Ange Postecoglou busts Celtic striker hope as boss turns trump card in Tottenham transfer amid Hoops 'battle'

Ange Postecoglou has been credited as the man who made a Tottenham transfer happen - beating Celtic to the post.

There has been criticism of the Hoops this week after deadline day and the rest of the winter window saw them unable to replace Kyogo. He left for Rennes and left Adam Idah as the only senior striker option with youngsters Johnny Kenny and Daniel Cummings for cover.

One rising forward sensation they were said to be in on was Mason Melia. The teenager has sealed a transfer to Tottenham from St Patrick’s Athletic for £1.6m, already a record for a League of Ireland player, and could rise to £3.2m in add-ons. According to the BBC, Melia was “courting interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs.”

There were clubs named in the report as strong suitors, Celtic one of them. It reads that after Everton dropped interest, it left “Chelsea, Manchester City, Celtic, Genk, Bologna and Eintracht Frankfurt all battle with Spurs to seal the deal.” Step forward ex-Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou.

He swapped Hoops for Tottenham in 2023 and it’s stated “it was a conversation with Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou and a chance to play in the Premier League - like his uncle and agent Clive Clarke - that saw Melia choose North London.” It leaves Celtic rueing their former manager’s intervention that sees them miss out on a position Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of wanting to improve in.

St Patrick’s Athletic Sporting Director Ger O'Brien said: “We are delighted to agree a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for Mason Melia. When we recruited Mason in 2022 we knew we had signed an incredible talent. We had watched his development with St Joseph's Boys and Bray Wanderers for a number of years.

“He has been fantastic during his three years at the club, and we're delighted for Mason that he'll be making the move to the Premier League early next year. Mason has really developed, technically, physically and mentally and I'd like to thank all of the coaches who have worked with him in our Academy and also with the First Team over the last three years.

“Everyone at the club is proud of Mason, it was special to see him come on to the St Pat's winning team in 2023, where he became the youngest ever player to play in an FAI Cup final. We've got to know Mason's parents Martin and Pamela very well since he joined the club, they've played a huge part in his young career so far and have placed trust in St Patrick's Athletic in terms of their son's development.

“We'd also like to thank Mason's agent, Clive Clarke, for his help and professionalism throughout the process. There has been a lot of interest in Mason from the UK and Europe over the last number of years and our Chairman has been negotiating this deal for a number of months, it's a record transfer fee for a League of Ireland player and something the club is proud of. We look forward to working with Mason over the next year before he moves to London in January."