Ange Postecoglou has given no indication that he is on his way to become the new manager of Celtic.
Since Eddie Howe indicated that he was no longer interested in the job attention has turned to the manager of Yokohama Marinos.
It seems an incredible turnaround to move from someone who was managing in the EPL in his thirties to a 55-year-old whose only European experience was a couple of matches in the Greek Third Division in 2008.
All of the main Scottish newspapers are running with the Postecoglou line with most reports suggesting that a deal is fairly close with Celtic apparently monitoring the Australian since Neil Lennon resigned.
Yokohama beat Shimizu S Pulse 2-1 in the early hours of Sunday (Celtic Park Time) with the Japan Times asking Postecoglou about the Celtic speculation:
My focus is here (with Marinos). This is the job I’ve got, and I’ve always done that my whole career. I’m just focused on the job I have and making sure I do it well — or else other people will decide my future.
Everyone knows me, knows that my focus is always on what’s in front of me. I’ve understood there’s some speculation around the future, but I’ve stopped thinking about the what-ifs in the world a long time ago. My focus the last couple of days has been on making sure we play well today.
Celtic’s depleted squad returns for pre-season training two weeks on Thursday with a major rebuilding task expected.
If appointed Postecoglou would require a work permit while UEFA licencing requires a Pro Licence coaching certificate which as recently as January 2020 the Australian didn’t hold.
NB The Japan Times report refers to a vacancy at Ibrox rather than Celtic Park.
