Ange Postecoglou reportedly agrees to contract to leave Celtic, join Premier League giants

Ange Postecoglou has reportedly agreed on terms for a contract with a Premier League giant in the biggest move of his coaching career.

Ange Postecoglou. Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images.

Australian Ange Postecoglou has reportedly reached an agreement to be English Premier League giant Tottenhman’s new coach.

The Guardian reports Postecoglou and Tottenham have verbally agreed to terms for a two-year contract with an option to extend for a third season.

Once compensation with Celtic is agreed upon, Postecoglou would be confirmed as Tottenham’s new manager.

The Sun reports the former Brisbane Roar coach has told Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond he wants to leave to take up a dream job in the Premier League.

Postecoglou dropped the news on the Scottish champions after the club completed a historic treble by winning the Scottish Cup on Sunday morning (AEST).

Now it’s expected that Spurs chief Daniel Levy will announce Postecoglou as Antonio Conte’s successor over the next 72-hours – with the 57-year-old getting a hugely lucrative contract, including major bonus incentives, to transform the club like he has at Celtic.

Postecoglou has been linked to the Hotspur job for weeks and Socceroos great Robbie Slater said recently he hopes Postecoglou accepts the position.

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Postecoglou was also reported to have been one of the front-runners to take over at Chelsea.

Postecoglou managed Australia at the World Cup in 2014 and has enjoyed immense success in the A-League, Greece and Japan but has not managed in any of Europe’s big leagues.

He also famously quit the Socceroos just months out from the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

As big as the national team job was, Spurs will be the biggest gig of his life.

It will put him in charge of global superstars, including England captain Harry Kane, South Korean magician Son Heung-min and Briazilian Richarlison.

Ange Postecoglou celebrates his third trophy this season. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images.

According to The Sun, Postecoglou looks certain to move to secure his trusted Hoops right-hand man John Kennedy as his No. 2 at the London club.

The 39-year-old has been with Celtic for over 25-years as a first team star, recruitment operator, development coach, first team coach, assistant manager and at one point interim boss.

Hearts are also admirers as they consider their permanent manager position, with caretaker Steven Naismith still very much in contention.

But while the ambitious Kennedy – a phenomenal success over nine years working with Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and now Postecoglou – is keen to one day be his own man, it’s thought the departing Celtic boss believes he can offer him a far more exciting proposition.

Fellow coach Gavin Strachan as well as one of the first-team’s video analysts are also expected to make the move south.

We revealed that Hearts would have to cough up a six-figure compensation sum to have any chance of luring the highly regarded Kennedy from Parkhead.

Ange Postecoglou did all there is to do at Celtic. Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images.

But that wouldn’t be a problem for the massively resourced Spurs who will also pay Celtic a seven-figure sum for Postecoglou who has been working on a 12-month rolling contract.

Just last week, Postecoglou was lavish in his praise of the coach who turns 40 in August after it emerged the Jambos had placed him on a short-list.

He said: “John plays a vital role. I give him a lot of responsibility. He’s got a lot of experience at this football club, part of a lot of success.

“That isn’t by accident. It’s not surprising people are looking at him.

“And when the time is right he will make an outstanding manager.”

Losing Postecoglou is a hammer blow for the Celts board who have watched him lead the team to five trophies out of six over two incredible years after taking him from Japanese side Yokohama F Marinos.

But to also lose Kennedy – such a behind-the-scenes mastermind since 2014 – would be another severe disappointment and it remains to be seen how they would react to a Spurs approach.

— This story originally appeared on thesun.co.uk and has been republished with permission

Originally published as Ange Postecoglou reportedly agrees to contract to leave Celtic, join Premier League giants