Ange Postecoglou held ‘informal discussions’ with a Premier League club but ‘was not interviewed’ after leaving Tottenham Hotspur last month.
The former Celtic boss was sacked by Spurs exactly two years after his appointment, despite leading them to Europa League glory and ending a 17-year trophy drought.
His dismissal ultimately came down to Spurs’ woeful Premier League form, with 22 defeats from 38 matches consigning them to a 17th-place finish.
Despite that, the north Londoners will play Champions League football next season under new head coach Thomas Frank.
Frank, 51, left Brentford after seven years in charge to replace Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Brentford’s search for a successor concluded on June 27 with the in-house appointment of former Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews, who stepped up from his role as a set-piece coach.
The Bees followed the same internal path they took when Dean Smith left for Aston Villa and Frank was promoted, though they did consider bringing in someone from outside.
According to The Athletic, one of the managers they considered was Postecoglou.
The report, from Jay Harris, claims there was potential for ‘an extraordinary sequence of events and effectively a job swap’, but Brentford director of football Phil Giles and Postecoglou ‘agreed moving forward was not the best option’ after ‘informal discussions’.
Brentford are said to have ‘contacted’ Postecoglou and viewed him as a candidate to replace club legend Frank.
Before settling on Andrews, the club also considered former Ajax boss Francesco Farioli, who has since joined FC Porto.
Andrews was ultimately given a three-year contract, with his ‘familiarity with the squad and strong presentation’ proving decisive.
Giles did admit, however, that there is a risk in appointing a first-time head coach.
“There’s always going to be some degree of risk,” he said.
“It’s more risky to go and get a coach we don’t know from a club where the environment might be different or maybe people around them made them successful. This is actually quite a low-risk appointment because I know how good Keith is.”
Despite being sacked, Postecoglou left Spurs with his head held high after guiding the club to their first major trophy in nearly two decades.
And he did so having backed himself to deliver silverware in his second season — something he made perfectly clear he would do and always does last September.
“I’ll correct myself – I don’t usually win things, I always win things in my second year,” the Australian said following a defeat to Arsenal.
“Nothing’s changed. I’ve said it now. I don’t say things unless I believe them.”