Former Rangers star at centre of controversial £7.5m move that could land ex Celtic boss transfer ban

Former Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou could be at risk of landing a transfer ban after the English Football Association (FA) re-opened a case over Jermain Defoe's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Portsmouth in 2008.

According to Football Insider, Spurs have been accused of using an 'unlicensed agent' in negotiations and the FA are willing to investigate the case further if new evidence comes to light. The governing body initially decided to take no action after looking into how Defoe's £7.5million deal was concluded, with previous breaches to the FA's agent rules resulting in fines, points deductions and transfer bans.

During the same year as the investigation was carried out, Luton Town were docked 10 points for similar breaches to agent regulations. And it is claimed a transfer ban is now a 'real possibility' for the Premier League club after a report by The Times claimed that ex-Rangers and England striker Defoe, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp all dealt with unlicensed agent Mitchell Thomas.

Thomas - a former West Ham and Tottenham player - is understood to have played a leading role in the deal. It is also alleged that Levy hired licensed agent Stuart Peters and paid him £1million for his role but failed to sign a representation contract required under FA regulation. It is understood total agent fees reached £1.5million. The breakthrough is likely have a detrimental effect on current Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who has made an impressive start to his reign at the North London outfit since leaving Celtic in the summer.

The Australian has guided his side to eight wins, two draws and two defeats during his opening 12 league games, with Spurs sitting just two points adrift of pacesetters Manchester City in fourth spot. Despite losing star man Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, Postecoglou is already planning ahead for the future after recruiting the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson, while Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison were the only players brought in over the age of 25.

Croatian wonderkid Luka Vuskovic, who is just 16, is also set to join Tottenham in 2025 from Hadjuk Split amid plenty of interest from the world's biggest clubs. However, the threat of a potential transfer ban could have severe implications for Postecoglou as he continues to undergo something of a revolution on and off the pitch.