Celtic

Celtic: Two potential knock-on effects of Ange Postecoglou exit amid Brighton rumours

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Image for Celtic: Two potential knock-on effects of Ange Postecoglou exit amid Brighton rumours

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is admired by Brighton & Hove Albion, who are now looking for a new manager.

That is according to a report in The Telegraph, which states that it is particularly unlikely the Australian manager will abandon his work at Parkhead, especially with the club currently competing in the Champions League group stages.

However, following Graham Potter’s departure to Chelsea, if Brighton were to offer the current Celtic manager a contract at the Amex Stadium, it would be interesting to see whether the former Australia boss would turn down the riches of the Premier League. 

But what would that mean for Celtic? Let’s take a look at two potential knock-on effects if Postecoglou was to move south of the border during the season…

Rivals gifted route into title race

Make no mistake, if Postecoglou was to suddenly have a change of heart and leave Parkhead for Brighton – or any other club during the campaign – it would likely cause a large amount of unrest and turmoil at the Glasgow giants.

The immediate worry would be keeping the focus of the team on the on-pitch matters – something which would be much easier said than done – and there could be a strong possibility that Rangers’ – who would have, at least in theory, a more settled squad and manager – could take advantage of a wobble in Celtic’s form that would come with Postecoglou leaving and a replacement coming in.

After a 4-0 victory over their fierce rivals in their last Premiership fixture, Celtic currently have a five-point lead at the top of the league table, however, it would only take a small wobble to see that lead cut down at this early stage.

Therefore, we think that it would be in the club’s best interests to keep the Australian happy at the club for the remainder of the season to avoid the turmoil if he suddenly left for pastures new and keep their momentum going.

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Interesting first question, how many Celtic fans were inside Ibrox?

Players follow Ange out

Should Postecoglou leave Celtic Park, it would be understandable if there were members of the current squad who were devastated by his departure, and could potentially be lured over to wherever the 57-year-old ends up.

Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi are just two of the players who would likely be devastated by his departure, with Postecoglou knowledgable of both players from their time in the Japanese top flight – and having Maeda on his books at Yokohama F. Marinos. The disharmony this could cause may lead to a loss of form, or a mass exodus of acquisitions that were brought to the club on Postecoglou’s watch.

It would be interesting to see whether the current Celtic manager felt that these players could adapt to a new style of football, especially if he were to make a move to an English Premier League club, but either way, there would surely be plenty of unrest at Postecoglou’s departure from within the squad.

TIF Thoughts…

Would Postecoglou move during the season to take up another job? Would Celtic’s form dramatically decline should he leave? How would the club’s players react if he took another job?

It’s a number of questions which Celtic fans will hope they don’t have to answer anytime soon.

While the reports suggest the Hoops boss is unlikely to take up the reins at Brighton, it is interesting to note amid the rumours that it could be quite a seismic shock for the club, its players and its short-term future.

All of that is hypothetical, but we would not be surprised if these events occurred if Postecoglou was persuaded to jump ship – laying bare the importance of Celtic retaining their manager’s services and keeping his flourishing Parkhead project alive.

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