NEW TOTTENHAM COACH Ange Postecoglou said on Monday Harry Kane was “totally committed” to his vision for the north London club as speculation mounts over the England captain’s future.
Kane has entered the final 12 months of his six-year Spurs contract and has been courted aggressively by Bayern Munich.
Unfazed by the uncertainty ahead of next month’s start of the English Premier League season, Postecoglou said his initial discussions with Kane had been instructive.
“I had a good chat with Harry… nothing earth-shattering or defining,” he said before Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against West Ham in Perth on Tuesday.
“Me and Harry were perfectly aligned in… we want to see a successful team this year.
“He’s here and while he’s here, he’s totally committed to what we’re doing.”
Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeness added to the tug-of-war for the 29-year-old’s services by telling journalists on Saturday Kane’s “mind is made up” to switch to the Bundesliga champions.
“No one has spoken to me from Munich,” Postecoglou said.
If other clubs want to talk about our contracted players, that’s more of an issue for them than us. There are a lot of people that know Harry better than me but he’s not going to get fazed by anything.”
Kane headlines Tottenham’s 31-man squad for their pre-season tour to Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.
But captain Hugo Lloris is a notable absentee, with the goalkeeper granted permission to skip the trip as he seeks opportunities elsewhere.
“I had a good chat with him and left it up to him whether he wanted to come along,” Postecoglou said.
“I think he deserves that respect to garner the direction of his own future… because of his standing.”
The no-nonsense Postecoglou’s first game in charge of Tottenham will be in Australia, to where his family emigrated from Greece when he was five.
“Could have gone anywhere in the world and ended up… back in Australia, which is great,” he said of the game against West Ham, which is set to attract a crowd of more than 50,000 at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
“Chuffed to bits that this is going to be our first official game.”
Having unleashed a swashbuckling style in his previous roles in Australia, Greece, Japan and, most recently, Scottish club Celtic, Postecoglou promised a similar attacking approach in his most high-profile job to date.
“Nothing has really changed in the way I do things,” he said.
“What I do try and envisage is the team playing a certain way. That’s what drives me.
“I want the team to play football that is exciting for the fans and ultimately brings success.”
– © AFP 2023
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