A pre-season friendly against Manchester City may have paved the way for Ange Postecoglou’s route to the Premier League – even if the man himself still doesn’t know whether a recommendation from Pep Guardiola earned him the Celtic job.
Postecoglou guided Yokohama F Marinos to a first J League title for 15 years in 2019 – midway through that title-winning year, they also impressed in a summer friendly against Manchester City.
The Japanese side are part of the City Football Group and, although they lost the friendly 3-1, they recorded 58 per cent possession, something that very few outfits manage against Manchester City.
“They came over and it was fantastic for us,” Postecoglou said, in an exclusive interview for the latest issue of FourFourTwo magazine. “Against the best in the world, we wanted to play the creative football that we played on a weekly basis.”
Guardiola has since spoken about how impressed he was by Postecoglou when the pair met in Japan – reports have also suggested that Pep mentioned the Australian to Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond during a chance meeting at a hotel, while the Bhoys were searching for a new manager in 2021.
VIDEO: Ange Postecoglou: "We Want To Achieve Things That Have Never Been Achieved Before"
Postecoglou would go on to win two league titles at Celtic, and move on to Tottenham in the Premier League this summer.
Asked whether Guardiola did indeed recommend him for the Parkhead job, Postecoglou told FFT, “I’m not sure. You know what it’s like – success has a million fathers, so who knows what the actual story was?
“But it was Desmond who reached out to me. I chatted to him and literally straight after that conversation, he made his decision.
“What other background work they did, I’m not really sure, but I was delighted he saw something in me to give me the opportunity.”
More Tottenham Hotspur stories
Former Tottenham striker Sergiy Rebrov has revealed that he once abandoned his car to make a North London Derby on time.
'The next Declan Rice' has been linked with Spurs, while 'the next Harry Kane' could be on his way, too. Tottenham are also linked with Federico Chiesa, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could leave.
FFT, meanwhile, has named Tottenham's worst signings ever.
‘The fact he’s on a short deal doesn’t sit well. Gareth laid the foundations for players coming through. All Tuchel’s got to worry about is the here and now’: England hero lays out his issues with Thomas Tuchel appointment
‘England supporters are craving some success. If Tuchel can come in and finish the brilliant job Gareth Southgate started, nobody will care if he leaves’: Ex-Three Lions international gives his take on Thomas Tuchel's short-term deal
