Report: Ange Postecoglou lining up his own Celtic backroom staff; former rival included

By John McGinley

June 4, 2021

Ange Postecoglou is lining up his own backroom staff at Celtic should his appointment be finalised, The Scotsman has reported.

Former Australian international and Rangers man Kevin Muscat is in the frame, alongside Arthur Papas.

Muscat has coaching experience in his homeland, having taken charge of Melbourne Victory for six years. He also had a spell at Belgian side Sint-Truidense.

Papas, meanwhile, formerly served as Postecoglou’s assistant at Yokohama F. Marinos before taking charge of Kagoshima United.

One man unlikely to be coming to Celtic is Postecoglou’s current assistant John Hutchinson, say The Scotsman.

Many Celtic supporters see it as crucial for the Greek-Australian to have his own backroom staff should he arrive in Glasgow. It’s unclear whether or not John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan will continue at the club and in what capacity.

Former rival on Postecoglou staff adds more Celtic pressure

It may be slightly controversial that a former Rangers player serves in the dugout. Muscat wasn’t at Ibrox for long but did win a treble under Alex McLeish during the 2002/03 season before joining Millwall.

It’s another strange part of what has been a bizarre managerial saga.

The Celtic board look to have chosen Ange Postecoglou / (Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images)

There’s no doubt the pressure will be on Postecoglou from the start. From the UEFA licence subject to Muscat to the fact he has never had the experience of coaching in Europe – fans will need to be won over and quickly.

And that’s a problem because what we’ve learned about him from the start is that he needs time to implement his ideas on a new club.

Strap in for a wild ride.

In other news, Postecoglou is expected to be confirmed early next week.