Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has no idea he’s ‘shortlisted’ for England job as he spent afternoon ASLEEP

5 months ago 43

ANGE POSTECOGLOU last night insisted he’s got no interest in the England job.

The Tottenham boss is reportedly one of the names in the frame to replace Gareth Southgate.

FA chiefs are seeking a replacement for Gareth Southgate[/caption]

But Big Ange vows he’s fully focused on bringing success to Spurs.

Asked about the speculation after his side’s 5-1 friendly win over Hearts, the Aussie said: “Mate, I was having a nap this afternoon, so I’ve got no idea!

“I’m Tottenham manager and I’m determined to bring success to this club, as I have with every other club I have been at. That’s where my focus is totally.

“We haven’t achieved anything yet, so until we achieve something, my work isn’t done.”

Asked if the England job would interest him one day, Postecoglou added: “Mate, five years ago I was in Japan, and now I’m in the Premier League.

“Who knows where I’ll be in five years? I could be back in Japan, I could be on a beach somewhere, hopefully!

“It’s not something that enters my headspace, I’m Tottenham manager and I’m determined to bring success to this club. Nothing else is on my radar except for that.”

Eddie Howe is the favourite to succeed Southgate who quit after the Euros final.

Southgate's gone - now it's time to go foreign

By Dave Kidd

There is a natural preference to appoint an English successor.

And in an ideal world, the England manager should always be English. But this is not an ideal scenario.

So the FA must be ambitious in sounding out the best man for the job, regardless of nationality.

Because England need a manager who would gain instant respect with players, who would be tactically bold enough to take on Spain and a strong enough character to deal with Jude Bellingham’s Real Madrid Galactico status, which threatens to cause future issues within the England squad. Yes, when the FA have gone foreign in the past, it hasn’t worked out well.

Yet the problem with Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello was that neither had any previous involvement in English football.

They lacked knowledge and understanding of the football culture — indeed, Capello barely spoke the language.

Now there is a wealth of overseas managerial talent with significant Premier League experience, including Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel.

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Under-21s’ boss Lee Carsley and Graham Potter are also believed to be under consideration and on the FA’s list.

But Postecoglou joked: “I reckon by the end of it there will probably be 100 on it, so I’m in the top 100, thank you, that’s decent!”

Postecoglou has hailed the job Southgate did before handing in his resignation earlier this week, adding: “In my career I’ve always felt there was a natural conclusion.

“Sometimes as a manager that gets taken out of your hands, so you’ve got no choice about whether you move on or not.

“I’ve always moved on when I’ve felt it was the right time, so he’s the best judge of that.

“He’s done an unbelievable job, ridiculously good in terms of results and performances at major tournaments.

“The expectations are now really high for England, and he’s created that.

“But he is in the best place to say that it was time for him, and as managers, a lot of the time our future’s taken out of our own hands.

“It’s nice when we make the decision sometimes.”

Hearts boss Steven Naismith was left gutted by the heavy defeat – but insists his side learned valuable lessons.

He added: “I thought it was a really good night. The game comes probably a bit earlier than we ideally want in pre-season.

“The game gets a bit stretched toward the end when we are bringing on some young guys who are just making their way in the game and the young players they are bringing on have been bought for £10million.”