Nobody could've performed the turnaround at Celtic quite like Ange Postecoglou has.
That's the viewpoint of Chris Sutton.
The Hoops hero has revisited Eddie Howe's near miss at Celtic Park.
The ex-Bournemouth boss was on the verge of becoming the new gaffer at Parkhead in the May of 2021.
Talks were drawn out over months, but a deal collapsed in the eleventh hour as Celtic were left to look elsewhere.
They quickly turned their attentions to Postecoglou - and have not looked back since.
Howe is now loving life at Newcastle. So, all's well that ends well.
However, Sutton reckons it's fair to say no other manager could've provided the same boost to Celtic like Postecoglou has.
Speaking to Australian outlet Keep Up: “I don’t think any manager, I include anybody from down south, could have come in and turned the club around like Ange Postecoglou.
"People forget the situation in which he took over and how late he came in. It made it doubly, if not, more difficult for Ange. All the talk at Celtic was, the league had been a disaster, lost the league by 25 points.
"The deal was done with Eddie Howe, that was all the talk. Eddie Howe was going to have it and everyone thought it was going to happen. Then it didn’t happen and you could imagine the uproar which is natural.
“Then Ange Postecoglou’s name pops up and everyone is googling Ange Postecoglou. I knew of him from the Australian national team but in truth, I hadn’t really delved into his whole history.
"Then you start delving into it and you’re like ‘blimey, this guy is a high achiever’. Did well in Australia and then took a struggling team in Yokohama and turned them around.”
Our Celtic Digest newsletter brings exclusive content directly to you rather than solely through the website. You can already find us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram but we will also send bespoke opinion pieces and special features directly to your email inbox every evening. Not only will you receive this article from Sean Martin, Tony Haggerty or Aidan Macdonald (or, sometimes, from all three) but you will also get easy access to our best content from the last 24 hours too. It’s a great way to keep up to date with what’s happening at Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions. To sign up, simply take five seconds to type in your email here. Simple!
