Ange Postecoglou explains how Tottenham convinced him to leave Celtic

Ange Postecoglou is not just another manager. He proved that at Celtic Park. When the Australian arrived, there was no lack of doubters. He was a relative unknown to the majority of Scottish football fans and media. And many felt that he was destined to fail, as the Parkhead would prove too big for him.

Instead, Postecoglou transformed a Celtic side that had finished 25 points behind the Rangers. They won a Premiership and League Cup double in the Australian’s debut campaign and the domestic treble the season after. Along the way, they played some beautiful football as well.

Naturally, Postecoglou’s reputation was enhanced over his two years at Celtic. He was linked with a long list of Premier League clubs but ultimately joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

Postecoglou has not shed some light on his reasons behind the move. He would not have made the jump if his ambitions and ideas did not align with that of the club.

Ange explains how Tottenham convinced him to leave Celtic

As reported by Football Scotland, Postecoglou said while speaking at the Tottenham fan forum:

"“Whenever I’ve spoken to people who represent the organisation you’re potentially going to join, it’s about trying to understand the person and his feelings about the football club and where they are at. People will have figured out, with me, there are certain things that I have really strong beliefs about and it’s about seeing whether there’s a fit there.“What Daniel wanted for this football club in terms of the style, the environment, the young players, the connection with the fans… it’s all stuff that resonated with me. So that was the most important thing for me, there was a clear understanding of what they were looking for, I knew I could deliver. That’s what you are looking for in that sort of discussion.“Ultimately, if the discussion went a different way, and as great an opportunity as this is – it’s a fantastic football club and since I’ve joined it, you realise just how big and well-resourced it is with fantastic supporters – for me, I wasn’t just going to jump into the opportunity because of that.“It needed to be a good fit because otherwise, it wouldn’t work. It would be a sort of square peg in a round hole, we need alignment. So for my perspective, that was the main thing. After I had the discussion with Daniel, I didn’t know which way they would go, but if they did go with me, I felt really comfortable that I could fulfill the responsibilities that would be bestowed upon me.”"

Postecoglou is now proving himself as one of the top managers in the world in the Premier League as well. It is hard to believe that this is the same Tottenham Hotspur team that struggled so badly last season. On top of that, they saw their talisman Harry Kane leave for Bayern Munich in the summer.

Despite the setback, Tottenham Hotspur appear to have taken several steps forward under the management of Postecoglou. They now sit at second in the Premier League table.

Of course, Celtic fans were disappointed to see Postecoglou leave. But at the same time, it is easy to understand why he made the decision. And it is certainly hard to not be happy to see him succeed in the Premier League. The Australian legend certainly did it his way.