Ange Postecoglou said switching Celtic for Tottenham Hotspur was a "tough decision", but the club's current woes may be harder to work through.
After leading Celtic to two Scottish Premierships and a trio of domestic cup triumphs within his tenure from 2021 to 2023, Postecoglou took on a new endeavour in north London, armed with a four-year contract.
At his inaugural press conference as Spurs' head coach, Postecoglou said: "We had some fantastic success and great moments within that and I'll cherish them, but I am the kind of guy who always loves a challenge - I love a build, I love a rebuild.
"That's where I feel I am at my best and this challenge, when it came along, I just thought had all the elements of what I need to get going again." Postecoglou also told the Irish Examiner about his rationale behind the move, adding: "I came to this club with a clear purpose and vision of what the club needed and what I could offer.
"That is to change the way the team plays, to obviously rejuvenate the squad because it was a squad that was coming towards the end of a cycle and to bring success," reports the Mirror.
However, a fresh chapter at Tottenham has been anything but smooth sailing, with his debut season ending with the team in fifth place in the Premier League standings.
Postecoglou's second term at Tottenham has proven to be a far more formidable test, with Spurs lingering in 15th in the league and relying on Europa League glory to salvage their season. With a tally of only 11 victories from 32 Premier League fixtures, the Spurs boss is under scrutiny, facing calls for change from supporters and critics.
Yet, Postecoglou is standing firm and still striving for success at Tottenham. He said recently: "As long as I'm in this position, that's always my focus, irrespective of whatever noise there is or what there may or not be in the future.
"I don't see that that should diminish my burning ambition, my desire and my determination to make that happen. Anything you achieve in life usually comes with a struggle.
"Certainly everything I have achieved in my life has come with a struggle from a professional perspective. This is just another struggle, but never through this struggle have I lost the will to fight for what I think is the right thing to do and I'll continue to do that."
Postecoglou's journey in football management traces back to 1996 with South Melbourne, through national youth roles for Australia, and then into diverse club stints including Panachaiki, Whittlesea Zebras, Brisbane Roar, and Melbourne Victory, painting a career rich with varied accomplishments. Postecoglou then took charge of the Australian national team from 2013 to 2017, clinching the AFC Asian Cup in 2015.
He later managed Yokohama F Marinos and Celtic before taking over at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are preparing for an away match against Eintracht Frankfurt in the second leg of the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.
The first leg was held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Thursday, ending in a 1-1 draw. Hugo Ekitike put the visitors ahead just six minutes into the game, but Pedro Porro levelled the score for Spurs 20 minutes later.
With the semi-finals looming, Postecoglou and his Tottenham squad face a tough task if they hope to progress and take on either Lazio or Bodo/Glimt at the end of the month.