Celtic are battling to hold on to coach John Kennedy and have been able to halt an approach from Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham thanks to a little known contract clause, according to Football Insider.
What is the latest on Ange Postecoglou leaving Celtic?
The Scottish Premiership side have had a period of success under the leadership of Postecoglou, with the boss taking them to yet another league title victory this season. The side had first-place wrapped up before the final day of the campaign and it meant that the manager had won two league titles in two years with the club.
Add in the Scottish League Cup on two occasions too and the Scottish Cup and it meant that Ange claimed five pieces of silverware in just two seasons of stewardship. It was this form that led to Postecoglou catching the eye of other potential suitors and the boss has finally been lured away from Scotland by Tottenham in the Premier League.
Now, the manager understandably wants to try and make his team and his backroom staff as strong as possible at White Hart Lane – and that means he is eyeing a swoop on his old club for their assistant manager John Kennedy. With the former player having spent over ten years in the backroom team though, they are not keen to let him move on, and it appears as though Celtic may now be able to hold on to their long-serving coach according to Football Insider.
They report that a clause in the contract of Postecoglou is denying Kennedy from making the leap straight to London. That's because the side inserted a stipulation that meant once their former boss departed, he was unable to instantly poach members of his old backroom team for any new side, blocking moves for Kenendy as well as coach Gavin Strachan and analyst Greg Wallace.
How long has John Kennedy been at Celtic?
The coach has worked his way up through the ranks having initially joined as a scout back in January 2010, and has most recently been their assistant manager. His run of 113 games alongside Postecoglou has been his longest in the role, although he also held the same position when Neil Lennon was at the club and Gavin Strachan.
He has worked with their Under-20 and Under-17 teams to boot, meaning that he is not only experienced at helping lead a main squad but has worked with younger players and can identify talent too. He has a wide skillset that would certainly come in useful at Tottenham then, but Postecoglou may have to find somebody else to help him in that role in the interim.
