Celtic's summer anxiety levels post Ange Postecoglou could be further spiked in the next week - as government officials prepare to remove the red tape which would stop the Aussie from taking top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi to Tottenham too.
The news emerged on the day Postecoglou was confirmed as Spurs’ latest boss on a four-year deal. Record Sport understands the Home Office is expected to relax current work permit regulations as part of an ongoing review of football governance south of the border. And a final decision is set to be rubber-stamped at Westminster and handed to the game’s governing bodies before the summer transfer window opens for business next Wednesday.
Under the terms of the existing hardline criteria in England the likes of Kyogo and Parkhead team mate Reo Hatate would fail to qualify for a move to the Premier League based on their appearance quota for Japan’s national team. Those rules had to be specifically tailored to suit Scottish football following Brexit when, In December 2021, the SPFL successfully argued for an exemption - as Postecoglou ramped up plans for a January recruitment drive from the Far East.
After a period of intense lobbying from English clubs, the UK government is understood to be considering a change to the regulations which would bring the rules on both sides of the border more into line. And that could open up the chances of Postecoglou returning to his old club for transfer targets as well as tapping into the cut price Asian market which he plundered so prolifically during his two years in Glasgow.
Kyogo has been his crown jewel capture since a bargain £4.5million move from J-League club Visel Kobe. In two seasons at Celtic the 28-year-old smashed home 54 goals as the club secured back-to-back titles under Postecoglou. But, despite his blistering form, he was left out of his country’s World Cup squad for Qatar along with Hatate.
Postecoglou’s first major decision in north London will be over the future of England skipper Harry Kane who has one year left on his Tottenham deal but is believed to be a £100m target for Real Madrid. If the government gives him the green light then he may suddenly regard Kyogo as a viable option as he looks to reinvent the Spurs attack.
The 57-year-old was confirmed as Antonio Conte’s successor yesterday morning and also revealed he had turned down a new deal to extend his stay at Parkhead. In a statement released by the top flight champions Postecoglou admitted he had declined to sign a new deal after talks with major shareholder Dermot Desmond, chairman Peter Lawwell and CEO Michael Nicholson.
He said: “I would like to sincerely thank everyone at the club for everything they have given me. In particular, Dermot, Peter and Michael and the Celtic board have shown me support in every aspect of my time at Celtic and I will forever be grateful for this.
"They brought me to the club and I have worked so closely and so well with them for the past two years, I will always have a special relationship with them. They wanted me to extend my time at Celtic and while I am so respectful and understanding of their position, a new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore.”
The statement confirmed Celtic have begun the search for Postecoglou’s successor, with former boss Brendan Rodgers heading a field of candidates which include Manchester City assistant boss Enzo Maresca and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter. Lawwell - who will have a key role in the hunt - said: “Of course, we are disappointed that Ange has decided to leave the club and we did all we could to keep him with us well into the future but he wanted to take this new opportunity and we wish Ange well in this and everything else he does.
“Now our focus is very much on ensuring we move forward positively and do all we can to ensure that we maintain our dominant position in Scottish football and also prepare for the exciting European challenges which lie ahead.”
In confirming Postecolgou’s appointment Spurs added that further announcements regarding the make-up of his backroom team would follow in the coming days. And that leaves huge question marks still hanging over the positions of Postecoglou’s coaching staff including John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan, who could still join the Australian in Tottenham.
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