Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou is not interested in leaving Celtic to take over the vacant Brighton manager’s job despite being put on the south-coast club’s four-man shortlist.
After three years at the Amex, left the Seagulls last week to sign a five-year contract worth £50million with , taking over from the axed .
With this weekend’s Premier League matches having been postponed, and Brighton’s next match also rearranged due to a now-cancelled rail strike, it is possible that the club will not be in action again until October 1.
That gives Brighton’s hierarchy plenty of time to decide on their new manager and evaluate all the candidates, with reporting that Postecoglou is one of the names in the frame.
The former Australian national team boss has impressed enormously with Celtic, winning the Scottish Premiership title last season.
But it is understood that the Aussie does not want to ‘abandon’ the project he has started with the Scottish club, and will therefore reject any approach from Brighton.
Brighton had also considered Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper as a possible appointment, but he is not currently seen as a realistic option.
The two main names in the frame, therefore, are Norwegian coach Kjetil Knutsen – who has wowed with his work at Bodo/Glimt – and former Shakhtar and Sassuolo boss Roberto De Zerbi.
As far as Postecoglou goes, former Celtic player Chris Sutton has played down suggestions he might be interested in the Brighton job and says a move to the south coast would represented a step down.
‘You are surely not going to go from [a Champions League clash with Real Madrid] to leaving in the blink of an eye, especially not to, with the greatest of respect, Brighton and Hove Albion,’ he wrote in his column for the .
‘Postecoglou backs himself and so he should. His CV is stellar. He has taken his country to World Cup Finals, he has won trophies wherever he has been.
‘If you back yourself, you are going to be selective and not jump at the first opportunity that comes your way. The Premier League is regarded by many as the best league in the world.
‘But Celtic are far bigger than the majority of teams who operate within England’s top flight and that is a fact. Like I’ve said, no disrespect to Brighton, but Celtic are miles ahead of them. I can’t see a coach of Postecoglou’s quality stepping down the ladder to go to England’s South Coast.’
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