Ange Postecoglou has garnered a lot of praise since his move to Tottenham.
The Aussie left Scottish giants Celtic in 2023 to become Spurs manager and the 59-year-old has since transformed Tottenham into one of Europe’s most exciting teams.
Whether it be his extremely highline or his inverted full-backs, Postecoglou has wowed the Premier League with his all-or-nothing style of play.
The former Celtic boss however has also earned some critics along the way, with sections of the media labelling Postecoglou as ‘stubborn‘ following his refusal to be more pragmatic.
One ex-player though who has always maintained his admiration for the Spurs boss, is Postecoglou’s former goalkeeper Joe Hart.
- READ MORE: Ange Postecoglou blown away by ‘unbelievable’ Tottenham Hotspur player against Aston Villa
Joe Hart insists Ange Postecoglou ‘blew his mind’ while at Celtic
Guglielmo Vicario knows all too well of Postecoglou’s goalkeeping demands and Joe Hart was in his shoes only a few years ago while at Celtic.
Postecoglou would make Hart one of his first signings in Scotland and the pair would go on to enjoy a hugely successful two years together, winning back-to-back Scottish Championship crowns in 2022 and 2023.
Hart would stick around at Celtic Park for one more season before hanging up his gloves and moving into the media as a pundit.
Since moving onto TV, Hart has been very complimentary of his former Celtic boss, most recently telling BBC 5 Live that Postecoglou ‘blew his mind’ while at Celtic.
“My last three managers in England were David Moyes, Sean Dyche and Jose Mourinho – all top, top managers in their own right and have done incredible things. But they’re very much – hard work, dedication, learning what you need to do, and going and performing.
“Then I went and had three years, with two of them with Ange Postecoglou and one of them with Brendan Rodgers.
“Ange Posetcoglou blew my mind because he really opened me up. I actually think I’d be sat here having this conversation and not being able to understand Maresca and what his thought process is if I hadn’t experienced what I did, in terms of that specific detail.”
Hart’s Tottenham exit nearly made him retire
Hart like Postecoglou, has previously plied his trade in north London, spending a year at the club during the 2020-21 season.
Signed by Jose Mourinho, Hart would play as backup to then-number one Hugo Lloris, with the majority of his Spurs appearances coming in cup competitions.
Hart’s time at Tottenham would soon be cut short following the exit of Mourinho, with Nuno Espirito Santo deeming the ex-Man City keeper surplus to requirements.
The former England goalkeeper has since opened up about his Spurs exit, telling the In The Stiffs podcast that he was tempted to give up football after he was axed by Nuno.
‘There was a big change going on at Tottenham. They needed a lot of people out and a lot of people in, [Nuno Espirito Santo] proceeded to call me in.
‘I knew they were signing another goalkeeper and I was like, ‘do we need to have a conversation?’. He said that we’d speak after training.
‘He was like, ‘I’ll speak first, let’s be absolutely clear, no matter what happens, you’ll not kick a ball this year’.
‘He said, ‘you’ll be free to work with the sporting director to get yourself out, however you want to play it, play it,’ said the former Spurs keeper.
Hart then added: ‘He literally buried me and I’m laughing because, whether I’m deluded or not, I was like, I don’t agree with any of that.
‘I asked for your opinion, you have given it, it’s not what I wanted to hear and I am going to have to take myself out of this situation.
‘I literally went home and I am completely baffled here, I think I’m done, I can’t be a***d anymore.
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