Ange Postecoglou’s Trophy Day speech had almost everything. He thanked the Celtic supporters, the players, the staff and even took a dig at Rangers manager Michael Beale. One thing that he did not mention though was next season and the Champions League. With the Australian being heavily linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job in recent days, that was viewed as a worrying sign by many of the fans.
The speech was certainly different from last season. At the same time though, one has to remember that Celtic’s campaign is not over yet. They have the Scottish Cup final still to play, which was not the case last time around.
They will take to the Hampden Park pitch to face Inverness Caledonian Thistle next weekend. Not only will the Scottish Cup be up for grabs but a treble as well. That is something only a select few managers have achieved at Parkhead.
It looks like Postecoglou not mentioning next season was because he has his complete focus on the upcoming Scottish Cup final. As reported by The Herald, the Celtic manager said while talking on Sky Sports:
"“I’ve been pretty straightforward (about the rumours), there’s nothing cryptic in my messages. We’ve got one game to go. I’m not talking about next year until we win next week. That’s our goal, we’ve got to win this cup.“I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to do something special, to win a Treble. I know people have done it and greater things but I’m not going to look past that. I really want us to finish strong. It’s not going to be an easy game, it’s a cup final. We’re determined to get it done.”"
Celtic boss explains why he didn’t mention next season in title speech
Postecoglou has never really talked openly about speculation in public. Tottenham Hotspur are not the first club to be linked with him after all. The Australian has been linked with Everton, Wolves, Leeds United and many others in the past.
Postecoglou is someone who has always been focused on the next game and not looked too far ahead. As a result, it would not be out of character for him to be thinking only about the Scottish Cup final.
Could the Tottenham Hotspur job tempt Postecoglou to leave Celtic? To be very honest, it could. They are one of the big six sides in the Premier League. At 57 years of age, such opportunities might not come knocking too often for the Australian. Thus, if the offer was on the table, one would expect him to consider it.