After the announcement of Jurgen Klopp's eventual departure from Liverpool, rumours have emerged that Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is a contender to take over at Anfield.
The Australian manager is only half-a-season into his four-year contract as Spurs boss but currently has the team sitting in the top four while playing an attacking style of football.
With the Reds looking to appoint a new coach in the coming off-season, The Sporting News looks at Postecoglou's chances of being at Liverpool next season.
Ange Postecoglou dismisses Liverpool links
Saturday, February 17
When asked if he was flattered to be linked by the press to the Liverpool job prior to the home match against Wolves, Postecoglou said the rumours were of 'no interest'.
"It doesn’t matter, but at the end of the day, if I’m doing a good job then hopefully people will acknowledge that in one form or another — whatever that form is," he said at a press conference.
"But so-called ‘chat’, really? That’s of no interest to me."
Postecoglou was adamant that he was only focused on Wolves and reiterated that it was only the beginning at Tottenham.
"I may be on a shortlist? 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 my profession right now,” he said.
"Well I am (just getting started at Spurs). Not just feel — I am. I’ve only been here seven months, so that’s self-explanatory."
With coaches often under pressure when losing matches, Postecoglou hinted at the irony of his linking with Liverpool, with Spurs performing above expectations and sitting in the top four.
"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," Postecoglou mused.
"When you’re potentially going OK, there’s still questions about whether you’re going to be here. The reality of it is — most of it is out of our hands."
"Right now it’s about finishing the season strongly with Tottenham and making sure we’re trying to establish a really strong foundation for who we want to be in the years to come.
"That can only happen if I’m totally focused on what these last 14 games can bring for us."
Why is Ange Postecoglou linked with Liverpool
Postecoglou took over a Tottenham team that finished eighth last season and missed out on European qualification.
The Australian also had to deal with the departure of club legend Harry Kane to Bayern Munich as the start of the season approached.
With a squad that many critics believed to be lacking depth and quality, Postecoglou has steered Spurs to be fourth on the Premier League table currently.
This improvement has been achieved with a relentless, unique attacking style of football and despite several hurdles.
After starting the season on fire and leading the league through the early stages, injuries struck Spurs through November with the likes of James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Sarr all absent.
This saw Tottenham fail to win in five games, including four losses, despite going up 1-0 in each match.
However, Postecoglou rallied the troops and has kept Tottenham in and around the top four since.
The achievement is even more impressive when it is noted that club talisman Son Heung-min spent most of January at the Asian Cup with South Korea.
Postecoglou's link with the Liverpool job started when he admitted to being a Reds fan as a child prior to the season starting.
"Like any kid, I had posters up on my wall, so Liverpool was my team," Postecoglou revealed in a pre-season press conference.
Now with the Liverpool job vacant and his initial improvement of Tottenham, it's only natural that the Australian is mentioned as being a contender for the role.
Postecoglou Liverpool interview rumour
Australian journalist Andy Maher revealed a source of his said Postecoglou had been invited by Liverpool to discuss the vacant managerial position.
"So, this is what I’ve received today (from my source) with a, ‘take it to the bank’, right," Maher said on SEN's The Run Home.
"I’m not going to mention who it is (but the message reads), ‘Postecoglou’s manager Frank Trimboli has formally received ‘an invitation to discuss his potential interest in the Liverpool Football Club managerial position'."
Maher also stated he believed Postecoglou would leave Tottenham if offered the Liverpool job.
"Let’s not lose sight of the fact about this - he is a passionate Liverpool man," Maher said.
"Liverpool fans have shown that, ‘If you are one of us … and you have success’, you are on the fast track to become an immortal at Anfield.
"He’s got to go (if Liverpool make him an offer). He may never get another chance."
Would Postecoglou leave Tottenham after only one season?
So far, Postecoglou has given no indication he could leave Spurs at the end of the season and seems to be committed to the project.
However, Postecoglou has previous form from leaving a 'smaller' job for a 'bigger' one after only a short time in charge.
After only one season with A-League side Melbourne Victory in 2012-13, the tactician left the club to take the Australian national team at the start of the following domestic campaign.
Jurgen Klopp replacement: Next Liverpool manager candidates
Xabi Alonso
Former Spain and Real Madrid midfielder Alonso was a crowd favourite during his five years at Anfield under Rafael Benitez. Alonso is now arguably the most highly touted young coach in Europe, having led Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga ahead of the mighty Bayern Munich, going unbeaten through the first 27 matches in all competitions in 2023/24.
Slaying Bayern would amount to taking a page out of the Klopp playbook from the latter's time in charge of Borussia Dortmund. It feels like Alonso should be the man who Liverpool make their immediate priority.
Pep Lijnders
One of the main reasons for the shock behind Klopp's incredible announcement is Liverpool's current form. As of January 26, the Red were five points clear at the top of the Premier League, playing their best football of the season and enjoying the fruits of a summer midfield refit that featured the additions of standout players Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
If you wanted a continuity candidate to oversee this new team's next stage of development, then perhaps it would be better to look no further than Klopp's longtime No. 2 Lijnders. Liverpool's statement on Klopp's departure said the Dutchman would also leave his position as assistant "to pursue his own career in management". Who says that can't be at Anfield?
Ange Postecoglou
One of the teams who could still have a say on whether or not Klopp departs with a second Premier League title are Postecoglou's freewheeling Tottenham. The Australian tactician's instant impact in north London — playing attractive, forward-thinking football and tapping into fan sentiment — has echoes of Klopp's early days on Merseyside.
His decorated stint in charge of Celtic also showed he is capable of leading a fabled institution where the weight of history can simultaneously be a blessing and a curse. Additionally, Postecoglou was also a boyhood Liverpool fan, even though he sought to play down the relevance of this before facing the Reds earlier this season.
"Look, I used to love Happy Days back then, too, but I don't have pictures of the Fonz on my wall today, either," he quipped.
Roberto De Zerbi
De Zerbi is a man linked with every big job that comes around nowadays, something that is very much a testament to the phenomenal job the Italian has done at Brighton & Hove Albion. In terms of tacticians pushing the boundaries of what is possible for an attacking football team, there are few better out there right now.
It could be suggested that De Zerbi's tendency to play "in the red" all the time makes him ill-suited to a post where trophies are expected. Klopp came through similar doubts early on at Liverpool but, of course, had a recent history of winning league titles at Dortmund to back up his methods. Additionally, much like Postecoglou, De Zerbi perhaps feels like more of a fit to succeed Pep Guardiola if he leaves at the end of his current Manchester City contract in 2025.
MORE: How many trophies has Jurgen Klopp won? All titles, finals lost
Steven Gerrard
After winning the Scottish Premiership with Rangers in 2020/21, Gerrard looked like the anointed heir to Klopp, who himself had experienced a tough behind-closed-doors season and a limp title defence. But the former England midfielder then failed at Aston Villa — a job that looks worse the more Unai Emery succeeds with largely the same squad — and departed to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, where he has at least stuck things out a little longer than Jordan Henderson.
Anfield's favourite son returning as manager feels fanciful right now, but it could be a sort of pragmatic choice. History suggests the manager following one as successful and loved as Klopp is effectively doomed, so why not hand that particular poisoned chalice to a man widely viewed as Liverpool's best-ever player, navigate some choppy waters, and then hand over the reins to a truly elite coach?
