Leeds United have been in the midst of a sorry campaign and are staring down the barrel at relegation to the Sky Bet Championship unless result fall their way on the final day of the Premier League season.
Stability has been missing at Elland Road over the last year as the Whites desperately try to maintain their top-flight status, which has seen former coaches Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia discarded and eventually yielded the appointment of survival specialist Sam Allardyce, who is yet to win a game since taking over.
In the long-term, Leeds United have been linked with a variety of managers to steady the ship heading into next season, though it is difficult to predict as of yet who would be interested in taking the reins as what league they will be plying their trade in next term is still yet to be decided.
What's the latest news involving Ange Postecoglou and why are Leeds United interested?
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones has indicated that he thinks Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou would be a good fit to take over as Leeds United manager.
Jones told FFC: "I think tactically, some of the things he's managed to enforce in his time at Celtic have been pretty smart. There's reason to think that he could definitely progress this team. I guess the big drawback, would be judging exactly how well he can do in the Premier League if Leeds manage to stay up."
Football Insider claim that Postecoglou on Leeds United's 'wanted list' and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the in-demand Australian.
The report states that the 57-year-old is on a 12-month rolling contract at Parkhead and his successful ventures into the Japanese and broader Asian transfer markets have impressed his Premier League suitors.
Interestingly, the Australian already has one up on Brendan Rodgers according to Kris Commons, with his Celtic being labelled as "already" better than Rodgers' invincibles.
Postecoglou has won four trophies out of five available so far in Scotland and has the opportunity to make it five from six if his side can defeat Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Hampden in the Scottish Cup final next month.
Of course, there is absolutely no guarantee that Postecoglou would leave Glasgow giants Celtic for the riches of the English top flight. In an interview earlier this year, the former Yokohama F. Marinos manager gave an insight into his future, as per The Sun, stating: “I’m hoping that over the course of time as long as I’m here — and I am still here even though people have been getting me out the door and I think you’ll be surprised how long I am here — I’m consumed by trying to make this club the best it can be. And I’ll enjoy every minute of it."
In the event he was to seek a new challenge amid links to Leeds United, there is a fair comparison to be made between Postecoglou and former Whites' boss Marcelo Bielsa.
As per Coaches Voice, Postecoglou likes to play a high-intensity brand of football in a 4-3-3 formation, with inverted full-backs, something that Bielsa also did at Leeds United, albeit in a slightly different style.
Pressing with aggression is also something widely on the agenda for Postecoglou, with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda helping to suffocate the opposition with their uniquely high work rate, forcing defenders into going long or being dispossessed.
Furuhashi shared an insight into the demands bestowed upon Celtic under Postecoglou in an interview cited by The Athletic in December 2022, saying: “As a team, we know exactly how we want to play. Regardless of whether it’s in the first minute or in the 90th minute, we want to actively defend from the front, pressing on the opponent’s defensive line and attack the opposition player on the ball — like a pressing wave.
He then added: “During our attacking phase or at throw-ins, we don’t want to get into a resting mode — we stay in active mode, and if we keep our intensity high, it will be difficult for our opponent to stay focused for 90 minutes. Maybe this is why we’ve scored goals at the beginning of the game but also at the end of the game.”
Preventing ball progression is vital for Celtic in their attempts to regularly wrestle control of possession from the opposition, something that Bielsa regularly implemented at Leeds United in his man-marking counter-pressing system, as per Breaking The Lines.
Leeds United have pacy attackers such as Wilfried Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra and Jack Harrison, who have all shown distinctive qualities this campaign, though it remains to be seen whether they could adapt tactically in the event of a manager such as Postecoglou coming in.
Despite this, Postecoglou is highly unlikely to consider an opening at Leeds United if they end up in the Sky Bet Championship and there are question marks over if he would be interested even if they are still a Premier League side come next term.