Ange Postecoglou has spoken for the first time since he completed his move to Spurs on Tuesday.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Reports before the cup final suggested that a move could be completed, but the manager dismissed them, stating he was focused on the match against Inverness.
Then, after lifting the Scottish Cup, the manager verbally agreed to be the new boss at the London club on Sunday, with a full agreement coming on Monday. He was confirmed as the Spurs boss on Tuesday morning.
Reacting to the move, he thanked the Celtic board for all their support but admitted that, despite their best efforts and a potential new contract, he was keen on a new challenge. [Celtic FC]
“I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the Club for everything they have given me. In particular, Dermot, Peter and Michael and the Celtic Board have shown me tremendous support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this.
“They brought me to the Club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them.
“They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore.”
He then thanked the ‘magnificent’ fans, who backed him from day one.
“It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters. Culminating in the Treble at the weekend, my players and backroom team have been brilliant for me on this journey.
“They have given us all some fantastic moments through their energy and effort, creating real quality, winning football.
“Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years. My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about and I think we have achieved that.
“Celtic is a phenomenal football club, and so much more – and I will forever be a supporter of this great institution. I wish everyone connected with Celtic nothing but continued success.”
There is a feeling amongst the supporters that Postecoglou still had a lot to achieve at Celtic and should have been the man to lead the side into the Champions League next season, but that will be down to someone else, with the club now searching for a new manager.
A shortlist has been drawn up, but there is no clear front-runner yet.
Thanks for the memories ☘
Bring it on Anger, you taught us how to dream. Go onward and be as much, if not better than, you were at Paradise.
Top bloke, top job. Preach your sermon, make the Spurs fanbase believe.
Well done and everyone else for the last 2 years but you stated a few times after beating your chest and fist pumping the air I will be with Celtic as long as they want don’t need long term contract will know when to go if results don’t our way ,you were building a team that could do something in Europe as you wanted to prove what a manager you are with the backroom bhoys with you .Now after the win on Saturday we all knew what was going on his body language told you everything but this job for spurs did not happen overnight his agent has been in England looking for something for a few months now let me and family enjoy the win taking a holiday Sunday agrees and then Monday signs a 4year contact something he would not do with us as don’t need a contract he likes the pressure of rolling contact he is not a man of his word was he like others using us away to a means to move on to England if we did not take him from Japan he would still be there as no one had heard of him before us .We as supporters should not get sucked in by the chest beating the badge air pumping as if he was one of us well he’s not ,liked when he was here but now no he has let us down big time as we always understood he would have seen out another year or two ,but no and he should have been honest on Saturday when asked or even Sunday after the win