On the day the Celtic coach emerged as the bookies’ favourite to succeed Antonio Conte at the Premier League club, Redknapp – who led Spurs into the Champions League during his four-year tenure – described the ex-Socceroos and Yokohama F. Marinos coach as “a perfect fit” for Tottenham.
Postecoglou jumped into the spotlight after Feyenoord’s Dutch title-winning mentor Arne Slot made it clear he would rather lead his team into a Champions League campaign next season than take on the accursed quest of ending Tottenham’s now 15-year stretch without a trophy.
Yet Redknapp believes Postecoglou – on the cusp of a domestic treble in Scotland – might just succeed where the likes of Jose Mourinho and Conte have failed.
The secret recipe? According to Redknapp the answer is simple – the restoration of Spurs’ traditional emphasis on free-wheeling adventure and entertainment.
That was the seat-of-your-pants approach under Redknapp at the Old White Hart Lane, a philosophy further embellished by Chelsea-bound Mauricio Pochettino during his five-year reign.
Postecoglou, Redknapp maintains, would bring back the showbiz fizz.
“The moment Spurs sacked Conte back in March (to install serial caretakers Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason) Ange Postecoglou’s name was the first one that jumped into my mind,” Redknapp told FTBL.
“I mentioned it to plenty of other people also because I genuinely feel he’d be a perfect fit for Tottenham.
“I thought he’d be a front runner then for sure but nothing seemed to happen (until the club was initially linked with ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann).
“But now I see Ange is very much in the frame and that’s a shame for Celtic fans because he’s done an incredible job there.
“But this is the Premier League we’re talking about here. You saw that with Steven Gerrard who did a great job at Rangers and then got his chance at Aston Villa.
“I think if Spurs make an approach it will be a difficult one for Ange to turn down. He’s been excellent – you only have to see the way his teams play.
It’s great on the eye and I feel he’d be a great choice for Tottenham. I think Spurs need to be less timid and have a go at teams, when I was there we played with two wingers home and away in Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale and played on the front foot.
“That’s the way I like to see teams play and I think that’s what the supporters want. Ange would bring that sort of approach.”
Redknapp, who won the FA Cup with Portsmouth and also managed West Ham, Southampton, Bournemouth and QPR, went head-to-head with Postecoglou, 57, during a brief stint as Jordan’s caretaker boss in 2016 – and came off second best.
The Socceroos brushed past Redknapp’s men 5-1 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier, leaving the 76-year-old suitably impressed.
“Back then Timmy Cahill told me what a fantastic coach he is and that was good enough for me,” added Redknapp.
“I knew he had to be good if Timmy was bigging him up that much and I’m not really surprised at what he’s achieved. I’m sure there’s a lot more to come yet.”
Some social media cynics – in a similar vein to those who questioned Postecoglou’s appointment at Parkhead two seasons ago – are asking ‘Ange who?’
The implication being that Postecoglou would be just another stop-gap to briefly tread the Tottenham coaching treadmill before being spat out in the fashion of Nuno Espírito Santo, Tim Sherwood, Andre Villas Boas and Juande Ramos.
However Redknapp added: “I was impressed when I met Ange, and he’s been wonderful for Celtic – even though some people didn’t know much about him and thought he might a struggle there.
“No disrespect to Celtic but when a Premier League club like Tottenham shows interest then you have to take notice.
“They have a football stadium as good as anywhere in the World and an amazing training ground – now they need to get things right on the pitch.
“They clearly need to bring in some new players in different areas and Ange has already shown at Celtic how clever he is with his recruitment, especially bringing in the quality boys from Japan, which is obviously a market he knows very well.
“If the club can keep him, Tottenham still have the best centre forward around, for me, in Harry Kane – so it’s a great opportunity there for Ange.
“I hope Spurs sort things out soon and get cracking at making a decision.”
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