New manager Ange Postecoglou promises exciting ride for Tottenham Hotspur fans
Fresh from being appointed manager of Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou has delivered his first public message that is sure to warm the hearts of Spurs fans.
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Ange Postecoglou has promised “a team to get excited by” as he plots Tottenham Hotspurs’ revival after being appointed as the English Premier League club’s new manager.
The Australian signed a four-year deal this week after taking Celtic to the Scottish domestic treble this season.
The 57-year-old will officially join the London club, who finished a disappointing eighth in the EPL, on July 1.
Antonio Conte left Spurs by “mutual agreement” in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge of the struggling club.
Postecoglou said he relished the task of turning around the club’s fortunes.
“It’s great to finally get started as manager of this great football club,” he said in a video message posted on the club’s social media accounts on Friday night.
A message from our new Head Coach 🗣 pic.twitter.com/JjG4pdCEPk
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 9, 2023
“I’m really looking forward to our task ahead. I think it’s an exciting opportunity for us to now set off on a new direction, play football and create an environment that embodies the values and traditions of this fantastic football club.
“Hopefully a team that you can all be proud of, and more importantly get excited by.
“I can assure you that right through pre-season we won’t leave any stone unturned, myself, the staff and the players to make sure that when the league comes around that you will be as excited as I am about the season ahead.”
Welcome to Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou 🤠pic.twitter.com/OMXjY9XFhi
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 9, 2023
MASS PLAYER CLEANOUT AMONG ANGE’S FIRST TOTTENHAM TASKS
By Gary Jacob and Tom Allnutt
Out of the Champions League, out of touch with the fans and at risk of losing their one outstanding player: Tottenham Hotspur will be a formidable challenge for Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian will be the fourth permanent head-coaching appointment in as many years for Spurs – their seventh including caretakers – after Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte all failed to hit the heights of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure.
After ignoring Pochettino, who has joined Chelsea, and failing to lure Julian Nagelsmann, the chairman Daniel Levy is under pressure. Postecoglou simply must hit the ground running.
Kane’s future
The England captain welcomed the arrivals of Mourinho and Conte as a chance to win medals, but he must feel he has given Tottenham enough chances to win a trophy. Now Real Madrid’s interest in Kane, 29, could strangely suit Tottenham, who are opposed to selling him to a Premier League rival but may not want to risk him leaving on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer.
Tottenham would be able to say that they could not stand in the way of Kane joining the Spanish giants, if they get close to the £100 million fee they want, and Real would be a hard option to pass up for Kane. There would still be time for him to return to England to get the 48 goals needed to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 260.
This may be out of Postecoglou’s hands, but if Kane leaves then he must rebuild an attack that also features a 30-year-old Son Heung-min, who struggled at times this season.
Shift the deadwood
Postecoglou is not sentimental when deciding players’ futures, which is just as well. Tottenham historically do not like losing out on transfer fees, despite needing to offload up to 17 players this summer to have a manageable squad.
Without European football next season, they will play a maximum of 50 games. They have 33 senior players – without new signings – including eight full backs and six centre backs if Clement Lenglet signs permanently. They have spent a net £332 million over the past five seasons, the sixth-largest amount in the league.
Lucas Moura has been released and Hugo Lloris, Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga are also expected to leave, as well as some of the nine players who have been out on loan this season. The future of Tanguy Ndombele, the record £55 million signing who has not played for the club since January 2022, also needs resolving.
Others returning from loans include Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil, Joe Rodon and Djed Spence. Since Postecoglou favours a back four he may need to upgrade on the left backs Ben Davies and Sergio Reguilon.
Tottenham may need to emulate Arsenal and pay off players. Arsenal’s technical director, Edu, once said: “I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say, ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave, than maintain them. People say, ‘It’s expensive.’ I say, ‘No, it’s investment’.”
Playing style
The unspoken deal between the club and fans was always that Mourinho and Conte may not bring entertaining football but they would at least deliver the mentality needed to win trophies. In the end, they brought neither.
Son needs rejuvenating, Richarlison must be integrated, Dejan Kulusevski can do more and the slew of attacking full backs have to fulfil their potential. However, Postecoglou’s first tactical tweak should be a more basic one: make Tottenham fun again.
Returning to a head coach that plays an attacking brand of football has been an important aim for Levy. Postecoglou likes to attack in a 4-3-3 system, asking his inverted full backs to provide cover in the middle and an attacking five to provide plenty of movement.
The defence needs sorting out. Cristian Romero is one of Tottenham’s most talented players but has been erratic this term, Eric Dier’s form has nosedived and Pedro Porro is still adjusting to the Premier League.
Recruitment
No one has been in charge of recruitment since Fabio Paratici left his role as the managing director in April, with Spurs trying to hire a sporting director to work under Levy.
At the very least Tottenham want to sign a goalkeeper, a centre back, a full back and a creative midfielder after their worst season defensively in nearly 50 years. Postecoglou should be easier to manage for Levy compared to Conte and Mourinho, who were never satisfied. The Australian has proved to be good at recruiting from Asia, although it is questionable whether the players in that market can help Tottenham challenge the top sides.
Backroom staff
Postecoglou does not usually take his assistant coaches with him to new jobs. Working with Ryan Mason is an option, although the 31-year-old wanted to be made the permanent head coach having ended the season in temporary charge.
Postecoglou is keen to bring John Kennedy, his assistant manager at Parkhead, to north London, though Celtic are keen to hang on to the 39-year-old former Scotland defender.
Managing expectations
There will be mixed feelings over Postecoglou, as some Tottenham supporters wanted a bigger name. About 35 per cent of fans said they were not happy with the appointment in a Twitter poll run by an independent Tottenham podcast on Monday.
Originally published as New manager Ange Postecoglou promises exciting ride for Tottenham Hotspur fans
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