve got the opportunity to win trophies – to win the Champions League.
“I’m loving it at the moment. I’m living the dream. I’m exactly where I want to be and I’m looking forward to bringing more success to the club.
“I’m enjoying where I am right now. I’ve only been there a year. We had some fantastic success last year, but there’s still plenty of challenges ahead.”
