Ange Postecoglou’s name has suddenly emerged amid the feverish speculation over who will become the next England national soccer team manager -- but the Australian is adamant it's all news to him.
British newspaper the Daily Telegraph has led the reports that Tottenham’s much admired boss is expected to be on the list of candidates being considered by the Football Association to take over from Gareth Southgate.
Southgate resigned this week 48 hours after England were beaten in the Euro 2024 final by Spain in Germany.
The Telegraph reports 58-year-old Postecoglou has been tracked by the FA for years, with technical director John McDermott an admirer of his successful and attractive attacking ethos with the Australian national team, Japan's Yokohama F Marinos, Scotland's Celtic and now Premier League Spurs.
But his link to one of the biggest jobs in world soccer was seemingly a total surprise to Postecoglou when asked about it after Tottenham beat Scottish club Hearts 5-1 in a friendly in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
"I am at the start of pre-season and am the Tottenham manager, so I have got nothing else but trying to bring success to this football club," Postecoglou told Sky Sports News.
"Until I do that, there is no point in me thinking about anything else.
"I had a nap this afternoon, so I have no idea what is going on."
Asked if he would consider a return to an international job in the future, Postecoglou said of his Socceroos spell: "I enjoyed my time. I had four great years.
"We won the Asia Cup and qualified for the World Cup, but with all these things there is always a natural end, and I thought it was a natural end for me there.
"I loved coaching the national team. In the future, who knows? Five years ago I was in Japan, and now I am in the Premier League."
Postecoglou's attraction for the FA does not seem outlandish, after the manner in which he guided Spurs, a club in some turmoil with their star player Harry Kane heading overseas, to a fifth-place finish in his first season at the helm.
There has been, naturally, huge interest over Southgate’s successor, with Newcastle manager Eddie Howe the leading candidate, much to the chagrin of the Magpies who have vowed to resist any approaches for their English boss.
Other much-tipped names have included England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley, who led them to the European Championship last year, and Jurgen Klopp, who left Liverpool at the end of the season but seems more like a fantasy target.
The names of Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel have also cropped up amid a seemingly endless wish list.
England’s next match will be against the Republic of Ireland on 7 September in the Nations League, with an interim manager to be chosen by that point should a full-time successor not be on board by then.
