The news that Ange Postecoglou is the favourite to be the next Celtic manager has certainly given rise to some debate among the club’s fans over the past couple of days.
The understanding of Postecoglou’s abilities is better now that more commentary has emerged from Australia and Asia. And fans appear to be getting warmer to the idea of the club appointing someone who has enjoyed success almost everywhere he has been while having his sides play relentless attacking football.
If he is to be the club’s next manager then there could be another significant hurdle to overcome. And that is regarding his coaching licences needed for managing in the top flight of a European league.
It is a topic of discussion at the moment and one would think that the club has already considered this. As reported by The Times, here is the situation:
"Uefa requires that anyone who manages a club in the top flight of a European league holds A and B licences and, most importantly, at least has embarked upon the most advanced course, the Uefa Pro licence. It has been reported that the Australian does not hold the relevant qualifications."
Could there be another massive hurdle in the Celtic managerial search?
While there are examples such as Steven Gerrard completing the required qualifications while managing his club, it could still complicate things. There are some suggestions though that Postecoglou has all his badges or that his past achievements could make the process easier:
He has all his badges
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) May 29, 2021
These can easily be recognised by the respective bodies through simple paperwork and, in his case, recognition of achievements.
— Ryan Steele (ライアン) (@Steelinho) May 29, 2021
The club could have this well under control. But it is also possible that there could be a significant problem.
We may not get the full answer until Postecoglou is actually appointed along with a backroom staff, if that does happen. And if he needs to take additional courses, that’s not going to make his life any easier, with the very difficult task of overlooking a Celtic rebuild on his hands in what would be his first top European job.
There’s also a delayed start as manager to consider as who knows how long it might take to bring him to Parkhead. We can only wait to see what happens and hope that it does not drag on for as long as the Howe one.