Life after Harry Kane has crossed Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou’s mind
Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane is expected to lead his side out when they face Singapore Premier League outfit Lion City Sailors at the National Stadium on Wednesday.
But should the day come when the 29-year-old no longer wears a Spurs shirt, manager Ange Postecoglou would have been prepared for it.
Spurs’ record goalscorer has been linked with a move to Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich, who already had two bids for the England captain rejected and are now preparing a third offer.
In an interview with The Straits Times on Monday, Postecoglou said: “Harry is an absolute professional, he loves his football club and he’s the captain.
“He’s leading us at the moment and that’s what I’ll focus on. You always have plans in your head and contingencies not just about Harry (but) about all the players that potentially, we might not have them or we might have new ones.
“To think of things in black and white terms just doesn’t work. We were supposed to play a game yesterday and we didn’t play,” added the 57-year-old Australian, referring to the Bangkok friendly against Leicester City which was cancelled after heavy rainfall resulted in a water-logged pitch at the Rajamangala Stadium.
“Mother Nature and this world has a way of throwing things at you and my philosophy as a manager has been to deal with what’s in front of me and right now, Harry’s the captain and leader of this football club, and we’re working together towards having a successful season.”
On Monday, reports in England said Spurs owner Joe Lewis has told chairman Daniel Levy that Kane must be sold this summer if the star striker refuses to sign a new contract. Otherwise, he can leave on a free transfer when his contract expires next year.
Levy values Kane at £100million (S$170.8 million) but will come under pressure to sell the England captain before the transfer deadline if he refuses to accept new terms, understood to be up to £400,000 a week.
Saudi Arabian clubs and fellow English Premier League side Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in Kane.
With or without him, Postecoglou, who joined Spurs on a four-year contract in June after winning the treble with Celtic, is keen to improve the fortunes of the underperforming London side, who finished eighth in last season’s EPL.
He is also unconcerned about the memes and “Spursy” label that has been used for years to describe the club’s consistent ability to disappoint in big moments.
Referring to his trophy-winning record, he pointed out how he had led Brisbane Roar to their first A-League title in 2011 and ended a 15-year league title drought at J-League club Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019. In between, he also led Australia to the 2015 Asian Cup.
Postecoglou said: “I don’t worry about those stuff (memes). Winning and being successful is a whole combination of things. And for me, it starts with having a belief in something and every football team I’ve coached had a belief in playing the game a certain way. And that’s what brings us success.”
When asked if it will be difficult to strike a balance between winning games in the EPL and executing an attractive playing style, Postecoglou shot back: “You know, I’ve won everywhere I’ve been?
“Every club I had been in charge of has won the championship, so no one wants to win more than me. So that’s why we play the football we do. And that’s what we will try and do here.”
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