Ange Postecoglou has spoken publicly about his exit from Celtic and the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur as their new manager.
The Australian has signed up at the London club after two years of great success with the Bhoys. He won five of the six domestic trophies available to Celtic, culminating in a glorious treble at the weekend.
Now, the 57-year-old is looking for a new challenge. On the way out, he has thanked everyone who helped him along the way, including the Celtic supporters. The new Spurs boss also confirmed the Celtic board tried to keep him on for longer.
He said, via the official club website: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the Club for everything they have given me. In particular, Dermot, Peter and Michael and the Celtic Board have shown me tremendous support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this.
“They brought me to the Club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them. 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.
“It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters. Culminating in the Treble at the weekend, my players and backroom team have been brilliant for me on this journey. They have given us all some fantastic moments through their energy and effort, creating real quality, winning football.
MORE CELTIC STORIES
“Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years. My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about and I think we have achieved that. Celtic is a phenomenal football club, and so much more – and I will forever be a supporter of this great institution. I wish everyone connected with Celtic nothing but continued success.”
Postecoglou’s will leave a bitter taste in some supporters’ mouths. Others will fully understand his position. In time, it’s likely that the vast majority will view his time in Glasgow as a special one, full of passion and entertaining football.
It’s been an incredible ride over the last two years. We can all agree that Postecoglou came into the club and delivered the success we all wanted and needed. We thank him for that. And now we move on with the task of finding his replacement.
In other news, Michael Nicholson and Peter Lawwell react as Ange Postecoglou officially leaves Celtic.