Ange Postecoglou told only Celtic star capable of following him to Tottenham: ‘He’s been a breath of fresh air’
Former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton has named the only Celtic player he feels is capable of following Ange Postecoglou to north London this summer.
Postecoglou’s switch to the Premier League led to inevitable rumours that some of coaching staff and players would end up coming with him, but so far that has proved not to be the case.
The reigning Scottish Premiership champions made it clear that the likes of John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan would be staying put, leaving Postecoglou to form a new coaching set up.
In terms of which players are being linked with a switch, Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley, Jota and Reo Hatate are the names most mentioned.
However, Hutton thinks that midfielder Hatate is the most likely to succeed if he swaps Scotland for England.
The 25-year-old was outstanding for the Bhoys last season as they claimed an historic treble under Postecoglou.
The Japan international scored nine goals and added 11 assists in 45 games in all competitions and has previously stated that he wants to move to one of the top five leagues in Europe – if he decides to quit Glasgow.
Hatate a good bet for Tottenham
And Hatate, whose contract runs until 2026, is capable of playing in the English Premier League, according to Hutton.
He told Football Insider, when speaking about Hatate’s chances of a switch to Spurs: “I am really interested to see how this plays out.
“Not from a Rangers point of view but to see if he can go down there and handle that. He has done so well and has been a breath of fresh air since he came to Celtic.
“You always hear these rumours circulating if your own manager moves to another club.
“I do potentially think that Hatate has got the opportunity with his age, he is still young, to go down there.”
Hatate’s current value on Transfermarkt stands at €11million although, given the remaining years left on his contract, Celtic are likely to try and demand double that figure.
It just remains to be seen whether Postecoglou is happy to potentially sour his relationship with Celtic and the club’s fans by trying to poach their best players.
But at this early stage of the summer window, it appears that he is steering clear of Glasgow in his bid to strengthen the Tottenham squad.
