Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new manager has hit a snag. One managerial candidate after another has rejected Spurs’ offers. Even Celtic manager Anze Postecoglou, 58, the “teacher of Oh Hyun-kyu,” has declared his intention to stay at the club.
“Postecoglou, who has been linked with Tottenham, has said he is focused on his club Celtic’s treble,” Sky Sports reported on June 26 (KST). This is a strong indication that he will stay with the club instead of taking the Tottenham job. Spurs currently have a managerial vacancy. However, finding a new manager doesn’t seem to be easy. Several names have been floated as possible candidates for the Spurs job, but each time they’ve declared their intentions to stay at the club and dismissed speculation of a Spurs appointment. Postecoglou was no different. “The most important place for me is Celtic,” he said, adding, “I have never planned anything in my football career.”
Postecoglou’s rise to the top of the European game is only recent. Prior to that, he played mostly in Asian leagues. He began his coaching career in 1996 with South Melbourne (Australia) and has since worked in the Australian leagues with the Australian U-20 team, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. From 2013 to 2017, he was the head coach of the Australian national team. After that, Postecoglou chose a new path. He moved to the Japanese J-League and led the Yokohama Marinos (Japan) for three years, from 2018 to 2021. After being recognized for his leadership, Postecoglou was named Celtic manager in 2021. Despite it being his first attempt at a European league, he won the Scottish League and League Cup last season.
This season, he’s aiming for the treble. Celtic’s dominant form has seen them clinch their 53rd league title early on. Celtic, who also won the League Cup in February, will play Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on March 4. A win would give Celtic their eighth treble. “It’s not every year that you have the opportunity to win a treble,” Postecoglou said. “It’s not every year that you get the chance to win a treble,” he dismissed, “and if anyone says I’m thinking about something else, he doesn’t know me. The role of national team striker Oh Hyun-gyu has been crucial. After arriving in a Celtic shirt through the transfer market last winter, Oh has been a rotation player, scoring four goals in 15 league appearances. With only three starts, he has made his presence felt in a small amount of playing time. Oh also scored a goal in the previous match against Hibernian on the 25th. In the 13th minute of the second half, he won the ball in a tussle with a defender inside the penalty box before calmly firing a shot that rattled the net.
Eventually, Tottenham will need to find a new manager. Feyenoord (Netherlands) coach Arne Slott, who was recently touted as Tottenham’s number one choice for the job, suddenly re-signed with the club. His contract runs until 2025, but he’s extended it for another year. The reason why Tottenham didn”t keep Slott is money. According to a report by British soccer outlet 90MIN, Feyenoord demanded £17.5 million in penalty fees for Slott and his coaching staff, which Spurs refused to accept. Slott, a Dutchman, led Feyenoord to the league title this season. Feyenoord beat out the likes of Ajax and PSV Eindhoven to reach the top flight for the first time in six years. Before taking the helm at Feyenoord in 2021, Slott was in charge of Alkmaar in the same league. In his first season in charge, in 2019-2020, he led Alkmaar to a second-place finish in the league after they were considered a strong contender but far from a title contender. Attacking football is Slott’s color.
Over the years, Tottenham have been linked with a number of coaching candidates. Former Bayern Munich boss Juergen Nagelsmann has been approached, while there have also been reports of interest in Vincent Kompany’s Burnley (England) and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen (Germany). However, negotiations with Nagelsmann fell through, and both Kompany and Alonso announced their intention to stay at their respective clubs. Forced to change direction, Tottenham also sent out offers to Slott and Postecoglou, but these also fell through. Spurs are now said to have shortlisted Ruben Amorim of Sporting (Portugal), former Spain national team manager Luis Enrique, Thomas Frank of Brentford (England), former Leicester City (England) manager Brendan Rodgers, and former Chelsea (England) manager Graham Potter.메이저사이트
Tottenham have had a tough time this season. The club has seen two managers leave amid a string of poor results. Former Italian “mastermind” Antonio Conte, who was dubbed the championship boss, was sacked for poor performance. His successor, acting manager Christian Stellini, left the club last month following a shock 1-6 defeat at Newcastle. Ryan Mason, who played alongside Son “Sonshine” Heung-min as a player, is now in charge. But even under Mason, Spurs have struggled. In their last five league games, they have won one, drawn one, and lost three. Their league position has dropped to eighth place (57 points), making it difficult for them to qualify for European competition next season. Tottenham play their final league game of the season on September 29 against Leeds United. A win and a draw with seventh-placed Aston Villa (58 points) or a loss would secure a Europa League spot, which is awarded to the seventh-placed team.