Ange Postecoglou has distanced himself from becoming Jurgen Klopp’s successor at Liverpool, insisting he is only just getting started at Tottenham.
Klopp’s announcement last month that he will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season has sparked intense conjecture about who would replace him.
Following an outstanding first season in north London, Postecoglou’s name has been associated with bookmakers’ favorite, former Reds player Xabi Alonso, who is currently in charge of Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga. However, Postecoglou maintains that he is only focused on the role he took on last summer.
“I may be on a shortlist, [but] I don’t think I want to say anything about that because I don’t think that’s ever going to enter my brain space for what are my priorities in life and profession right now,” Postecoglou responded when asked if he was aware of the claims connecting his name to Liverpool.
“Well, I am [just getting started]. I don’t just feel [like it] — I am. I’ve only been here seven months, so that’s self-explanatory.
“I’ve been at pains to say we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of the football we want to play, team we want to be, squad we want to have. We’ve had two positive windows. I think we’ve had two positive campaigns, a decent campaign so far, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Quizzed on whether there is any doubt he will be in the Spurs dugout next season, the Aussie replied: “That’s what I’m talking about. That’s the funny space when we talk about managers.
“When we’re not going well, then there’s questioning about whether we’re going to be here. When you’re potentially going OK there’s still questioning about whether you’re going to be here. The reality of it is: most of it is out of our hands. I’m never worried about that.
“I’ve got a history of 26 years of management where you can see pretty clearly what I do. I rely on that as my a justification for my mental processes. For now, the focus is on helping Tottenham finish the season strong and making sure we’re working hard to lay a solid basis for our future selves.
That is only possible if my entire attention is on the benefits that these final 14 games can provide for us.
“Who cares if [the Liverpool connections] are merely people making up names? Really, folks? Ultimately, though, if I’m doing a good job, perhaps people will recognize it in some way — whatever that way may be. But I’m not interested in so-called “chat.”
