Levein backs Postecoglou to make Premier League switch

By James Reid

Former Leicester City boss Craig Levein has backed Ange Postecoglou to make the move down south to the Premier League – but not before he has finished his work at Celtic.

Levein was in the King Power hotseat from 2004 to 2006 before going on to manage Scotland and hailed the work of Brendan Rodgers during his time in charge.

But the Scot insisted there is no need for Postecoglou, who has been linked with the vacant Foxes job, to rush a move to the Premier League, with a switch looking likely to happen if he keeps up his superb form with Celtic.

“Brendan Rodgers did a superb job at Leicester, that FA Cup win will be long remembered by the supporters,” said Levein, speaking alongside Celtic legend Jackie McNamara at the launch of the eScottish Football Cup 2023 at Hampden Park on Wednesday.

“Ange is doing a great job at Celtic, I think at some point in the future, and if he continues to have his team perform as they are now, then he will attract attention of clubs down south.”

Levein was speaking ahead of the launch of the eScottish Football Cup, a new competition that will see 75 fans from across Scotland battle it out at to be the best on video game FIFA 23 Hampden Park on May 20 and 21.

Gamers will return to the site of Scotland’s famous 2-0 win over Spain last month which put them in pole position to qualify for Euro 2024, and Levein hailed the current crop of stars available to Steve Clarke as the best in a generation.

“I think we have got the best squad of players we have had for a long, long time,” said Levein.

“They are playing in the Premier League at really good levels. The team is fairly young, they are growing together, and Steve has got a real connection with them. That is apparent by the improvement that we have seen in the team.

“I wasn’t confident, but I was very hopeful that we could beat Spain, and that proved to be the case. It wasn’t a fluke; it was a fairly solid display and it gets us off to a wonderful start in this campaign.

“The dynamics of the team are excellent at the moment, the togetherness is apparent and the way they fight for each other on the field is obvious as well.”

The eScottish Football Cup is taking place at Hampden Park over 20th/21st May, with up to 75 clubs from across the country competing for a prize pool of £50,000