Ange Postecoglou: Tottenham poised to announce Celtic manager as Antonio Conte’s permanent replacement

Ange Postecoglou is set to become Tottenham’s new manager, according to multiple reports.

Postecoglou will arrive from Celtic, where he has won five trophies in two seasons, including a Scottish domestic treble this season.

The news of Postecoglou’s imminent arrival ends a tortuous 71-day search for a replacement for sacked head coach Antonio Conte.

Spurs had been linked with a host of different options, including former manager Mauricio Pochettino, ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, and Feyenoord coach Arne Slot, but have finally settled on Postecoglou.

The long search for Conte’s permanent replacement echoed a similarly extended managerial hunt in the summer of 2021. That quest ended with the complete failure that was the Nuno Espirito Santo era at Tottenham. Spurs will hope this long search will bear sweeter fruit.

In any case, the job facing the former Australian national team manager is significant.

Tottenham slipped to eighth last season, failing to secure European football for the first time since 2009, and face a major squad overhaul. The future of club captain Hugo Lloris and talismanic striker Harry Kane are also in major doubt.

However, Postecoglou is no stranger to challenging managerial appointments.

His first major coaching role came in the Australian A-League where he took struggling Brisbane Roar to their first ever titles while also guiding them to an Australian national league record unbeaten streak (36 games).

The Greek-born boss’ next stop was Melbourne Victory, the most successful team in Australia’s national league at the time, who he took from eighth to third in one season before moving to coach the national team.

His sole appearance at a World Cup, the 2014 edition in Brazil, ended with three defeats but Australia played well against highly regarded opponents Chile, the Netherlands and Spain.

The following year he guided the Socceroos to the Asian Cup trophy, defeating now-Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min’s South Korea in the final. It remains the only major trophy in the nation’s history.

After leading Australia to qualification for the 2018 World Cup, Postecoglou surprisingly resigned.

The following month he was appointed head coach of Yokohama F. Marinos. He took the Japanese side to their first league title in 15 years in 2019.

His most recent appointment before Spurs was Celtic. The Scottish giants made what was then perceived as an unlikely appointment in the aftermath of a disastrous season in which they had finished 25 points behind eternal rivals Rangers.

Initially unpopular, Postecoglou swiftly won Celtic fans’ support with attractive, aggressively-attacking football and a big personality.

In his first season in Scotland, Postecoglou won the Scottish Premiership title and Scottish League Cup. His second saw the Glasgow side win their eighth domestic treble.

Tottenham’s new manager has been a success at every stop in his managerial career so far and has six times won a coach of the year award across Australia, Japan, and Scotland.

Part of his pattern of success has been significant squad turnover, something that Tottenham are almost certain to do under his influence.

Postecoglou’s tactical approach has been described as comparable to Pep Guardiola’s at Manchester City. He uses inverted full-backs to provide midfield passing options and presses aggressively with an emphasis on creating chances high up the pitch.

There are concerns though with the gulf in class between Scotland and England, while European defeats to Midtjylland and FK Bodo/Glimt could also temper optimism.