Dermot Desmond's feelings on Ange Postecoglou's Celtic exit revealed - 'a very clever man who absolutely loved him'

Ange Postecoglou left Celtic for Spurs this summer.

Postecoglou departed Celtic following two hugely successful seasons in Glasgow to take up the manager’s role at Spurs in June. The Australian has started life in north London with a bang, winning four of his five opening Premier League matches ahead of this afternoon’s eagerly anticipated derby clash with Arsenal. And Redknapp, a former Tottenham boss, has revealed how devastated the Irish business tycoon was to see his manager leave for pastures new.

Writing in a column for The Sun, Redknapp said: “When I was manager of Jordan for a short time, we played Ange’s Australia side – and lost 5-1. One of his senior players, Tim Cahill, was so bullish about him that I kept a close eye on how things developed. During Ange’s time at Celtic, I remember speaking to majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, a very clever man who absolutely loved him. They were choked when he left. But I thought he would be right for Tottenham and so far, so good."

Redknapp believes Postecoglou’s experiences of managing Celtic in and Old Firm derby against Rangers will stand him in good stead for the clash against Arsenal. “Ange has been involved in Old Firm games, which are as fierce as anyone could manage,” he added. “Just like in Glasgow, this is an important day for both sets of fans. It’s only the sixth game of the season but it can set the tone.” Arsenal want to win the title this season. To do that, they need to win this game."