Age Postecoglou vetoed Tottenham Hotspur reunion with former Celtic star

Ange Postecoglou rejected the opportunity to bring Jota to Tottenham Hotspur

According to Graeme Bailey of 90min (h/t The Glasgow Times), Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou opted against signing former Celtic star Jota after taking the reins in north London earlier this summer.

The Australian manager built himself a reputation in the north of the United Kingdom after helping Celtic retake their spot as SPL top dogs from Rangers. A dynamic Hoops side played some scintillating football, earning Postecoglou rave reviews for his tactics and management.

While this earned him a move to Tottenham, he has done little to take along his stars from Celtic Park. One of them was Jota, who made a name for himself under Postecoglou in the SPL.

The 24-year-old can play on either wing and was one of Celtic’s star players last season. The Portuguese ace scored 15 goals and made 12 assists in 43 games across all competitions as Celtic won the domestic double in 2022-23.

This earned Jota a big money move to Saudi Arabian giants Al-Ittihad. That move has now turned thorny with the player available for a transfer. Despite being on the market, Postecoglou opted to sign Brennan Johnson over the former Celtic man.

It makes sense for Postecoglou to go for Johnson given the youngster’s stature in the Premier League. Jota might be a good player but the expectations of a Premier League side are far higher than one would expect from Celtic.

Also, it makes little sense for us to bring in players who might not be a proper fit for the system. Johnson isn’t just the far more enterprising option but his versatility makes him a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s system.

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Players joining their managers at new clubs is no new thing and Erik ten Hag is stealing a living from doing just that at Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp meanwhile has not signed any former players at Liverpool while Pep Guardiola has done so just once with Thiago Alcantara.

It is good to see that Postecoglou’s tactics aren’t dependent on players he is familiar with and can be adapted to the situation. Given how he already has us playing one-touch football, the future appears bright in north London.