When Brendan Rodgers rejoined Celtic as manager, it was a relief to see the backroom team of coaches and advisers remained in place as well. A few of them had been linked with a reunion with Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham Hotspur. Inevitably though, there will be changes and one of the Australian’s recruits has confirmed his exit.
Anton McElhone was appointed as Head of Sports Science at the club during Postecoglou’s stint at Parkhead, back in September of 2021. Interestingly, he previously had just under 10 years of experience working at Tottenham Hotspur as a fitness coach for the academy and then the first-team.
Now, he is on his way out of Celtic. And one has to wonder whether a return to Tottenham Hotspur is on the cards.
As reported by Football Scotland, McElhone announced on his social media pages that he would be leaving Celtic. He said:
"“Dare to Dream! It had been my dream to work at Celtic FC as Head of Sports Science since 2002, and I’m very grateful to the BOSS (Ange Postecoglou) for bringing me to this wonderful club. It’s been a pleasure to work in Paradise for the past 2 seasons, but it is time to move on, and look forward to my next adventure.“I would like to thank everyone I worked with in helping make the club Champions again and again! Lots of thanks to the people who supported the team in making them Champions League!“We never stop on the journey of doing something special in life!“Dream…Believe…Achieve…”"
Postecoglou recruit confirms Celtic departure
The departure and statement by McElhone have now set some rumours going on a few fronts. It would be very normal for him to acknowledge Postecoglou, who brought him to the club. But then there is no mention at all of Rodgers nor wishing him good luck for the season ahead.
With the season about to start, the timing of the move is quite odd. In terms of the next steps and a new challenge, could McElhone see a return to Tottenham Hotspur under Postecoglu as a new challenge or will he be heading in a different direction?
When he was appointed at Celtic, McElhone filled the vacancy left by Jack Nayler, who was well-regarded and appointed during Rodgers’ first stint. He now finds himself at Everton and it feels unlikely that the Northern Irish manager would be able to bring him back to Glasgow.
The late timing of the exit is not ideal in terms of preparation for the upcoming season. Hopefully, Rodgers and the club will have alternative targets and succession plans they can deploy quickly and effectively.