Harry Redknapp reveals how a private conversation with Socceroos hero Tim Cahill convinced him Ange Postecoglou is the RIGHT man to turn things around at Tottenham, with Celtic boss leading the race to take the north London job
- Harry Redknapp says Ange Postecoglou would be a good fit for Tottenham
- The former Spurs boss has been following the Australian’s career for some time
- Postecoglou is the main candidate to replace Antonio Conte
Harry Redknapp has backed Ange Postecoglou to thrive at Tottenham after revealing how he’s been following the Australian’s career closely after a dazzling chat with Tim Cahill.
Postecoglou is being considered for the Spurs vacancy after emerging as the main contender this week, although he will not talk until after the Scottish Cup final this weekend.
The 57-year-old has led Celtic to the pinnacle of Scottish football and has won many admirers with his attractive football and transfer market wizardry, picking up some gems from left field.
And former Spurs boss Redknapp believes Postecoglou is a good fit for his former club, having first met the former Socceroos coach when he coached Jordan.
“I told a few people I thought he would be a front runner,” he told BBC Scotland. “If I were looking for someone, if I were Tottenham chairman, he would be at the top of my list, so I’m not surprised.
Ange Postecoglou has received support from a key Tottenham figure
The Australian is the main contender to replace Antonio Conte in North London
“I’m sure it would be a big blow to the Celtic fans to lose him. But I don’t know, he’s leaving a great club in Celtic, but maybe the Premier League, the contract, the wages and what goes with it, could be hard for him to turn down if he’s offered.
“I actually met Tim Cahill a few years ago. I captained the Jordan national team for two games and we played Australia and Tim Cahill came over and had a chat with me before the game and said to me “our manager is excellent he is another class Harry he is brilliant” .
‘That has stayed with me. It was interesting, he’s played for a lot of top clubs, has been a top player for so many years and has played under a lot of great managers and he tells me about a guy from Australia who I’ve never heard of, so I was pretty shocked. But it stuck in my mind and I’ve been following his career and I think Tim was right, he’s excellent.’
Mail Sport understands that Postecoglou is only taking calls from his agent after Celtic’s final against Inverness, where a win secured a historic Treble success for the club.
Ahead of the game, the Australian said he is well equipped to deal with the speculation.
“I understand all the interest and why people like to speculate about these things. But we’ve worked really, really hard to get ourselves into this position and for me to let my mind wander about anything other than getting our team ready for a big day on Saturday just isn’t who I am.
“You make it sound like it’s the first time this has happened to me,” he said. ‘We’ve done this dance a few times this year. The players know very well where my thoughts are.
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp believes Postecoglou could be a good fit
He has followed the Australian’s career after hearing about him through Tim Cahill
“The players have been very good at focusing on what is important. The most important thing is that you are ready for a big game on Saturday.
“I’ve handled it before and I’ll handle it the same way. It doesn’t cross my mind because my role is to make sure the team is absolutely prepared for what’s next.
“If a cup final isn’t enough to draw all my attention to it, then nothing will be.”