Ange Postecoglou has an attacking style of play that will suit Tottenham ideally, according to club icon Ledley King.

It was confirmed this week that Postecoglou will leave Celtic to take charge of Tottenham on a four-year contract.

The 57-year-old spent two years with the Scottish champions and departs after winning a domestic treble in 2022-23.

Australian Postecoglou will take charge of a Spurs team that struggled to eighth place in the Premier League and will not play in Europe next season.

But King is taking an optimistic stance about what can be achieved under the new Spurs boss.

"He is a very good manager and he had a fantastic time at Celtic," said King, who was speaking to Stats Perform at an exclusive kit launch event for Club and Nike Members held at Alexandra Palace.

"He is a front-foot manager who loves to play attacking football and score plenty of goals and I think he is someone that suits our style. Also, developing young players is really important. 

"I'm looking forward to him starting his reign and I think it's important that we sorted it early. He's just finished the [Scottish Cup] final with Celtic and we've been able to get over the line, the deal has been sorted. Now we know what direction we're moving in. 

"If I look through our history, we've always had players that want to go on the front foot, express themselves, and score goals – that has just been in the DNA of the football club. 

"And, of course, to develop young players. We always have to see players given an opportunity. So I think for these reasons, it'd be a big hit with the fans. 

"If you're an attacking player, the thought of that is fantastic. I know that players want to play, they want to play with the ball. They want to be dictating games – that is what players want to do. 

"They want to play in a team that is enjoyable to play in and plays good, stylish football. We have a manager that plays that style. 

"I'm sure the players are excited and will be looking forward to pre-season."

Conte was sacked in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge. 

There was a dismal finish to the season, but King pointed out Tottenham had spent much of the campaign in the battle for a top-four finish and is hopeful there will be a prompt recovery from a disappointing year.

He added: "It was a difficult season. Obviously, there were a lot of different reasons. 

"There's a World Cup that came in the middle of the season. Then Conte had a few health issues and he lost a coach during the season. 

"So it was not an easy season, but I would say that the team, for most of the season, was in and around the top four. 

"It is a talented group and now the new manager coming in has a chance to look at the whole group. 

"The players that have been on loan get a chance to impress him and for him he has a chance to see who we can move forward with."

Ange Postecoglou has promised “a team to get excited by” as he strives for success after being appointed as Tottenham head coach.

The Australian takes up the post having guided Celtic to the domestic treble north of the border, signing a four-year contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Postecoglou, 57, takes the reins after Antonio Conte’s dismissal in March and interim runs for both Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason.

Spurs finished eighth at the end of a dismal season, their worst Premier League position since 2008, and Postecoglou is ready to get started on turning those fortunes around.

“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.

“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 you will be as excited as I am about the season ahead.

“So I really look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium, in particular at our first home game, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”

Ange Postecoglou is a coach in the same style as Mauricio Pochettino so says Michael Dawson, who is excited by the Australian's appointment at Tottenham.

Tottenham's long search for a new coach took them to Celtic's door, and Postecoglou this week signed a four-year contract.

That came on the back of the former Australia coach leading the Hoops to the treble in Scotland in 2022-23.

And former Spurs defender Dawson thinks Postecoglou will end up being an ideal fit.

Speaking to Stats Perform at an exclusive launch event for Club and Nike Members held at Alexandra Palace, Dawson said: "I think it's a really positive appointment with Ange Postecoglou.

"What he did at Celtic, but not just there. I think what he did in Australia and then Japan, people were wondering, how would he actually settle in [at Celtic], how would his style of playing get implemented.

"He's certainly done that Celtic. So now he has to come to our club and do the same. I do believe it's a lot harder because the Premier League, in my opinion, is the best league in the world.

"But he's done in Scotland and now he'll want to come and come to England and do it again at a massive football club. I'm sure he's delighted to get the opportunity to work in the Premier League, and at Spurs and work with a group of young players that are in the building and try and improve them like he certainly did at Celtic."

Indeed, Dawson believes the 57-year-old's approach will be similar to that of Pochettino, who led Spurs to multiple top four finishes and a Champions League final during his stint in charge.

"Daniel [Levy's] gone out and made the manager clear that he wanted to play an attacking style of football," said Dawson.

"I looked at 2014, when I was at the club when Pochettino came through the door. You try and implement your style of what you want with a group of players then try and get the best out of that players and the right personnel to play in the right formation.

"[Postecoglou] plays with a 4-3-3 and with his fullbacks inverted, and they overload the midfield. Players will be on holiday and go away on international duty, but certainly when the first day of pre-season comes he'll be trying to get the message across."

Spurs finished eighth and failed to qualify for a European competition, and Dawson knows they must be targeting much better.

"I look at the Spurs team and the players that we've got at the top of the field with Harry Kane, one of the best strikers in the world," he added.

"He's done it for many years and he will keep doing it. He's an absolute genius, world-class, Spurs' all-time goalscorer, England's all-time goalscorer and he will keep doing that because he's relentless. 

"Son [Heung-min], [Dejan] Kulusevski, Richarlison; it's now about getting the best out of these players to try and get us back to where I believe we should be and that's in the Champions League.

"There's no there's no hiding, it was a disappointing season. We looked at 12 months ago when we ended the last two games by beating Arsenal and finishing in the Champions League, it was great. This year we've come up short. The players know that and now you always get another chance."

Craig Beattie feels his former Celtic team-mate John Kennedy is destined to be a “great manager” – but could decide continuing to work under Ange Postecoglou will help in his ambitions.

The new Tottenham manager reportedly wants to take assistant boss Kennedy down to north London along with Gavin Strachan when he officially takes over on July 1.

Kennedy had a spell as interim manager in 2021 before the Australian took over, having previously worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.

The 39-year-old could be a contender for the Celtic job and was linked with the Hearts vacancy before Steven Naismith was handed an extended deal.

Beattie speculated that Kennedy will have a difficult decision if Postecoglou is keen to continue their working relationship.

The PFA Scotland player relations officer told Sky Sports News: “I know John well. He is hugely ambitious, his work ethic is second to none.

“Spurs are a huge club so if Ange decides he wants to take him, then John has got that decision. I won’t tell John what to do because he is very much his own man.

“He will be a manager at some point, he will be a great manager at some point.

“For me it depends on when John wants to make that step. We have seen recently where young managers have done it too early so he might just be looking at going down there and working with the likes of Harry Kane and Son (Heung-min). There are some exceptional players down there he could work with.

“Does he want to be a manager in his own right or go down to the Premier League as a number two and gain even more experience so when he decides to be a manager, he has huge experience to tap into when required.

“There’s a lot of big decisions and we speculate about it.”

Tottenham's appointment of Ange Postecoglou is part of "a golden era" for Australian football, according to James Johnson.

Postecoglou was handed a four-year deal at Spurs on Tuesday, leaving Scottish champions Celtic after two successful years which culminated in a domestic treble.

Football Australia CEO Johnson believes Tottenham fans are wrong to hold concerns over Postecoglou – who has been hired to replace Antonio Conte – even if the 57-year-old was not one of the biggest names available.

Johnson feels Postecoglou's track record speaks for itself and is certain he will succeed in the Premier League in an era of rapid progress for figures connected with Australian football.

"Australian football is in a golden era right now," Johnson said to Stats Perform.

"It is a really extraordinary development and Australian football is very proud of Ange. 

"Ange has gone through every level of Australian football. He's played in the NSL. He's coached in the NSL with South Melbourne. 

"He's coached in the A-League with Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory. He's coached all our national teams from the youth national teams, all the way up to the Socceroos. 

"He's had success at Celtic and now to land a job in the biggest league in the world with one of the biggest clubs in the world is extraordinary for Ange and for Australian football.

"The Ange appointment is another example of the many great waves that Australian football is pushing out at the moment.

"We are seeing a lot of our Matildas [Australia women's national team players] who are playing at some of the biggest clubs in the world from Chelsea to Tottenham to Arsenal to Lyon to Manchester City.

"We are seeing players re-enter the Premier League again, like Harry Souttar did at Leicester. We are seeing many players who are transferring from the A-League into Europe.

"And we are seeing our Socceroos coming off the best performance at a World Cup that they have ever had. 

"Then we are hosting the biggest tournament in women's sports, the Women's World Cup, in only six weeks’ time, so it is a fantastic time for Australian football." 

Postecoglou will take charge of a Spurs team that struggled to eighth place in the Premier League and will not play in Europe next season, with star striker Harry Kane facing an uncertain future.

Conte was sacked in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge. Johnson is convinced there will now be a rapid improvement and an attacking style of play.

He added: "Ange is someone who understands football from top to bottom, he's coached that youth team level. So at Tottenham, he's going to have a great connection with the youth team. 

"He's competed at the European level. So he's going to understand what it's like to juggle players who were playing both domestically and European football which a club like Tottenham do. 

"He's going to understand the friction between national team football and club football. 

"Ange is a total package as a coach and Tottenham are very smart to hire him. 

"He plays very attacking football. He's one of these people that he won't have restrictions put on him, he'll go out and play his style against any opposition.

"I think that kind of positivity and energy is exactly what a club like Tottenham need at the moment when they probably haven't done as well, in the past 12 months, as people would have expected them to."

Johnson continued: "I think people particularly in Europe need to understand the Australian football is coming quickly. 

"Ange at the forefront of that movement and will be successful in the Premier League. I'm absolutely sure about that."

Spurs have friendlies against West Ham, Leicester City and Roma lined up in July.

What the papers say

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, 30, has emerged as a target for Tottenham, according to The Daily Telegraph. The London club are hoping the signing could help persuade his England colleague Harry Kane to stay at the club as big-name clubs line up for his signature.

Maguire is one of eight players United are looking to move on this summer, reports the Daily Mirror. Striker Anthony Martial, 27, Scott McTominay, 26, fellow midfielder Fred, 30, and goalkeeper Dean Henderson, 26, are also on the list, along with defenders Eric Bailly, 29, Alex Telles, 30, and Brandon Williams, 22.

Brighton want more than £70 million for Manchester United target Moises Caicedo, says The Daily Telegraph. Chelsea and Arsenal are also chasing the 21-year-old Ecuador midfielder.

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, 32, is wanted by two clubs in Saudi Arabia, according to The Guardian. Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr are keen on the France star with annual salary offers which could reach £86.2 million.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Levi Colwill: The Daily Mail reports Brighton are considering an increased bid of around £40 million for the Chelsea defender, who spent last season on loan at The Seagulls.

Gabri Veiga: Chelsea have joined Liverpool and Barcelona in tracking the Celta Vigo midfielder, 21, who has a £34.4 million release clause, says The Guardian.

Ange Postecoglou will be the first Australian to manage in the Premier League after taking up the reins at Tottenham.

Australia will be the 25th nation to provide a permanent Premier League boss and one of eight to be represented by just a single manager.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at the one-offs.

Australia – Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham – 2023 –

The Premier League’s last recruit, Postecoglou arrives at Tottenham having significantly enhanced his curriculum vitae with what he achieved at Celtic. The former Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F Marinos boss was recruited after completing a domestic treble in Scotland to take his tally to five major trophies in just two seasons.

Brazil – Luiz Felipe Scolari

Chelsea, 2008-09

‘Big Phil’ arrived in London having won a World Cup with his native country and having taken Portugal to the Euro 2004 final. He was in charge for only 25 league games, though, and 36 in all competitions, before being sacked after defeat to Liverpool and a goalless draw with Hull left the Blues fourth in the table, 10 points off the top.

Chile – Manuel Pellegrini

Manchester City 2013-16, West Ham 2018-2019

Comfortably the most successful manager on this list, Pellegrini translated his success at Spanish sides Villarreal and Malaga into a league and League Cup double in his first season at City and added another League Cup before giving way to Pep Guardiola’s hugely successful reign. He returned with West Ham for the 2018-19 season, overcoming an opening run of four defeats to secure a top-10 finish.

Israel – Avram Grant

Chelsea 2007-08, Portsmouth 2009-10, West Ham 2010-11

Grant overcame scepticism at his Chelsea appointment – and a lack of the requisite coaching qualifications – to lead them to runners-up finishes in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup, but it was not enough to earn him a second season in charge. He later suffered back-to-back relegations with Portsmouth and West Ham, but took Pompey to the FA Cup final and the Hammers to a League Cup semi-final.

Serbia – Slavisa Jokanovic

Fulham, 2018

Jokanovic never got the chance to manage Watford in the top flight after securing promotion in 2015, leaving the club over the summer after failing to agree a new contract. His opportunity finally came after the Cottagers’ play-off success in 2018, but he managed only one win in 12 games, with 31 goals conceded, before being sacked.

Sweden – Sven-Goran Eriksson

Manchester City, 2007-08

A year after leaving his role with England, Eriksson signed a three-year contract with City. He lasted only one, producing what the club’s then owner Thaksin Shinawatra termed “an avalanche of very poor results which is unacceptable at this level” culminating in a staggering 8-1 loss to Middlesbrough.

Switzerland – Christian Gross

Tottenham, 1997-98

A shock successor to Gerry Francis, despite two league titles and a Swiss Cup with Grasshopper and two promotions before that with FC Wil, Gross lifted a struggling side clear of relegation trouble but lasted only until the early days of the following season before being sacked.

Uruguay – Gus Poyet

Sunderland, 2013-15

The former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder replaced Paolo Di Canio at the Stadium of Light in October 2013 and his first season brought an unlikely late run to survival, a League Cup final, derby victory over Newcastle and a win at Chelsea which was Jose Mourinho’s first-ever home defeat as a Premier League manager. The next campaign brought another relegation battle, though, and Poyet was sacked in August after a heavy defeat to West Ham.

Ange Postecoglou has swapped Celtic for Tottenham as the north London club’s permanent successor to former head coach Antonio Conte.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the most recent managers to move from the Scottish to the English top flight, and how they fared.

Steven Gerrard

The former Liverpool and England captain took over at Rangers in 2018, finishing second behind Celtic in his first two seasons – and also losing the 2020 League Cup final to them – before breaking through to win the 2020-21 Premiership in an unbeaten season to deny Celtic a 10th title in a row.

He was appointed at Aston Villa early the following season, with a reported £4million compensation payment to Rangers, but was unable to improve Villa’s results.

They finished 14th that season and he was sacked after a poor start to 2022-23, with Unai Emery taking over and leading Villa into Europe. Meanwhile, north of the border, Postecoglou had taken over Celtic and re-established their dominance.

Gerrard managed 13 wins in 40 games as Villa boss, a 32.5 per cent win rate.

Paul Heckingbottom

Heckingbottom left Hibernian in November 2019 and, having been out of work for much of the season, became Sheffield United Under-23 coach in July 2020.

He took over as interim manager after Chris Wilder was sacked in March 2021 but won only three of 11 games as the club’s relegation was confirmed.

Having lost out on the permanent job to Slavisa Jokanovic, he took over six months later after the Serbian’s dismissal and has led the Blades back to the top flight for the new season, winning 48 of 83 games in his current reign.

Brendan Rodgers

Rodgers was already an established name in England after spells at Reading and Liverpool, but it was at Celtic where he built his medal collection with back-to-back domestic trebles – adding the League Cup leg of a third before departing for Leicester in February 2019 and leaving Neil Lennon to finish the job.

With the Foxes he won the FA Cup in 2020-21 and reached the Europa League semi-final the following season, with league finishes of ninth, fifth, fifth and eighth as they twice missed out on the Champions League on the final day.

He was sacked in April with the club 19th in the league, with successor Dean Smith unable to save them from relegation. Rodgers won 92 of 204 Leicester games in all competitions, 45.1 per cent.

Alex McLeish

McLeish’s spell with Rangers brought him two league titles, two Scottish Cups and three League Cups, including a treble in 2002-03, following a second-placed finish with Motherwell and a promotion with Hibernian.

That earned him the Scotland job but he led them for only 12 games before returning to club management south of the border with Birmingham.

Blues were relegated in his first season in charge but bounced straight back, finished ninth in 2009-10 and won the 2011 League Cup after Obafemi Martins’ late winner against Arsenal.

That same season brought a second relegation, though, and McLeish resigned after 168 games in charge with a 36.9 per cent win rate.

Tottenham have appointed former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou as their head coach on a four-year deal.

The 57-year-old Australian, who won the domestic treble with Celtic this season, moves south to London to replace Antonio Conte.

Conte was sacked in late March, with Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason taking temporary charge.

Postecoglou will officially join Spurs on July 1.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said on the club’s website: “Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play.

“He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy – everything that is important to our club.

“We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead.”

Tottenham have ended their long search for a permanent head coach by appointing Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou, who won five major trophies in two seasons at Celtic, including this season’s domestic treble, faces a tough task to quickly turn Tottenham’s fortunes around.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the 57-year-old’s in-tray.

Resolve Harry Kane’s future

The most pressing issue awaiting Postecoglou in his first job as a Premier League head coach is the future of Kane. The England captain has one year left on his contract and has been linked with a possible summer move to a host of Europe’s leading clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Postecoglou will want Kane to stay, but will also want assurances. The 29-year-old is either all in and stays, or opts for a new challenge and generates funds to help Tottenham rebuild their squad. Whatever Kane decides, Postecoglou will need a speedy decision.

Unite the dressing room

None of Tottenham’s near 30-man first-team squad are out of contract this summer, but plenty of departures can be expected. Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte publicly criticised his players’ team ethic and anyone lacking in that regard will have no place in the former Australia head coach’s squad. He must quickly work out who he can trust to fully commit to his principles and methods and try and move on those he does not. Unity and spirit were the bedrock for Celtic’s success under Postecoglou and he will want to lay the same foundations at Tottenham.

Win over doubters

Postecoglou was not top choice for the majority of Tottenham’s supporters and there will be plenty of scepticism among those who had called for the return of Mauricio Pochettino, while the likes of Arne Slot, Roberto De Zerbi and Luis Enrique were also reported to be on the club’s list of targets. Postecoglou must win over the doubters and reconnect the players with a disgruntled fanbase. He did just that at Celtic where he first took charge in a toxic environment, but can his blueprint for success in the Scottish Premiership transfer to the English top flight?

Director of football key

Tottenham have been without a director of football since the resignation of Fabio Paratici in April and the club will now prioritise that key appointment in readiness for a busy summer ahead. Feyenoord’s general manager Dennis te Kloese has turned down the role and, while filling the vacancy falls under chairman Daniel Levy’s remit, Postecoglou could well be involved in the process and will definitely want to strike an instant rapport with whoever takes on the job. The Australian has a clear philosophy for possession-based, high-energy football and the project will only work if the two parties are aligned.

Top-four challenge

European football has eluded Spurs for the first time since 2009-10 and they can ill-afford to miss out for a second successive season in their bid to retain their status as a ‘Big Six’ club. Postecoglou must overhaul the playing squad, galvanise a dispirited dressing room and bed in his backroom staff – what role, if any, for fans’ favourite Ryan Mason? – all in time to launch a Champions League challenge with the same brand of football that has thrilled Celtic fans for the past two years.

Tottenham are expected to announce Ange Postecoglou as their new manager after reports on Monday claimed the Celtic boss has agreed a two-year deal.

The 57-year-old Australian’s pending appointment will end Spurs’ long search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte, who they sacked in March.

Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason had respective spells in temporary charge as the London club failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10.

Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave the Glasgow club and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend.

Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted.

Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised.

When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.

“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.”

Postecoglou has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in 2021 and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.

He became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.

Postecoglou, due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday, will now swap Glasgow for another rebuild job at Spurs.

Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou at Celtic, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.

Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has agreed to become Tottenham’s new manager on a two-year contract, according to reports.

The 57-year-old told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave the Glasgow club and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend.

Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted.

Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised.

Tottenham have been searching for a permanent new manager since sacking Antonio Conte in March, with first Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason placed in temporary charge.

When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.

“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.

“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”

He has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in 2021 and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.

Postecoglou became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.

But he looks set to swap Glasgow for another rebuild job as Spurs finally look to appoint Conte’s permanent successor after the Italian’s departure on March 26.

Postecoglou is due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday and a deal could be finalised quickly.

Tottenham failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10 after an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.

Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou at Celtic, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.

Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou appears to be moving towards a swift resolution of his future amid reports he has verbally agreed to become Tottenham’s new manager.

Postecoglou admitted on Saturday that his ability to enjoy Celtic’s treble success would soon be disrupted by some decision-making and that seems to have happened even quicker than he anticipated.

The 57-year-old dodged questions on his future before and after Saturday’s Scottish Cup final win over Inverness having emerged as the overwhelming frontrunner to take over at Spurs.

Neither club are commenting publicly but reports claim Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night that he intended to leave for London and he is now said to be closing in on signing a two-year Spurs deal with the option to extend.

When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, the Greek-born Australian said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.

“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.

“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”

The former Australia head coach has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in Japan and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.

Postecoglou became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.

But he looks set to swap Glasgow for another rebuild job as Spurs finally look to appoint a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, who departed on March 26.

Postecoglou is due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday and a deal could be finalised quickly.

Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.

Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.

Ange Postecoglou vowed to enjoy Celtic’s record-breaking treble for as long as he could before someone “drags” him away to focus on other issues as he continued to dodge questions over his future.

Postecoglou is odds-on favourite to take over at Tottenham and refused to give any indication on whether he would be departing Celtic Park after making it five trophies in two seasons with a 3-1 Scottish Cup win over Inverness.

Many Celtic fans fear their manager is London-bound and he would not give any assurances to the contrary.

“I will say to them what I said to the players, let’s enjoy this,” he said. “I deserve to enjoy this, the people around me deserve to enjoy this.

“Whatever other people want to focus on and talk about, I am not going to miss enjoying this moment with this group of people but also I owe it to my family, my friends, all of those closest to me.

“Everyone works hard and makes sacrifices to enjoy these moments. I understand that other people who aren’t invested in it want to ask these questions but for me, right now, the most important thing is that we reflect and just be in the moment of creating something special.”

When it was pointed out that fans who are heavily-invested in Celtic are among those asking the questions, the 57-year-old said: “Yeah, but they deserve to enjoy this moment because, irrespective of what happens in the future, why would you not want to enjoy this moment just for what it is? It’s something historic.”

When asked if he anticipated being in Glasgow next season, the former Australia head coach said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.

“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.

“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”

Ange Postecoglou has stressed that the chance to join the treble-winning Celtic managers is far too important to allow talk of his future to disturb his focus on Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.

Beating cinch Championship side Inverness at Hampden will give Postecoglou’s team a clean sweep of domestic trophies and make it five out of six available since he arrived from Yokohama F Marinos in Japan in June 2021.

But much of the build-up to the game has been dominated by increased speculation over Postecoglou’s future amid reports the former Australia head coach is Tottenham’s preferred managerial candidate.

The 57-year-old said: “Somebody else was favourite last week, wasn’t he? So, it doesn’t register.

“I get all the interest and why people love to speculate on these things. But we have worked really, really hard to get ourselves into this position and, for me to let my mind wander about anything else than getting our team prepared for a big day on Saturday, is just not who I am.”

Postecoglou has been linked with numerous Premier League clubs this season including Leeds, Everton, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Chelsea so he feels no need to address his players on the matter.

“You are making it sound as if it’s the first time this has happened to me,” he said. “We have done this dance a few times this year. The players are well aware of where my thoughts lie.

“The players have been really good at focusing on what’s important. What’s important is being ready for a big game on Saturday.

“I have handled it before and I’ll handle it the same way. It doesn’t enter my sphere of thinking because my role is to make sure the team is absolutely prepared for what the next challenge is.

“If a cup final isn’t enough to draw all my attention to that, then nothing will be.”

The former Australia head coach, who is on a 12-month rolling contract, also dismissed questions over whether he had talks planned with the club hierarchy.

“No, because again that would mean me planning, organising, thinking about things other than Saturday,” he said.

“Look, I understand that’s your job to ask these questions because that’s the role you are in, but you are not invested in this football club like I am, like the players are, like our supporters are.

“I woke up this morning thinking about one thing, the same thing I have been thinking about for the last five days. I really want to make sure that we play well in this cup final and make it a truly special season.

“I know this football club has had a lot of success recently including trebles but over the history of time there aren’t too many that can claim to that. Not just for myself but for some of these players, it might be the only one they get. So we need to focus on that.

“It’s a massive role to be manager of this football club and for me to be dismissive of potentially our biggest game of the year is just not going to happen.”

Postecoglou could emulate Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon in winning the treble and is relishing the experience of Scottish Cup final day, after losing to eventual winners Rangers in last year’s semi-finals.

“Obviously it was the one trophy that escaped us last year and just the whole day, the occasion, it’s the last game on the calendar and just to be part of it was the first thing we were excited about,” he said.

“Back home the English FA Cup final followed by the Scottish FA Cup was kind of tradition – that was our Saturday night in May. We would religiously watch that, it was a bit of an event for us to sit around and watch those two games.

“It’s not just that it’s a cup final, it’s the occasion, the last game, there is always more about it, just the ceremony of the day. You would love to be a part of it.

“I didn’t watch it last year, so that goes to show that we were still hurting from the fact we weren’t there.

“Now we are there and that’s why we want to make the most of it.”

Postecoglou is also well aware of the history between the two finalists. Inverness have beaten Celtic in three of their seven Scottish Cup meetings, including the only one at Hampden, in the 2015 semi-finals, and in the first one, when then First Division Caley Thistle caused a huge upset which cost John Barnes his job.

“It’s a cautionary tale, put it that way,” Postecoglou said. “It has been mentioned to me a few times, I was aware of it anyway of course.

“But that’s what I am talking about. When people think that I’ve got other things on my mind, that I’d allow anything to enter the sphere where we are not preparing ourselves for that occasion… I don’t want to be that story.

“I want it to have a different ending this time. I want us to be the winners and us to claim the Scottish FA Cup, so that’s where my head’s at.”