Former Premier League owner Simon Jordan believes Ange Postecoglou could have an effect on Tottenham Hotspur like Jurgen Klopp did when taking over from Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool.
To the uninitiated, the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in place Antonio Conte – one of the most successful managers of the modern era – feels a little, well, underwhelming. This is, after all, a 57-year-old who has never before worked in a major European league, making his name in Australia, Japan and Celtic.
‘Give me the Celtic job and I’ll win the league!’, chimes in Barry, Tottenham Hotspur casual from Southend.
Those a little more au fait with how Postecoglou does things, however, will argue that this is an elite manager who is just waiting to prove himself in an ‘elite’ competition.
Yes, Celtic have dominated the Scottish scene over the last decade. But it should not be forgotten that Postecoglou inherited the worst Hoops side in recent memory following a humiliating 2020/21 season under Neil Lennon and immediately restored them at the top of the tree, constructing a squad chock-full of inspired bargain signings while playing the kind of swaggering, stylish attacking football that earned him the admiration of one Pep Guardiola at Yokohama F Marinos.
Is Ange Postecoglou the right man for Tottenham Hotspur?
“I think it’s a decent appointment. I think he’s a good manager. He’ll play a brand of football that will appeal to Tottenham fans,” former Crystal Palace chairman Jordan tells talkSPORT.
“This is a man who has gone into Scottish football last year and scored 114 goals in 38 games. So three goals a game. He’s going to get a better group of players, arguably. Maybe not in mindset but in technical ability at Tottenham.”
According to Sky Sports, Postecoglou was given permission to speak to Spurs after sealing the treble on Saturday; Celtic defeating Inverness in the Scottish Cup final.
‘Will he win something?’
“I wonder which sensible observes would suggest Postecoglou would be below Tottenham,” Jordan adds, pointing out that the irony of writing off Postecoglou while lauding Feyenoord boss Arne Slot.
“It doesn’t have a stellar feel. (But) if you asked Spurs fans to tell me the achievements of Arne Slot two months ago, most of them would have said; ‘I don’t know’.
“I think Postecoglou has the chops to work with Daniel, which is not an easy feat because I don’t suspect and I’ve never made the case he’s easy to work with. But I do not think Postecoglou is in any shape or form beneath Tottenham and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets them competitive.
“Will he win something with them? He might win a cup like Conte should have done.”
Postecoglou’s forceful personality and straight-talking manner, meanwhile, should ‘galvanise’ a crop of players who, for much of the last three years, have resembled not so much a ‘team’ a group of disparate cogs and lone screws.
“I think it’s great for him,” Jordan adds. “He’s got the character to galvanise and bring the fan base with him. It’s somewhat similar to the way Klopp did with Liverpool. He’s an inclusive manager, he doesn’t seek to alienate.”
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