Tottenham have confirmed the appointment of Ange Postecoglou on a four-year contract. The 57-year-old, who becomes the first Australian to manage in the Premier League, will officially start on 1 July and arrives to a cluttered inbox, with the future of Harry Kane the single greatest issue.
Postecoglou will want clarity over Kane as soon as possible, not least because Hugo Lloris is on record as wanting to leave and so the appointment of a new captain will be needed. It will be Kane if he can be retained but the striker, who has 12 months to run on his contract, has shown no signs that he is about to extend.
The chairman, Daniel Levy, will face a dilemma if Manchester United, Real Madrid or any other high-profile suitor were to put big money on the table for the England captain. Levy does not want to sell and certainly not to an English rival. The hope at the club is that Kane will be enthused by Postecoglou and, in time, commit to a new deal.
Kane has spoken about how Spurs have lost their way in cultural terms in recent times from the high point of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure from 2014-19. Postecoglou knows that he will need to re-establish values and a connection between the players and fans, who were in mutinous mood at the end of this past season when the team finished eighth – outside the European places for the first time since 2008-09. They chanted regularly for Levy’s removal.
The previous permanent manager, Antonio Conte, expressed frustration at being the lone public spokesman on virtually everything but the hope is that Postecoglou can embrace the responsibility, solving the club’s communications problem. He has shown himself to be a skilled orator.
Postecoglou will also have to help improve recruitment, working with a new sporting director; the club are seeking to replace Fabio Paratici, who was forced to resign in April.
Levy spoke two years ago in the wake of José Mourinho’s sacking about the need to appoint a manager in line with the club’s “DNA” – in other words, free-flowing football and the promotion of young players. After the failed Nuno Espírito Santo interlude and Conte, he believes he has his man.
“Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play,” Levy said in a statement. “He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our club.”
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Postecoglou joins from Celtic, where he enjoyed remarkable success after signing in 2021 with the club at a low ebb. He won five of the six available domestic trophies, although he struggled in Europe. Previously, he won league titles with South Melbourne, Brisbane Roar and Yokohama F. Marinos and he led Australia to the AFC Asian Cup in 2015, the nation’s only trophy outside Oceania.
Postecoglou wished Celtic “nothing but continued success”. He said of the club’s board: “They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore.”
The Celtic chief executive, Michael Nicholson, said: “We wanted Ange to stay with us and while there is real disappointment that we are losing him, he has decided he wants to look at a new challenge, which we respect.”
