Top target Ange Postecoglou is set to disappoint Leicester as they look to secure a quick-fire replacement for Brendan Rodgers.
The English Premier League outfit have placed the Celtic manager and Graham Potter at the head of their shortlist as they hunt a new boss. But Leicester chiefs are aware they may have to appoint a stop-gap until the end of the season if they want either of their top choices with Rafa Benitez among the candidates for a short-term salvage role.
Postecoglou is wanted but with the Aussie on the verge of a second-successive title and a potential treble, the Midlands club are aware he’ll be staying in Glasgow and they won’t get him now. Leicester’s financial issues – which saw them post £92.5million losses last month – could also scare off Postecoglou and the King Power job is not the attractive proposition it was when Rodgers upped sticks in February 2019.
City’s Thai owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha is due back in the UK to lead the search for a new manager to replace Rodgers. The 19th-placed club’s first-team coaches Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell are preparing the team for tonight’s home league game with Aston Villa.
But chief executive Susan Whelan and director of football Jon Rudkin have started work to identify a successor to Rodgers. Ex-Brighton and Chelsea coach Potter, who was on Leicester’s short-list when they originally appointed Rodgers in February 2019, sits alongside Postecoglou at the top of the wish list.
But the 47-year-old needs convincing to step straight back into the game after his brutally short-lived reign at Stamford Bridge, which ended on Sunday. Leicester are in the Premier League’s relegation zone with just 10 games of the season left fighting for their top-flight.
Postecoglou, on the other hand, is hunting more silverware and reckons his Celtic high-flyers have surpassed some brilliant sides with their remarkable run. And the relentless boss insists his team are determined to keep pushing further and have targeted a flawless end to their Premiership campaign.
Postecoglou’s side have won the Viaplay Cup and stayed firmly on course for a second-straight title courtesy of a 29-game unbeaten domestic run. Celtic have won 28 of those matches with one draw during a magnificently-consistent spell over an almost seven-month spell which also has them in the hunt for a Scottish Cup triumph.
Six wins from their remaining eight games would be enough to guarantee the title and that figure will reduce to just four if they sink Rangers on Saturday. But Postecoglou said: “It is a remarkable run and there has been some brilliant sides in our game that this group have surpassed in terms of that and in terms of a start to a season.
“Just as pleasing for me is the level of performance. For the most part we have had good, strong levels of performance every week. Ultimately, the key part is still ahead of us. There are eight games to go and 24 points we want to get. That is our target.”
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