Ange Postecoglou will not be taking long-time assistant Peter Cklamovski to Tottenham Hotspur with him - paving the way for John Kennedy to move south of the border.
The Aussie is set to be confirmed as Spurs manager today and it is understood that he is trying to bring key members of the Celtic backroom team with him.
Assistant Kennedy, first-team coach Gavin Strachan and video analyst Greg Wallace are all on Postecoglou’s wishlist as he aims to hit the ground running in his first Premier League position.
One man who will not be joining Postecoglou though is his long-term No2 Cklamovski, who the 57-year-old worked alongside at Panachaiki, Australia and Yokohama F Marinos.
The Australian coach with Macedonian heritage has built up an impressive managerial CV of his own in recent years with a hugely successful stint at J2 League outfit Montedio Yamagata where he is widely known as the greatest manager in the club’s entire history.
Cklamovski holds the highest points per game average and highest win percentage of anyone to ever manage the “The Eagle Bees”, but he is currently out of work after leaving the Japanese club earlier this year.
The 44-year-old is ready to return to work as a manager in his own right, meaning he will not be hooking up with his old mate Postecoglou in his new position in North London.
With this in mind, Postecoglou is determined to bring his Celtic assistant Kennedy with him for a shot in England’s top-flight, despite the Scottish Champions fighting to keep hold of their man.
Kennedy was also assistant to Brendan Rodgers during his time in Glasgow, but he decided against leaving Parkhead with him when he moved to Leicester City four years ago.
Postecoglou’s pending appointment will end Spurs’ long search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte, who they sacked in March.
Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason had respective spells in temporary charge as the London club failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10.
Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend.
Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted.
Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised.
When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.”
ENDS
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