As the glow from Ange Postecoglou becoming the first Australian coach to be appointed at an English Premier League club continues to shine, one of his former assistants is set to cause similar waves in Asian football.
The Asian Game understands that Peter Cklamovski is set to be unveiled as the new man in charge at FC Tokyo after the departure of Spanish coach Albert Puig earlier this week.
44-year-old Cklamovski spent close to a decade working alongside Postecoglou in a range of roles with the junior and senior Australian national teams, as well as at club level with Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F.Marinos, before stepping out of his shadow with spells in charge of both Shimizu S.Pulse and Montedio Yamagata in Japan.
Regarded as an innovative tactical mind, the step up to FC Tokyo is a major one for the Sydney-born coach but one that the capital club clearly hopes will reap the same kind of benefits that firstly Postecoglou and latterly Kevin Muscat have brought to the current league champions, Yokohama F.Marinos.
It’s understood that the club have long admired Cklamovski and tracked his progress closely, with a deal expected to be concluded by the end of this week.
Approaching the halfway point of the J.League season, FC Tokyo currently sit in a disappointing position of 12th, a mammoth 17 points off top spot and only seven above the sole relegation position.
Their struggles this season ensure there is plenty of work to be done for Cklamovski who could also be expected to overhaul the playing squad during the upcoming summer transfer window to try and fit the brand of up-tempo, attacking football that he’s expected to deploy.
Photo: Scott McIntyre
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