Tottenham Hotspur has hired Ange Postecoglou as their newest manager, making him the first Australian to manage in the English Premier League. The 57-year-old Postecoglou previously managed Celtic in Scotland, winning five trophies in two seasons, and is the fourth permanent manager hired by Tottenham since Mauricio Pochettino left the club in 2019. Postecoglou’s task is to turn around the club’s fortunes after 15 years without a trophy. He signed a four-year contract, and his style of play is described as fast and attacking.
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy praised Postecoglou’s record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link between the academy and the first team. Postecoglou’s role at Tottenham is to emulate the success he had at Celtic and break the club’s trophy drought.
Postecoglou was previously coach of Australia and also managed Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos. He is known to be a clear and blunt speaker, with his players and the media, and has a positive vision for soccer.
Postecoglou joins Tottenham after a season in which the club failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 2009. Tottenham has also faced managerial instability, losing its managing director of football Fabio Paratici after he lost his appeal against a 30-month ban for his part in a false accounting scandal involving former club Juventus.
Tottenham’s Chairman Levy is under pressure from supporters to get his latest appointment right, after the club’s ongoing trophy drought led to growing discontent. Levy’s new approach is to hire a manager who plays more expansive soccer and promotes younger players, in contrast to his previous strategy of bringing in proven trophy winners who were largely pragmatic, defensive-first coaches.
One of Postecoglou’s early challenges at his new club may be to try and convince Harry Kane to remain at Tottenham. The England striker has one year left on his contract and has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Real Madrid. While his departure could earn Tottenham up to $124 million to reinvest in the team, it would leave a significant hole for Postecoglou to fill.
Postecoglou described his time at Celtic as an “honor” but said a new opportunity had been presented to him that he wanted to explore. Football Australia hailed Postecoglou’s move to Tottenham, calling it a “moment of great pride for Australian football.” Postecoglou coached Australia at the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Asian Cup, and the 2017 Confederations Cup.
The appointment of Postecoglou is seen as a new chapter in Tottenham’s history, as the club aims to break its trophy drought and re-establish itself as a top team in the Premier League.
