Ange Postecoglou's 'tough' decision to quit club and take up new challenge

Ange Postecoglou said that it was a "tough decision" to leave Celtic to take the lead at Tottenham Hotspur, but the club's current struggles appear harder to navigate.

The 59-year-old spent two years with the Scottish Premiership titans between 2021 and 2023, clinching two league titles and three domestic cups before signing a four-year deal in north London. Speaking during his first press conference as head coach of Spurs, Postecoglou said: "We had some fantastic success and great moments within that and I'll cherish them, but I am the kind of guy who always loves a challenge - I love a build, I love a rebuild.

"That's where I feel I am at my best and this challenge, when it came along, I just thought had all the elements of what I need to get going again." Explaining why he decided to jump ship after success in Scotland, meanwhile, Postecoglou told the Irish Examiner: "I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer.

"That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success." However, Postecoglou's time at Spurs has been far from plain sailing, with his first season in charge culminating in a fifth-place finish.

The current campaign has been even more challenging for Postecoglou, with Spurs currently sitting 15th in the Premier League standings and their only hope for silverware coming in the form of the Europa League. With just 11 wins from 32 games this season, Postecoglou is feeling the heat from fans and pundits alike, who have suggested that it may be time for a fresh face in north London.

However, the manager has remained insistent that he will continue to work towards success for Spurs, who are yet to clinch a Premier League title since the league's inception of 1992. He added: "As long as I'm in this position, that's always my focus, irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or not be in the future.

"I don't see that that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen. Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle.

"Certainly everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I'll continue to do that."

Postecoglou has had an incredibly decorated career since stepping into the world of management in 1996 with South Melbourne, taking the helm of Australia's U17 and U20 set-ups, between 2000 and 2007 before returning to the club game with Panachaiki, Whittlesea Zebras, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory.

Postecoglou then took the reins of the Australian national team between 2013 and 2017, winning the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 for his efforts, before overseeing Yokohama F Marinos, Celtic, and subsequently, Spurs. The Lilywhites are set to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday away from home.

The two sides initially met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Thursday in a game which finished 1-1. Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring for the visitors just six minutes into the fixture, before Pedro Porro clinched the equaliser for Spurs 20 minutes later.

Postecoglou and his Spurs side have their work cut out should they hope to advance to the semi-finals to face either Lazio or Bodo/Glimt at the turn of the month.

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