'They wouldn't dare' - Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou insists no Tottenham talks held before cup final

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has laid on the line he has held no talks this week with his representatives over a move to Tottenham Hotspur – even as speculation has ramped up that the Greek-Australian could be appointed by the London club within days of Saturday’s Scottish Cup final.

Ange Postecoglou took Celtic training on Thursday as speculation swirled over a move to Tottenham. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The 57-year-old seemed no less than disdainful over an enquiry concerning any such potential discussions when gearing his squad up for a showpiece against Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle in which they will bid to complete the treble.

“They know better than to ask me anything this week mate, let me tell you,” he said of the Base Soccer agency that handle his affairs. “They know me very well. They wouldn’t dare ask me about anything. I know you find that surprising. I haven’t spoken to them about a million other things going on here as well. It’s not just about me. This football club is planning for next year, planning to bring players in. There is a full range of conversations going on, but my focus is on making sure we win a game of football which is very very important to us.”

The mantra has remained the same for Postecoglou since the interest in him from Spurs began to firm up following the club unsuccessfully exploring other avenues - most notably in relation to Feyenoord manager Arne Slot. The Celtic manager neither engages directly with such links, nor commits beyond the immediate future to his current post as they unsettle the Glasgow club’s support. He stayed true to that approach when it was put to him that Spurs’ pursuit in his services had more weight to it than any previously-credited English interest.

“This time last week it was a different story. It was somebody else linked. That’s just the way it works,” Postecoglou said. “Whether it carries weight or not, what is important to know is that it makes no difference to me. It makes no difference to the way I behave or think or prepare. I didn’t wake up this morning thinking about anything other than getting training right and making sure we are ready for Saturday. I understand that’s not how everyone else thinks.

“But you are not invested in this football club. You are not Celtic supporters. You are not part of this club like I am and the players are. Saturday means everything to us, everything. So it doesn’t enter my sphere that I am going to be distracted – as I hope the players wouldn’t be – by matters in their own lives. If our focus is not on Saturday then the stories become very, very different after the game. The questions become very, very different.”