Postecoglou seals Celtic treble amid talk of his possible departure

Ange Postecoglou lifted the Scottish Cup to complete a memorable trophy treble – but Celtic fans fear it could be their beloved Australian manager’s final act of triumph.

Celtic completed a stellar season with a 3-1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Saturday, with Postcoglu leading them to the Scottish League Cup and Premier League titles.

But as speculation mounts that the sizzling former Socceroos boss will now take over at Premier League giants Tottenham, it’s time for Celtic fans who have come to adore their 57-year-old boss. A bittersweet feeling.

After being rejected by Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, it was widely reported that Postecoglou will discuss the top target for the vacant position with Spurs this week, but his mood was one of celebration at Hampden rather than grilling over his future .

“I’m going to be a little bit selfish here, not just for myself, but my family and the people around me, we all work really hard to enjoy this moment,” he told the BBC.

“As disappointing as it may be for people, that’s what I do. We work so hard as players and managers.

“If I start talking again now about things that don’t matter to me and the people around me, then I’m just enjoying it and will do it for as long as possible before people drag me off talking about other things.”

His latest win, effectively locking in goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Jota, came from a battle for Caley, who cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 85th minute with substitute Daniel Mackay.

But that couldn’t stop Postecoglou from locking up his fifth domestic trophy in six seasons in two seasons as he transformed the fortunes of a great old club and joined Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and the great Jock Stein Become their esteemed treble-winning coach.

It was Celtic’s eighth domestic treble, a world record that sees them overtake their great Glasgow rivals Rangers, but if it proves Postkoglu’s farewell gift to the club won’t be enough No wonder.

Because he will not publicly commit to staying at the club in the week leading up to the final when he gets the chance, he says his only interest is to focus 100 per cent on doing his best for Celtic.

Pressed again on why he didn’t turn rumors of his imminent departure into rumors, he offered a forceful rebuttal: “Because I think I should enjoy this moment like everyone else. I worked really hard for this moment.

“Sooner or later, these issues will come up, but for now, we’ve got a small piece of history for ourselves and I’m not going to dismiss it just because it’s being sidetracked.”

“I’m very proud. It’s been a phenomenal season for the boys. We blew people away last year. Defense is always difficult. The challenge is, ‘Can we do better this year and move on?'”

“We won trophies we didn’t win last year, so it’s a great feeling and it’s the last day of the season. It’s an opportunity and it’s nice to end it this way.”

But club captain Callum McGregor insisted the players wanted Postkoglu to stay.

“We want him to stay, we want to see him in pre-season,” he said.

“In football, you never know – but it would be nice if it was a parting gift!”