Dermot Desmond 'choked' by Celtic exit of Ange as Harry Redknapp swoons over power of Postecoglou

Harry Redknapp has revealed that Dermot Desmond and Celtic were left despondent when Ange Postecoglou packed his bags.

The Aussie was written off by many when arriving in Scotland from Yokohama F. Marinos but five trophies and two years later, many of those doubters had turned Angeball converts. His high-energy attacking style attracted the attention of Tottenham, who made their move to appoint him their successor to Antonio Conte in June.

Postecoglou has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Spurs and faces a stern test in his first North London derby of the season away at Arsenal on Sunday. Ahead of the match, former Tottenham manager Redknapp has admitted to having chats with Celtic majority shareholder Desmond after the exit of the Aussie, and claims it left Parkhead chiefs devastated. He told The Sun: "I've followed the careers of Ange Postecoglou and James Maddison for years. Now they're changing Tottenham together.

"When I was manager of Jordan for a short time, we played Ange's Australia side - and lost 5-1. One of his senior players, Tim Cahill, was so bullish about him that I kept a close eye on how things developed. During Ange's time at Celtic, I remember speaking to majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, a very clever man who absolutely loved him. They were choked when he left.

"But I thought he would be right for Tottenham and so far, so good. When I came into Spurs, it felt like the club needed a lift and for someone to get among the players. Ange has done the same. He's been a breath of fresh air. There's no big ego and no jargon - he tells it as it is. And of course the style of football is what the Spurs fans like. It's great to see Tottenham playing like that and Ange deserves a huge amount of credit.

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