Tottenham confident Ange Postecoglou will not leave for England job
It is expected that Spurs manager’s name will be on the long list of candidates considered by the FA to succeed Gareth Southgate
Tottenham Hotspur are confident they will not lose head coach Ange Postecoglou to England, despite the Australian being tracked by the Football Association.
Telegraph Sport revealed that FA technical director John McDermott is an admirer of Postecoglou and has followed his work from Australia all the way through to Spurs.
It is expected that Postecoglou’s name will be on the long list of candidates considered by the FA to succeed Gareth Southgate, but Spurs are not concerned they could lose the 58-year-old.
Just as there was never any sense that the club could lose Postecoglou to Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp announced his departure, Tottenham do not believe the Australian would leave after only one season to manage England.
Postecoglou signed a four-year contract with Tottenham last summer that included lucrative performance-based bonuses that he can achieve, and have backed him in the transfer window up until now.
Tottenham believe Postecoglou is committed to delivering success and sources believe the only job that could be a temptation for him is Manchester City, if and when Pep Guardiola leaves.
Telegraph Sport last season asked Postecoglou about the prospect of managing England one day, to which he said: “Oh, come on mate. Stranger things have happened, but no. They’ve got a fantastic manager and I’m eight games into a Tottenham career. That’s how I think.”
Asked on Wednesday night about being linked with the job following Southgate’s exit, Postecoglou said: “I was having a nap this afternoon. I have no idea. I’m the Tottenham manager and I’m determined to bring success to this club. That’s where my focus is totally.”
While Tottenham are confident Postecoglou will not leave them for England, Wolverhampton Wanderers have previously made it clear that Gary O’Neil should be in the frame for the job.
O’Neil is among the English coaches who could be considered for the post, with significant figures inside the FA known to have been impressed by his work.
Asked by Sky Sports in March about whether or not O’Neil should one day be in the frame for the England job, Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “They should be looking at him. I get it. He is excellent and I would be surprised if clubs weren’t looking at him.
“We will be doing work on other head coaches, not because we want Gary to leave but because that is the prudent thing to do.”