Exploring the Ange Postecoglou to Celtic rumours

By Euan Davidson

May 28, 2021

With the failure of Eddie Howe ringing in Celtic ears, some are looking at the ‘favourites’, and they’re either Pro-Postecoglou or Ange Postecoglou.

Hah! Yass! Now we’re rolling, that was almost a complete pun. But seriously: a name has been plucked from thin air. That name happens to be that of a former Australia coach, who the Scotsman are referring to as the “new favourite” to replace Neil Lennon, who left the club approximately 3000 years ago.

Just who is he, and why’s he being linked to the Celtic job? Postecoglou has jumped ahead of John Kennedy, Roy Keane and Steve Clarke as far as the bookies go. So, where’s this name come from?

In truth, it’s hard to know. The only “real” link we can see is that with the possibility of Fergal Harkin coming in, a City Group adjacent appointment might be on the cards. Someone Harkin will know, through his Manchester City connections, is the current incumbent at Yokohama F Marinos, one Ange Postecoglou.

Because football will soon be owned by about three people, City Group’s grasp reaches across the globe. Yokohama F Marinos were snapped up by the group in 2014. Postecoglou, meanwhile, has been at the Japanese outfit for 3 years, winning a league title during that time.

He’s also managed the Australia national team to a World Cup appearance, as well as Melbourne Victory and Brisbane Roar, where he won 3 consecutive titles.

Ange Postecoglou; oddly photogenic / (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Where have Ange Postecoglou to Celtic rumours come from? Business, mostly.

Far from actually having publicly addressed any remote interest in the Celtic job, the man who led his national team to Brazil 2014 has little to no link with Celtic. That doesn’t matter necessarily, as both Wim Jansen and Dr Jozef Venglos were bizarro, left-field appointments. The former stopped Rangers’ 10, while the latter played some scintillating football and signed Lubo Moravcik.

Is he right for the job, though? It depends how much you know about Japanese and Australian football. So, in a break from tradition for football writers, I’m not going to pretend to. Having managed the Socceroos is no small feat though, and you’d have to imagine the City Group have a clear footballing ideology across their sides.

Or they just share sponsors. Who knows?

However, this all strikes me as a bit cynical. The monopolies of world football are something Celtic absolutely shouldn’t be indulging in any manner, other than to occasionally mine for resources. Some great players have come from Manchester City to Celtic, either indirectly or directly. Think Jason Denayer, Jeremie Frimpong, Patrick Roberts, John Guidetti and Olivier Ntcham.

This seems incredibly unlikely. At the moment, all anyone can realistically do is throw names at the wall and see what sticks. Currently, it’s Ange Postecoglou.

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