New Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou said he would do everything possible to ensure the London side returns to playing exciting football after taking over the reins at the English Premier League club.
Spurs appointed the Australian as their new manager on a four-year contract this week and the former Celtic coach has his work cut out after the north London side finished eighth and missed out on European football.
The club’s fans have longed for the exciting brand of football they played in the halcyon days under Mauricio Pochettino, when they were league title contenders and even reached the Champions League final in 2019.
Postecoglou, who finished his career at Celtic with a domestic treble last week, said the Spurs job represented an “exciting opportunity” for the club to go in a new direction.
“(We want to) play football and create an environment that embodies the values and traditions of this fantastic football club, hopefully a team you can all be proud of and, more importantly, get excited by,” Postecoglou said in a statement.
“I can assure you that, right through pre-season, we won’t leave any stone unturned – myself, the staff and the players – to make sure that, when the league comes around, you’ll all be as excited as I am about the season ahead.
“I really look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium, in particular at our first home game and look forward to the journey ahead.”
Postecoglou, who was due to head off on holiday this week, has many urgent matters in his in-tray, not least the future of star striker Harry Kane.
Postecoglou will take charge of Spurs on July 1, but his first match will be on home turf in Australia when they play newly-crowned Europa Conference League champions West Ham United in a pre-season friendly in Perth, on July 18.
Australian Associated Press