When Ange Postecoglou arrived as Celtic manager, not too many people were aware of him and most considered it as a desperate move on the part of the Hoops, who had failed in their attempt to appoint Eddie Howe. It has been quite the journey for the Australian since then, as he has gone from unknown to Parkhead hero, in such a small space of time.
Naturally, Postecoglou’s success at Celtic has raised his profile in the game and opened up new opportunities. The Australian has been linked with clubs like Brighton & Hove Albion, Wolves and Everton just this season.
And now, it looks like he might potentially have the chance to manage at the international level as well.
As reported by the Daily Record, Celtic believe Postecoglou will knock back any advances from Japan, as he is on the top of their wishlist to replace head coach Hajime Moriyasu, if the Blue Samurai fail at the World Cup in Qatar. Sources in Japan claim JFA technical director Yasuharu Sorimachi has already reached out to the Australian.
Celtic boss has been contacted over potential interest in international job
Postecoglou is believed to be very happy in Glasgow and feels that he is building something special at Celtic. Thus, it will take an offer that he cannot simply turn down to take him away from Parkhead. The chance to manage the Japan national team is not expected to be that.
Postecoglou has already managed the Australian national team at the World Cup and won the Asian Cup with the Socceroos as well.
Thus, it is not going to be a new challenge for him to manage Japan, and he has pretty much already achieved what he could at that level. At Celtic though, there is still a lot more to be done, turning the Hoops into regulars in the Champions League and hopefully a foray into the knockout stages of the competition in the future.