Ex-Tottenham boss to teach Cristiano Ronaldo in bombshell managerial return
The former Celtic and Tottenham manager has been appointed as Al-Nasr’s new head coach in Saudi Arabia, where he will work with Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has a new boss when he returns to club football(Image: Getty Images)
Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has made a bombshell return to football management, taking up the reins as the new head coach of Al-Nasr.
The former Celtic and Nottingham Forest boss has inked a lucrative contract with the Saudi Arabian heavyweights and will now be in charge of Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Postecoglou is also set to face off against former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers at Al-Qadsiah. The Australian was previously tipped as a potential replacement for Steve Clarke in the Scotland job.
However, Postecoglou – who spent his summer as an ITV pundit for the World Cup – will now embark on the next chapter of his career in the Middle East, reports the Daily Record.
A statement from the club confirmed: ” Mr. Ange Postecoglou as coach of the first football team at Al Nasr club. And that with a contract extending for two seasons”.
“Our best wishes for success to him and his staff in their journey with the Global Club, God willing.”
Postecoglou has not had a managerial role since he left Nottingham Forest after just 39 days and five games in charge last season.
The former Tottenham boss lost his job shortly after a 3-0 home defeat by Chelsea. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis left his seat midway through the contest at City Ground and an announcement on Postecoglou’s future was confirmed 19 minutes after full-time.
Postecoglou refused to blame anyone but himself for the disappointing spell with the club and conceded he made “a bad decision” taking the job.
Speaking on the The Overlap podcast, the 60-year-old said: ““There’s no point me blaming it on ‘I didn’t get time’ or anything. I should never have gone in there. That was on me. That was a bad decision by me to go in there. I’ve got to take ownership of that.
“It was too soon after Tottenham. I was taking over at a time where they were kind of used to doing things a certain way and I’m obviously going to do things differently. I’ve got to cop that, that was my mistake. It’s no-one else’s fault.
“Everyone around me was saying (don’t take it) but it’s the first time I wasn’t working in 20-odd years, and I was lost. And they had some good players, and that sucked me in.
“When you go into a club most of the time that club wants change, but the reality of it is I think they were reluctant to get rid of Nuno. It was only because of what happened behind the scenes (a fallout between Marinakis and Nuno) but there was no way they would have sacked Nuno after last year.
“So you’re walking into a playing group where they’re not really looking for change. But I was thinking with that group of players, ‘I reckon I can turn them around pretty quickly’.
“We had a couple of games that could have gone our way but my first four games were away. We just never got any traction and it’s no wonder the supporters never took to me. Even the players were kind of…”
