Melbourne Victory are set to make a renewed play for Ange Postecoglou as their next A-League coach after Jim Magilton’s departure on Sunday.
Brisbane Roar coach Postecoglou is understood to be top of the Victory’s hit-list after Magilton declined to take part in the interview process – the Northern Irishman believing he had been told the job was already his.
Now Melbourne-raised Postecoglou has emerged as the man Victory want – and will do pretty much anything to get, including delaying any announcement until after the Roar’s finals campaign ends should he agree to return to Victoria.
The Victory are refusing to comment on any speculation linking coaches to the vacancy. Postecoglou, who has at least another year to run on his current Roar contract, was wooed heavily by the Victory after their sacking of Ernie Merrick just over 12 months ago.
Instead, he rejected their overtures and chose to remain at the Roar as they underwent a change of ownership. The club’s new Indonesian owners are currently in talks to extend Postecoglou’s contract again and give him wider responsibilities.
As the Roar combine A-League finals and Asian Champions League commitments, Postecoglou now faces having to fend off questions about whether he will leave the club to join the Victory at a critical time of the season.
Former Chelsea playing great Gianfranco Zola is an unlikely candidate for the Victory role. Reports emerged that Zola, whose daughter is currently in Australia, could be on his way to Melbourne. But if the Victory are to sign Zola, they will face competition from his former English club Chelsea and Italian giants Lazio.
Italian reports claim Zola has been lined up to take over at Lazio next season, while Chelsea want Zola to join their backroom staff.
Just a fortnight after the board, senior officials and Magilton held court at a Victory fans forum, spoke of their plans for the future, and appeared on the same page, the former Southampton and Ipswich Town player departed. Magilton led the Victory to only two wins in his 12 A-League matches in charge, but appeared to have the board in his thrall and had been making plans for next season.
But after learning a longer-term contract was not necessarily a given, Magilton sought legal advice in Melbourne last week before walking away on Sunday.
Whoever the Victory appoint will be the fourth coach at the troubled club in just over a year.
After foundation coach Merrick’s sacking after taking the club to the finals, his replacement Mehmet Durakovic was axed six months into a two-year deal.
Then Magilton, who was brought to the club on a short-term contract, failed to get the club to the finals. The Victory showed few signs of improvement under Magilton, finishing well out of the finals race in eighth spot.
Meanwhile Ange Postecoglou is also reportedly the target of a $1 million bid to join Melbourne Heart next season.
According to The Australian, Heart is determined to sign the most wanted man in Australian soccer as the replacement for John van ‘t Schip, who left the club to further his career in Europe.
While Postecoglou denied knowledge of any interest from the fledgling club, several sources in Melbourne are adamant Heart is ready to make a strong pitch for him, with talk of a two-year deal worth $500,000 a season that would make him the highest-paid Australian coach in the history of the national competition.
Dutchman van ‘t Schip is reportedly on $700,000 a season.
News of the deal comes amid reports Heart is expected to record a $3.2m loss in its second season in the A-League. It is understood approaches have been made to several prominent Victorian Greek businessmen to become investors in the club.
Postecoglou, a favourite son of Melbourne soccer, would be seen as a man who could ignite great interest and support in the club as well as take advantage of a quality group of talented young players coming through the system at Heart.
He knows what it takes to win a championship, having won two with South Melbourne and last year’s A-League title with the Roar.
“I can tell you 1000 per cent I have had no offers from Melbourne Heart. I won’t be there next season,” was Postecoglou’s only comment.
