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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
David Irvine

Ange Postecoglou warned over approach from 'great non-achievers' Tottenham

Charlie Nicholas has warned Ange Postecoglou against a possible move to the Premier League's "great non-achievers" Tottenham.

The Celtic boss emerged as a contender for the vacant management role after Arne Slot ruled himself out of the running for a move to London.

It's claimed Postecoglou features highly on a shortlist of possible candidates drawn up by Tottenham chiefs.

However, Nicholas has warned Postecoglou over a move to Tottenham citing a lack of success compared with his trophy-laden spell in Glasgow so far.

The former Arsenal forward admits it would be a person "double whammy" to see Postecoglou leave Celtic for Tottenham and pleaded for the manager to remain at Parkhead for another shot in Europe next season.

In his Daily Express column, Nicholas commented: "Becoming Tottenham boss would bring a different torment to Ange Postecoglou, so I hope he doesn't turn his back on Celtic and Champions League football for the Premier League's great non-achievers.

"There's no denying the Spurs job is an enormous one. It would provide Postecoglou with a passageway to the real big boys in England's top flight and it would be bang-on financially.

"But I don't think money is what floats the Aussie's boat. It would be more about testing himself against the best in one of the world's top leagues. Spurs have brilliant infrastructure in terms of its stadium, academy and training ground but they are renowned for a lack of tangible success.

"Their last trophy came back in 2008 with the League Cup, which remains their only silverware this century. I know quite a few Tottenham fans and they aren't overly excited at the possibility of being managed by a guy who has done well at a Scottish club.

"They have a track record of appointing high-profile managers such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Another one, Mauricio Pochettino, deployed a similar brand of football to Postecoglou when he was at Spurs and that didn't stop him getting sacked just six months after leading them to the 2019 Champions League final."

Revealing his own selfish reasons for wishing for Postecoglou to snub a move to Tottenham, Nicholas also suggested there is instability at Spurs even if the Celtic bosses agent is "quite close to Spurs".

He added: "Another issue at Tottenham is that the club could be bought over, amid reports of various interested parties. Where would a takeover leave Postecoglou? That is why he has to be so careful with his next move and the timing of it.

"I am hopeful he won't take the job because there's too much doubt surrounding Spurs just now. But I understand Postecoglou's agent and allies are quite close to Spurs, so I could be proved wrong.

"From a personal perspective, it would be the worst possible scenario. As a Celtic supporter and with my Arsenal connections, it would be a double whammy for me. Postecoglou has built something special at Parkhead and I'd love to see him have another crack at Europe's elite with the Hoops."

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