Peter Cklamovski has taken charge as Salford City manager ahead of the new League Two season, targeting promotion after seven years in the division.
The 47-year-old Australian coach was appointed this summer by the English fourth-tier club, whose ownership group includes former Manchester United players David Beckham and Gary Neville, alongside chief football adviser Paul Scholes.
Cklamovski built his early career over 15 years as assistant to former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou, working alongside him across Australia, Japan and Greece. Their partnership began in the lower divisions of Greek football as Postecoglou developed his managerial career.
Together, they won the AFC Asian Cup with Australia and took the Socceroos to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Their coaching methodology and tactical identity were credited with reshaping standards across Australia and Asia, continuing until Cklamovski left in 2020 to manage Japanese side Shimizu S-Pulse.
Cklamovski subsequently earned praise for his attacking, high-energy style and development of young talent at Shimizu S-Pulse, Montedio Yamagata and FC Tokyo in Japan, as well as during a spell with the Malaysia national team.
The two coaches remain in constant contact, with Postecoglou acting as a mentor and sounding board while Cklamovski applied for the Salford position. Postecoglou currently manages in Saudi Arabia.
Talking about his relationship with Postecoglou, Cklamovski said: "Fifteen years with Ange... it's a long time with anybody. We've got a special connection and synergy. I take a lot from him, and I can't speak highly enough of him."
He added: "Whatever I've done in my career over the last eight years, and however long I've got left, I want it to be an extension of his legacy. That's how much he means to me. If we're successful, I know that's going to make him very proud sitting in Saudi Arabia, and hopefully he can do the same in 12 months."
Cklamovski shares visible similarities with Postecoglou in his mannerisms and communication style, but his route to English football developed independently. He admitted that managing in England was not a personal goal initially when he was supporting Postecoglou's ambition.
"Mate, this is going to get deep, but for a long time I didn't really have that aim to get to England as a manager," Cklamovski said. "Ange had a motivation to get to English football so as a loyal soldier to him, I pushed hard for that."
He added: "When I went out on my own, my ambition was to be a dominant manager in Asia. But in the last couple of months, the ambition for me personally, the fire and flame of English football just switched. And here I am. The timing of it was natural. Trust the universe. I've got a really strong motivation to do something special with a football club that has great people and an inspiring mentality in the playing group."
Appointment Process and Promotion Target
The path to Moor Lane originated eight years ago when Cklamovski worked under Postecoglou at Yokohama F Marinos, a club within the City Football Group network. Salford chief executive officer Gavin Fleig spent 17 years with City Football Group, including seven years as director of talent management, where he first encountered Cklamovski in the Far East.
The pair reconnected earlier this summer when Salford's managerial recruitment process coincided with the conclusion of Cklamovski's UK family holiday. Cklamovski did not speak with co-owners Beckham or Neville during the process, emerging as the standout candidate through data performance metrics and formal interviews.
Former England midfielder Paul Scholes admitted he had to Google Cklamovski because he did not know who he was, but expressed strong impression following the interviews. Appointing a manager without prior experience in English football is considered a bold move by the club hierarchy.
Cklamovski welcomed the ambition, saying: "The aim is to chase promotions and that resonates with me. I'm not afraid of that. I have a strong belief we can achieve it with special people and play a brand of football that's going to entertain our fans and bring pride and excitement to the Salford community."
Rebuild and Changes at Moor Lane
Cklamovski replaces Karl Robinson, who was dismissed after Salford missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season and lost to Notts County in the play-off final. Despite the difficult decision to part with Robinson, the club hierarchy increased the playing budget to secure promotion to League One.
Cklamovski plans to build upon the team's existing foundation rather than making drastic squad overhauls.
"Whatever sort of team you take over, you can't stand still," he said. "We've got the benefit of the work done over the years, especially last year, and we've used that as a foundation. But you've got to go to another level. We'll use the heartache from last year as motivation as well."
His arrival coincides with major off-field changes at Peninsula Stadium. Salford have expanded their playing budget, upgraded their Manchester United-owned Littleton Road training ground, overhauled their medical department, and reverted to traditional orange playing colors in a rebrand led by Beckham.
Key summer signings include Millwall striker Macaulay Langstaff, who won the League Two Golden Boot in 2023-24, and Doncaster Rovers winger Luke Molyneux, who was named in the League Two Team of the Season for 2024-25.
"It's a sign of the club's ambition," Cklamovski said. "But it also shows the commitment to building something special long-term. We've made some great signings but there's a super core group here as well, and that's exciting."
Season Launch and Tactical Approach
Salford began their competitive fixtures last week with a penalty shoot-out loss against Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup. They open their League Two campaign at Barnet on Saturday, presenting the first full test of Cklamovski's attacking tactics.
"We want to play a brand of football that's going to make every Salford fan and everyone at the club proud and excited," Cklamovski said. "We want to have a goalscoring mentality, but we'll also have a real strong mentality to roll our sleeves up and keep clean sheets."
He concluded: "We've got to stay humble, work hard, and commit to that. Some really good work has started, but there's a lot more work to do."
