Humza Yousaf has admitted he'd be gutted to see Ange Postecoglou leave Celtic for Tottenham as he joked he'd explored any powers as First Minister to block a move.
The SNP leader is a Celtic supporter and huge admirer of Postecoglou's work at Parkhead in recent seasons.
Branding the current Celtic boss a "revelation", Mr Yousaf gushed over Postecoglou's achievements as he stands on the brink of a domestic treble.
Reported interest from Tottenham could result in a formal approach after the Scottish Cup final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday.
And the SNP leader joked he had his team check his powers as First Minister of Scotland to see whether there was any legislation to help keep Postecoglou at Celtic.
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, the First Minister quipped: "There are some powers I have as First Minister...
"I have just asked my entire team to see if there is anything within my First Ministerial powers to stop Ange from leaving Celtic; if of course the rumours are true.
"But, of course there is nothing I could do. I would be gutted, I would, genuinely I would.
"I think he has been a revelation, not just as a manager with his tactics but also the players he has brought in we just would never have got.
"Players I just don't think would have come to the Scottish Premiership if he hadn't brought them, they have been an absolute revelation for Celtic."
🗣️ "I've asked my team to see if there's anything in my First Ministerial powers to stop Ange from leaving" 💔 🎙️ FM @HumzaYousaf joined @gordonduncan7 on tonight's show to talk about new @scotgov initiative Fan Bank - and the Celtic manager's links to the vacant Tottenham job.. pic.twitter.com/PH1CG51PSg
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) May 31, 2023
The First Minister went on to reveal it was suggested he hide his Celtic allegiance when he entered politics.
He added: "It does come with its challenges because I think people assume that everything you do is through the lens of being a Celtic fan. I'm not going to pretend I'm anything other than that, because what's the point?
"I remember when I first got into politics people said 'Why don't you just pretend you're a Partick Thistle fan?' I thought 'there's plenty of pictures of me in a Celtic top, folk know me, what is the point of pretending?'
"Plus there is nothing wrong with supporting Rangers, Celtic or any other club in the country."
