The next man to go through the revolving door that is the Tottenham Hotspur managerial position? Ange Postecoglou, 57, the current boss of Scottish powerhouse Celtic. That is according to multiple reports on Monday.
A report in ESPN states that Postecoglu “agreed terms on a two-year contract with an option of a third year and a formal announcement could come in the next few days.”
Tottenham finished eighth this past season, and will thus have no European football to speak of. The North-Londoners spent much of the season inside the top four, but when all was said and done they ended up 15 points off the pace for UEFA Champions League qualification.
This is a massive drop-off, considering that they had qualified for the Champions League each of the previous four seasons.
So this is a major rebuilding project for Postecoglu, who could very likely face the added challenge of not having Tottenham talisman Harry Kane on his side to work with much longer. Kane has only one year left on his deal, and seems likely to leave, with Real Madrid the current favorites to land him.
In addition to Kane, Spurs have seven more players entering the final year of their current deals, including team captain Hugo Lloris.
2022-23 was utterly disastrous for Spurs as they had three managers (one full-time in Antonio Conte, two interims in Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason) over the course of the season.
Their last two managerial hires, Conte and Nuno Espirito Santo, went as horribly wrong as a managerial tenure can go.
So for the sake of Postecoglu, the club, the team and their fans, hopefully this one will go much better.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.