Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou comically responds to claims that he could succeed Gareth Southgate as England manager.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou provided a humorous response when asked about reports linking him to the England job.
The Three Lions are on the hunt for Gareth Southgate‘s successor following the 53-year-old’s decision to step down from his post after Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Postecoglou was not initially named as one of the frontrunners for the role, a shortlist that included ex-Chelsea bosses Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, as well as Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe and Under-21s boss Lee Carsley.
However, a report from The Telegraph claimed that the FA are running the rule over Postecoglou as a potential candidate to replace Southgate, and the governing body have been following the work of the former Celtic boss for a number of years.
Postecoglou built up a reputation as a serial title winner during his time with Celtic and took the most points of any Premier League manager in their first 10 games last season, although Spurs settled for a fifth-placed finish as they missed out on a return to the Champions League.
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Postecoglou has “no idea” about England links
John McDermott – the FA’s technical director – is believed to have observed Postecoglou’s work as early as his days in Australia and Japan, but the 58-year-old’s contract is a huge roadblock, as his Spurs deal runs until 2027.
As reports broke of the FA’s supposed interest in Postecoglou, the Tottenham boss was preparing his side for a pre-season friendly with Hearts at Tynecastle Park, where the Lilywhites ran out 5-1 winners over their Scottish hosts.
In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou was quizzed on the England links, where he reaffirmed his commitment to Tottenham and revealed that he was having a kip while the speculation raged.
“Mate I was having a nap this afternoon so I’ve got no idea. I’m Tottenham manager and I’m determined to bring success to this club, as I have at every other club I’ve been at. That’s where my focus is totally,” football.london quotes Postecoglou as saying. “We haven’t achieved anything yet. So until we achieving something my work is not done.
When pressed on whether he could be tempted to take the England job one day, Postecoglou doubled down, adding: “Five years ago I was in Japan and now I’m in the Premier League. Who knows where I will be in five years.
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“I could be back in Japan. I could be on the beach somewhere, hopefully. It’s not something that enters my headspace. I’m Tottenham manager and I’m determined to bring success to this club. Nothing else is on my radar except for that.”
Postecoglou hails Southgate’s “unbelievable” work with England
Postecoglou is no stranger to national team management, having taken charge of 49 games for Australia between 2013 and 2017, a run which included a 2014 World Cup appearance and 2015 Asian Cup triumph.
The 58-year-old talked up the “unbelievable” job that Southgate did with the Three Lions, who had never even reached one senior men’s Euros final let alone two before he stepped into the dugout, saying: “In my whole career I have always felt there was a natural conclusion.
“Sometimes as a manager it gets taken out of your hands so you have no choice if you move on or not but I have kind of always moved and felt it was the right time. He is the best judge of that. He has done an unbelievable job, ridiculously good in terms of results and performances in major tournaments.
“The expectation is now really high for England and he has created that. He is in the best place to say whether it was time for him and like I said as managers a lot of the time our future is taken out of our hands so it’s nice when we make the decision sometimes.”
Tottenham have two days to recover from their crushing of Hearts before they square off with Queens Park Rangers in their next friendly on Saturday, after which they fly to Asia for a pre-season tour.
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