Ange Postecoglou has lifted the hood on his infamous conversations with Tottenham’s transfer targets, with the Australian explaining what he looks for from the players during those talks.
Ange Postecoglou has given Tottenham plenty of transfer pull
Postecoglou may not be as big a name in the world game as some of his predecessors in the Tottenham hot seat, but the Australian has helped the Lilywhites attract plenty of talent.
A number of players who have joined the club over the last 18 months have referenced their conversations with Postecoglou as one of the reasons why they joined the club, with Mathys Tel being the latest to say it.
According to some reports from France, the Spurs head coach’s conversation with the 19-year-old was crucial in changing the forward’s mind after he had initially rejected Tottenham’s approach.
Postecoglou reveals what he tells the club’s transfer targets
The 59-year-old has now opened up about the kind of conversations he has with the club’s transfer targets, explaining that he speaks with conviction rather than trying to sugarcoat things.
When asked why he is able to be so persuasive, Ange Postecoglou told Football.London: “I think there is something to be said for honesty and integrity, and as much as actions speak louder than words, I think I’ve got a pretty compelling story to tell.
“When I speak to players, I’m not trying to sell anything that there isn’t plenty of evidence for. I think for most players, that’s where they get comfort more than anything else.
“I don’t think it’s smooth-talking, or selling, I think there’s a real good story here which I really believe in. I speak from a really strong conviction that what I’m saying will come to fruition. I really believe that. I don’t think I need to do anything special.”
However, Postecoglou confessed that there are plenty of times when his conversations do not have the desired effect, admitting that it is about seeing whether he and the player are aligned.
The Spurs boss continued: “You’re hearing the success stories. There are plenty of people where it hasn’t worked out. Plenty. There’s been a couple in this window. You know straight away that there is a disconnect and it’s not going to work. What I’m saying and the questions they’re asking, we’re on a different page.
“And that’s not a criticism. People look for different things. You’re looking for something that resonates. I definitely don’t have a 100 per cent hit rate, that’s for sure, but I think that’s part of it as well. I get comfort from that too, when I walk away and think ‘Jesus, he’s a good player but I don’t think it’s going to be a good fit’. It’s not going to be a good fit for him, it’s not going to be a good fit for us, so it works out well either way.”
Postecoglou looks out for red flags during conversation
The Tottenham head coach made it clear that his conversation with players is mainly about assessing their character and making a call on whether they are the right personalities for his project.
He explained that he would never want to sign a player unless all parties were 100 per cent convinced about the partnership.
When asked what red flags he looks for during his conversations with the transfer targets, Ange Postecoglou joked: “You will have to wait for my book! There are red flags, there are. Like I said, it is because I am 59-years-old and we spoke about knowledge before. With age comes wisdom, which is much more powerful than knowledge. You get a sense of these things. Get a sense of people.
“I think I am a pretty good judge of a person. To contextualise that, not a good or bad person, but will the person fit what I am trying to do. That is the main thing for me. There are fantastic footballers, fantastic people who are maybe not the right fit. I am not the right kind of manager for them. You have got to accept that. It is not a judgement call on a value basis.
“Does their personality fit, does their character, where they are in their careers. What kind of questions are they asking? You get a sense of what they say where they are in their careers, and you go ‘that marries up with what we are trying to do here’.
“There are red flags, and I think it is important that there are because the last thing I want to do is bring a player here who is not a good fit. It is not good for me and it is not good for the player either. They have got a big decision to make and they need to know what they are walking into and I try to paint as clear a picture as possible what they are coming into.
“There have been times when players have said ‘that is not for me’. I respect that. I would rather have that than agree and everyone is happy and the worst thing you can do is have got a great contract and great money and you are not happy and you realise that is not the important thing.”