Ange Postecoglou confirmed as new manager of Celtic

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 4 Jan 2023 08:31 GMT

Celtic have announced the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as their new manager.

The 55-year-old had emerged as a target for the managerial role at Celtic Park over the last few weeks following the breakdown in talks with Eddie Howe, who was believed to be the number one choice for the club.

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Postecoglou will replace Neil Lennon, who left the club at the back end of the 2020/21 campaign after surrendering the Scottish Premiership to Rangers.

Celtic were going for a historic 10th title in a row, but performances dropped off a cliff from the previous nine seasons which allowed Rangers to win their first championship in a decade and the first under Steven Gerrard.

Following his appointment, Postecoglou would describe the job as an "honour".

"The opportunity that has been given to me is one of the greatest honours in football," he said.

"The responsibility to lead our magnificent football club into the future is one that I will cherish dearly.

"I know Celtic is a true way of life for so many people and I know the demands which come with this position - I am ready to do all I can to meet those demands.

"I will be doing everything I can to get our great club back on top and, at the same time, deliver the kind of football which our fans appreciate. We want to entertain our fans and we want to win, these are the objectives which I always set myself and which I now begin work on.

"We have already begun work on our plans for adding to the squad - we aim to bring players of quality to Celtic to enhance the existing core of great talent."

Who is Ange Postecoglou?

Postecoglou was born in Greece before moving to Melbourne at age five.

From there, he developed a love of football from the United Kingdom in particular.

In his first interview with Celtic TV, he admitted to having a poster of Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish on his wall as a child.

He is very much known for his attacking philosophy when it comes to football. He likes to play flowing football on the pitch and for his players to instigate a high-press at the top of the pitch.

Though Postecoglou is perhaps not well-known to football fans in Europe, he enjoys a huge reputation in Asia.

He guided Australia to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and also to Russia in 2018, though he wasn't in charge for the latter tournament.

In 2019 he won the J-League with Yokahama.