In the summer of 2021, Celtic were on the hunt for a new manager and although they did appoint Ange Postecoglou, their pursuit didn’t seem as easy as it was.

Prior to thoroughly looking into Postecoglou as an appointment, Eddie Howe was the frontrunner for the job.

Fans seemed to want the Englishman for the job but the Hoops’ public pursuit of him failed.

Postecoglou was then appointed in June before Howe joined Newcastle in the November.

And at the Magpies, Howe has done a terrific job that has been admired nationwide.

Recently, he helped secure his side’s return to the Champions League and Postecoglou has been full of praise for the man who could’ve been sitting in the Parkhead hot-seat ahead of him (The Scotsman):

“I absolutely admire the job Eddie has done at Newcastle, you can see why this football club wanted him to take charge here.

“He’s a very impressive person, as well as a manager. He has done an unbelievable job and I also felt he did a great job at Bournemouth.

“Eddie has worked his way up, he has done all the hard bits you need to do as a manager. He has had to earn everything along the way.”

Ange only says things he means and the fact he is heaping praise on Howe, someone who could’ve easily had his job at the minute, shows how much admiration he has for him.

Ange Postecoglou
11th March 2023; Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Cup Football, Hearts versus Celtic; Celtic Manager Angelos Postecoglou arrives for the match

Furthermore, his respect heightened when Newcastle secured their 2023/24 Champions League spot on Monday evening. Postecoglou said:

“It’s great for Eddie and for Newcastle that they are back in the Champions League. It’s a big club that hasn’t enjoyed a lot of success recently, so it’s great to see them back in there.”

The Australian even speculated about a potential tie in Europe’s top club competition between his and Howe’s side, like many fans have:

“Yeah, that would be nice, knowing the passions of both sets of supporters, those would be two games nobody would want to miss out on – home and away. There would be an unbelievable atmosphere at both.”

A Battle of Britain in the Champions League between Celtic and Newcastle is a mouthwatering prospect yet the Magpies look like they will be in pot four for the group stage draw, the same as the Hoops.

Nevertheless, no one has said the sides couldn’t meet in the latter stages of Europe and if they did, it would make for an unmissable tie.

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