Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has hailed a player the club sold as a ‘legend’ but it was not Harry Kane.
Spurs return to action tomorrow with a game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Nottingham Forest.
The Premier League affair will see a familiar face return to north London as Nuno Espirito Santo make his first return since being sacked in 2021 by Daniel Levy.
Ange Postecoglou‘s side have shown a lot of progression this season; they may not quite be where the 58-year-old wants them to be, but it has been a positive year.
On top of the Australian’s more positive style of play compared to his predecessors, Tottenham have also brought in a host of new faces.
A new recruitment system which is focused on data has transformed Tottenham’s success rate in signing players this year.
Players such as Micky van de Ven, Brennan Johnson and Guglielmo Vicario will have all arrived at Hotspur Way with big question marks over their heads.
But they are all proving to be sensational signings and players who the fans have taken to incredibly well.
However, it is a player who is no longer at the club who Postecoglou has been waxing lyrical about.
Postecoglou says player Levy sold was a legend and 22-year-old has no ceiling
Speaking ahead of the game on Friday from the north London training complex, Postecoglou has been hailing Johnson’s recent form.
The Welshman arrived at Spurs for a considerable amount of money for a player who is still just 22-years-old.
However, the £47.5m summer signing is now proving to be a real hit with the likes of Glenn Hoddle even saying how impressed he has been.
Johnson has been able to return of five goals and seven assists in the Premier League this season with the majority coming in the last few months.
And that has meant the Welshman is pushing the likes of Dejan Kulusevski out of Postecoglou’s starting XI.
He arrived in north London with the backing of former Spurs and Wales player Gareth Bale who told the media he thinks the winger will get better with Premier League experience.
“He’s doing well. I think the more that he plays in the top flight now, the better that he’ll get,” he said.
Speaking from his own press conference on Friday, Postecoglou told the media that he hasn’t put a ceiling on Johnson, but also commented on how good Bale was.
“Not that we can expect Brennan to replace Harry [Kane], but we needed goals and assists. I like the way he’s handled it. We’ve tried to tread carefully with him because I can see the potential in him. I can see how much he can improve and the attributes he has I’ve got no doubt will fit really well with this team.
“But I’m not going to put a ceiling on it because that would be unfair on him. We like the way he’s progressing but we certainly believe there is more to come, for sure, and Gareth Bale is a legend, mate, what a player.”
Postecoglou wants success sooner rather than later
This season has shown Spurs fans there is a lot to be optimistic about with Postecoglou at the helm.
But the Australian has made it clear that Champions League football is not his ultimate goal at Tottenham and he does not see it as a roaring success.
Progression, however, that is what he wants to see happen at the club during his time at Spurs.
“It’s essential. Progress is not just an endless road, progress has an objective of being successful. When does that happen? I was hoping it would happen this year but it didn’t so the plan is for it to happen next year,” he told the media.