Peter Lawwell insists Celtic did ‘all we could’ to keep Ange Postecoglou in Glasgow.

The Parkhead chairman has paid tribute to the departed manager after he signed a four-year deal to take over at Tottenham Hotspur. Lawwell expressed immense gratitude to the 57-year-old after he delivered five domestic trophies from six available across a hugely successful two-season spell.

His tenure was rounded off with the treble – a world record eighth clean sweep – as Saturday evening’s Scottish Cup final victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle proved to be Postecoglou’s last match in charge of the club. Lawwell thanked the Greek-Australian for his ‘brilliant contribution’ but admitted the club were disappointed to be losing a man who had captured the hearts of supporters with a high-octane brand of football.

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And he revealed Celtic made serious overtures to keep Postecoglou in Scotland, remaining adamant that the club’s hierarchy could not have gone any further in their attempts to persuade the former Yokohama F. Marinos manager to resist the draw of the Premier League. However, Lawwell admits he understands Postecoglou’s desire to seek a new challenge in one of the world’s most prestigious competitions.

Lawwell said: “Against any measure, Ange has delivered a fantastic level of success to Celtic and we thank him for his brilliant contribution to the club during the past two years.

“We were delighted to bring Ange to Celtic. He is a special manager who has had success wherever he has been and someone who brought to the club attacking, stylish and winning football in the best traditions of Celtic.

“Of course, we are disappointed that Ange has decided to leave the club, and we did all we could to keep him with us well into the future, but he wanted to take this new opportunity and we wish Ange well in this and everything else he does.

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“Now our focus is very much on ensuring we move forward positively and do all we can to ensure that we maintain our dominant position in Scottish football and also prepare for the exciting European challenges which lie ahead.” 

Celtic’s search for Postecoglou’s replacement has already begun, and the club have been linked with the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Enzo Maresca, Jesse Marsch, Graham Potter and Kjetil Knutsen.