Tottenham Hotspur could be set to close in on their key managerial target, snubbing a previous option from a Premier League rival.
What's the latest on Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham Hotspur?
That's according to Football Insider, who claim that the hierarchy in north London have all but offered the job to Celtic's Ange Postecoglou.
The report states that the Lilywhites hierarchy will make an approach to the Australian, and that if he wants it, the job is already his. However, out of respect, they will wait until his season in Scotland has reached its conclusion.
As the new frontrunner for the job following the drawn-out Arne Slot saga, in which the Dutchman opted to instead sign a new contract with Feyenoord, it seems the options for chairman Daniel Levy are dwindling with each week.
Brighton and Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi was one such example who ruled himself out of the running back in March.
Despite that, their current favourite represents a fine alternative to the high-flying Italian.
Is Ange Postecoglou better than Roberto De Zerbi?
Whilst they might seem like worlds apart, Postecoglou and the Seagulls' boss actually boast far more similarities than many would realise.
For all the praise he has rightly earned in turning the south coast outfit into a European team, his methods are ones that have also been employed at Celtic Park, with inverted full-backs, an intense desire to always build from the back and an aggressive counter-press all facets of the former Australia manager's game.
It could be argued that the only thing that truly sets them apart is silverware, as the 57-year-old has a trophy cabinet brimming from his various managerial ventures, the latest of which has seen him branded a "genius" by pundit Frank McAvennie.
Both borrow heavily from the tactical stylings of Pep Guardiola too to emphasise these similarities, with BBC and BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton even claiming:
"Postecoglou is ripping up the perception of the Scottish game all over Europe. He’s doing to Scottish football what Pep Guardiola did for the English game. It’s a completely new approach that’s almost unheard of up here."
De Zerbi, meanwhile, actually spoke on Manchester City's head coach this year, and just how influential he had been: "I became a coach because of him," he told Sky Sports.
Whilst both Celtic and Brighton are free-flowing outfits capable of morphing into several formations, the former often start in a 4-3-3 to cover as much of the pitch as possible.
This has brought huge success to Celtic Park, as across his 112 games at the helm they have won 82, scoring 281 times. For comparison, although with a far smaller sample size, his alternative has spent just 39 games in charge at the Amex Stadium, having won 19 and scored a whopping 86 goals.
Whilst it is frustrating to see so many high-profile managers turn down the chance to manage Spurs, Postecoglou remains an outstanding option who offers more than enough to compete with the best names linked with the job.