5 players Ange must bring to Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou is set to be the Premier League’s first Australian manager, and should his move to Tottenham materialise, here are five signings the ex-Socceroos boss needs to make.
Tottenham fans have been left divided over Postecoglou’s imminent appointment, with his doubters questioning his pedigree to manage an elite Premier League club.
Ange had similar doubters when he first moved to Celtic from Yokohoma F. Marinos in 2021, but in two seasons in Glasgow, the Aussie lead the Bhoys to five trophies, including the treble this season.
A move to a Premier League giant poses another major test in Postecoglou’s career, but the Asian Cup winner is yet to falter as he ascends each rung on the managerial ladder.
Spurs chief Daniel Levy is a shrewd operator, and won’t afford Postecoglou a blank cheque book to assemble his squad. Thankfully, Ange doesn’t need deep coffers to succeed, having stretched Celtic’s budget to make 25 signings in two years, including bargain deals for J-League duo Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi, plus Socceroos midfielder Aaron Mooy.
Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho are among the decorated managers who tried, and failed, to succeed at Spurs. Here are five signings that Ange Postecoglou needs to avoid a similar fate.
1) Jota - Celtic
Jota has enjoyed an incredible rise at Celtic in the last two seasons, thanks in great part to the mentorship of Postecoglou. Their close bond has Celtic fans afraid the 23 year-old winger could follow Postecoglou to White Hart Lane.
His latest social media post, describing the 2022-2023 season as a ‘graduation’ has done little to quash those fears.
Jota’s pace, trickery, eye for goal and defensive work rate would make him a fantastic fit in the Premier League, and will give Postecoglou another dimension to Spurs' already frightening forward line of Harry Kane, Son Heung Min and Dejan Kulusevski.
2) Reo Hatate - Celtic
Postecoglou used his deep knowledge of Japanese football to pluck Reo Hatate from relative obscurity when he brought the midfielder to Glasgow from J-League side Kawasaki Frontale in 2022.
The £1.4 million signing was a masterstroke, demonstrating Postecoglou’s astute eye for talent and ability to stretch a budget, attributes necessary for a manager working under Daniel Levy at Tottenham.
The midfield metronome drives Postecoglou’s high intensity attacking style of play by finding space between the lines and picking out team-mates with defence-splitting passes.
With Hatate at the heart of midfield, Spurs can finally ditch the stagnant, sideways football which has frustrated fans in the post-Mauricio Pochettino era.
3) Illan Meslier – Leeds United
‘Ange ball’ overwhelms opposition with relentless attack, particularly down the flanks, and needs a goalkeeper with distribution befitting a midfielder to make it work. Enter Illan Meslier, who is the perfect replacement for Spurs’ departing goalkeeper and fellow Frenchman Hugo Lloris.
Leeds is resigned to losing the 23 year-old after its relegation to the EFL Championship, but the former Lorient man won’t come cheap, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United reportedly interested.
Meslier’s composure with the ball at his feet belies his rangy two metre frame, but Ange Postecoglou will have to move quick to win the race to sign the highly-rated shot-stopper, before other suitors swoop in.
4) Cameron Devlin - Hearts
We had to throw an Aussie into the mix, but Cameron Devlin’s nationality isn’t the only reason why he’s a perfect fit for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou has been a long-term admirer of Devlin, and has seen what the midfielder can do up close in the Scottish Premiership for the last two seasons.
The Hearts midfielder is a pressing machine, combining Aussie grit with unrelenting energy which will endear him with deflated Spurs fans desperate to see more intensity from their players.
Devlin’s defensive acumen will free up some of Spurs’ more attack-minded players to get forward without leaving the back four vulnerable to counter-attack. The 24 year-old’s modest price-tag will be the added sweetener to entice a frugal Levy to the table.
5) Hiroki Ito – Stuttgart
A Japan international, versatile and criminally undervalued. Hiroki Ito has all the attributes of a shrewd Postecoglou signing, and the left-footbed centre-back adds welcomed depth and versatility to Spurs back-line.
Ito can play on the left side of a back three, at centre back and left wing-back and with a market value of £6.5 million, the 24 year-old offers incredible value for money.
Ito is also comfortable on the ball, and his pace across short distances allows him to carry the ball into midfield and kick-start attacking raids.
