. He looked and sounded invigorated before the second leg of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. It was almost as if a different man had spent the past few weeks staring into the microphone following another costly defeat, dealing with a ludicrous injury list and facing question after question about when Spurs were finally going to make an outfield signing.
Fresh from overseeing a dogged 2-0 win against Brentford on Sunday, Postecoglou sat down and spoke for 43 minutes before a moment that could define his time in north London. The head coach considered the chance for Spurs “to make a big impact” by going to Anfield and building on their 1-0 win in the first leg. He thought about his captain, Son Heung-min, still being trophyless after nearly 10 years at the club. He seemed energised by sealing deals for the centre-back Kevin Danso and the French forward Mathys Tel at the end of a difficult transfer window.
There was humour from Postecoglou when he discussed how he wooed Tel, who had been wavering about joining Spurs on loan from Bayern Munich. “There is something to be said for honesty and integrity,” the 59-year-old said. “I think I’ve got a pretty compelling story to tell. When I speak to players, I’m not trying to sell anything that there isn’t plenty of evidence for. I don’t think it’s smooth talking, or selling. I think there’s a real good story here, which I really believe in. I speak from a real strong conviction that what I’m saying will come to fruition. I really believe that. I don’t think I need to do anything special.”
Pressed on his phone manner, Postecoglou said there are times when he speaks to a potential signing and feels a disconnect. With Tel it was about football. The 19-year-old, who will be involved at Anfield, has left Bayern in search of regular …
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