The Athletic have now dug into the kind of things that Ange Postecoglou says to potential signings to convince them to join his side, with the outlet speaking to a couple of players who have played under the Australian about the same.
Almost every single one of the players who have arrived at Tottenham during the last two transfer windows has spoken about how influential their conversation with Postecoglou was in their decision.
It has also been widely reported that the Spurs head coach puts as much value on the personalities of targets as he does on their ability, with the 58-year-old himself admitting that he is very particular about the kind of characters he wants to add to the dressing room (EuroSport).
Besart Berisha, who played under Postecoglou at Brisbane Roar, has now explained what struck out about the Spurs boss before he made the switch from German side Arminia Bielefeld to the A-League club in 2011.
![Ange Postecoglou](https://www.spurs-web.com/static/uploads/1/2024/02/ange-postecoglou66-scaled.jpg)
How does the Ange Postecoglou phone call work?
The former striker told The Athletic: “I had a feeling that he (Postecoglou) knew me as a person, even though we’d never met. I had a big temper but he knew it, and he knew how to deal with this sort of thing.
“We talked about so many things and the most important thing for him was family. He told me it wasn’t about signing a striker who would score 20 goals. ‘I want the right people in my team’. He convinced me straight away. He mentioned many times that it’s important to sign good people.”
Berisha explained that Postecoglou also spoke a lot about off-pitch matters, understanding the challenges that he would face when relocating his family across the world.
The former Kosovo international continued: “He said he would take care of me and that was really important. I had a little boy and a family. Managers need to understand that players are insecure in many ways. Some players are at big clubs and lose their way, and need a bit of guidance.
“Ange was the first manager who showed me that kind of care. He was so different, his view of me was so different. He said he needed this kind of player and it made me think this is the kind of coach I need. And I told him on the phone: ‘Ange, I am in’. And then everything he promised me would happen, happened.”
The Athletic also spoke to former Brisbane Roar centre-back Matt Smith, who revealed that he was surprised by how much Postecoglou knew about him.
Smith said about his phone call with the Tottenham head coach: “What stands out from the call is that I’d only turned professional the previous season but he knew all about how I played and the fact that I was a ball-playing defender rather than a typical centre-back.
“He talked about how I’d fit into the team and he knew my family were based in Brisbane, and that he wanted to build something exciting there.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There is no doubt that Ange is a brilliant speaker and he uses his communication prowess to brilliant effect, not just in delivering great team talks and getting the best out of his players but also when it comes to putting forward his case to potential new signings.
The Australian’s ability to do what he does gives Tottenham a huge advantage over other clubs in their transfer pursuits as a player cannot help but be impressed when he chats with the 58-year-old.
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