Socceroos coach being hunted by Chinese clubs

Canberra, Feb 27: The coach of Australia’s tiol football team is a firm target for at least one cashed-up Chinese Super League (CSL) club, according to reports in the local media.

Ange Postecoglou has coached the Australian team — also known as Socceroos — since 2013 and led Australia to a breakthrough Asian Cup win in 2015. But Fairfax Media has reported that he is a major target for at least one CSL team looking to purchase his services, reports Xinhua news agency.

Postecoglou, who has 18 months left on his current five-year contract, is reportedly going to be offered a salary which would dwarf his current earnings as mager of the tiol team, but experts are unsure if Postecoglou would entertain the idea so close to the World Cup in 2018.

Respected Australian football commentator Andy Harper has said Chinese clubs will need to do a lot to entice Postecoglou away from Australia, considering the amount of work he has put into the squad ahead of the World Cup.

“Ange is incredibly committed to finishing what he started,” Harper told SEN radio on Monday.

“You only have to watch the way he coaches, listen to the way he speaks and what comes out of his coaching to realize (that his aim is) to qualify for the World Cup fils in the manner in which he’s set out.”

However Harper said the offers were likely to continue after the World Cup, and says that is when the Football Federation Australia (FFA) should be worried.

“The caveat to that is not a question on Ange’s commitment at all, the caveat to that is how much support is he going to get from the governing body — Football Federation Australia — to achieve that end?” IANS