Tottenham appoint Ange Postecoglou head coach with a four-year deal for the former Celtic, Australia manager

Postecoglou's commitment to attacking football convinced Spurs to appoint him

Tottenham have appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach, the Australian signing a four year deal in north London. The former Celtic boss' arrival brings to an end a lengthy pursuit of a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, who departed in March, with two interim replacements guiding Spurs to eighth place in the Premier League, missing out on European qualification entirely.

Postecoglou will become the first Australian to manage in the Premier League and will take charge on July 1. At Celtic he won every major domestic honor including back to back Premiership titles. The 57 year old has also won domestic titles in Australia and Japan, winning admiration for the front-footed style of play that Spurs fans have coveted for some time but failed to get from more high-profile head coaches.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said: "Ange brings a positive mentality and a fast, attacking style of play. He has a strong track record of developing players and an understanding of the importance of the link from the academy - everything that is important to our club. We are excited to have Ange join us as we prepare for the season ahead."

A four-year deal for Postecoglou reflects a desire for a long term rebuild at Tottenham at a time when there is doubt over the future of record goal-scorer Harry Kane, who is out of contract at the end of next season. Club captain Hugo Lloris is also departing and there is much work to do to rebalance a squad that contains five left wing back options but seemed chronically light on quality in midfield after Rodrigo Bentancur's season-ending injury. 

In a lengthy farewell message to Celtic supporters, Postecoglou said: "A new opportunity has been presented to me and it is one which I wanted to explore. It was an honour to be asked to be Celtic manager and during my two years I have given everything I have to deliver success to our supporters. Culminating in the treble at the weekend, my players and backroom team have been brilliant for me on this journey.

"They have given us all some fantastic moments through their energy and effort, creating real quality, winning football. Our supporters have been magnificent to me and I thank them for the way they have embraced me during the past two years. My ambition was always to give our fans a team they could be proud of, a team people talked about and I think we have achieved that.

"Celtic is a phenomenal football club, and so much more - and I will forever be a supporter of this great institution. I wish everyone connected with Celtic nothing but continued success."

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson described Postecoglou, who won five of a possible six domestic trophies, as "a great football manager and a good man," while a club statement added that they hoped to appoint a successor swiftly. Former Celtic and Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is among the favorites to take the reigns at Parkhead along with Manchester City assistant Enzo Maresca and Kjetil Knutsen of Bodo/Glimt.