How Pep Guardiola played key role in Postecoglou getting the Tottenham job thanks to left-field suggestion years ago
SPURS are hoping Ange Postecoglou will be a massive success — and if he is, they will be able to thank Pep Guardiola.
Because the Manchester City manager played a small part in Postecoglou being given his big break in British football with Celtic.
Ange Postecoglou met Pep Guardiola, pictured with Phil Foden, back in 2019Getty
Rewind to summer 2021 and Eddie Howe was starting to hesitate on taking the Celtic job as he was concerned at not being able to put together his own backroom team.
By chance, Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond bumped into Guardiola in a hotel and over lunch told the Spaniard about his problems.
Guardiola explained there was a manager he rated highly, who had coached the Australian national team and was currently at Yokohama in Japan — and deserved a big break.
Desmond listened to the advice and the rest is history.
Yesterday Pep said: “Another exceptional manager is coming.
“I was lucky to meet him in Tokyo years ago when he was Yokohama manager, one of the clubs in the City Football Group.
“It was an interesting chat and I had a good relationship.
“He has done an incredible job and will do an incredible job at Spurs.”
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The Aussie will officially join the North Londoners from Celtic on July 1 after Spurs agreed to pay the Hoops £5million in compensation.
Postecoglou, who has signed a five-year contract, won five trophies in two seasons in Scotland, having joined Celtic from Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos.
Before that spell in the Far East, the 57-year-old was in charge of the Australian national team for four years until 2017.
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