'Seriously?' - Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou addresses Liverpool links

Ange Postecoglou laughed off speculation linking him with the Liverpool job but hopes to be noticed after a positive debut season in charge of Tottenham Hotspur.

The Australian is one of several managers to have been touted as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp, who will leave Liverpool after almost nine years in charge. Klopp shocked the footballing world when announcing his decision last month and is expected to take at least a year away from management.

Postecoglou only arrived at Tottenham last summer but has made an excellent early impression, implementing an exciting style of football and producing results, despite the loss of all-time top goalscorer Harry Kane. The 58-year-old has previously admitted he is a Liverpool fan but the thought of being in the home dugout at Anfield has not crossed his mind.

“I may be on a shortlist,” Postecoglou said of the links. “I don’t think I want to say anything about that because I don’t think that’s ever going to enter my brain space for what are my priorities in life & profession right now.

"If it’s just people throwing up names, then who cares? Like, seriously? But at the end of the day if I’m doing a good job then hopefully people will acknowledge that in one form or another — whatever that form is. But ‘chat’, that’s of no interest to me."

Postecoglou remains a relative outsider to take the Liverpool job, with Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso the clear front-runner. Alonso spent five seasons as a player on Merseyside and has gone on to become one of Europe's most promising managers since hanging up his boots in 2017.

Alonso is on course to win the Bundesliga at Leverkusen, which would be the club's first ever top-flight title, with last week's 3-0 win over main challengers Bayern Munich leaving them five points clear at the top. He is thought to be the preferred option among those in charge at Liverpool but Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton and Hove Albion has also been named as an alternative candidate.