Tottenham to step up Ange Postecoglou pursuit next week after Celtic boss impresses Daniel Levy | OneFootball

Postecoglou is a contender to permanently succeed Antonio Conte and is said to have impressed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who is leading the club's search for a new head coach and director of football.

Among Postecoglou’s admirers at Spurs is the club's incoming chief football officer Scott Munn, a fellow Australian who knows Postecoglou personally and is set to officially become Levy's de facto No2 from July.

Any serious discussions with Postecoglou - who is on a 12-month rolling contract at Parkhead - will have to wait until after Celtic face Inverness in this weekend's showpiece at Hampden Park, with the Bhoys aiming to seal an eighth domestic treble.

At 57, the former Australia and Yokohama Marinos boss does not fit the profile of an up-and-coming coach, in the mould of Mauricio Pochettino in 2014, that Spurs had initially hoped to hire.

However, he has restored Celtic's domestic dominance since succeeding Neil Lennon in summer 2021, and earned plaudits for his high-octane style of play, canny recruitment and charisma.

Levy has held talks with Luis Enrique, the out-of-work former Barcelona and Spain coach who is wanted by Serie A champions Napoli as a replacement for Luciano Spalletti. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis yesterday claimed Enrique “has the Premier League in mind” for his next job.

Feyenoord boss Arne Slot last week ruled himself out of the running for Spurs by signing a new contract at De Kuip, while the north London club have insisted that they do not plan to interview Julian Nagelsmann, who is a free agent after being sacked by Bayern Munich.