sport news Solving the £100m Harry Kane issue - Ange Postecoglou's to-do list at Tottenham trends now
Ange Postecoglou is the ninth Tottenham manager to try and emulate the last to win a major trophy, Juande Ramos in 2008.
Postecoglou managed a historic fifth domestic Treble in eight seasons with Celtic, adding a Scottish Cup win to the Premiership and League Cup double on Saturday with victory over Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
But the Australian faces a hefty in-tray if he wants to succeed where Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason (in charge for the 2021 League Cup Final), Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte have failed.
Spurs have just finished eighth, their joint-worst league position since lifting the League Cup 15 years ago, and there is plenty for the former Celtic boss to sort out – from Harry Kane’s future to new signings and the disconnect between owners and supporters.
Here, Mail Sport's Joe Bernstein takes you through the 57-year-old's in-tray as he prepares to take over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on July 1.
Ange Postecoglou will take control of Spurs from July 1 after being appointed earlier this week
The 57-year-old had undeniable success with Celtic, winning five trophies in two years
The Australian is tasked with turning the fortunes of the misfiring north Londoners around
1. TAKE CONTROL OF FOOTBALL MATTERS
Clubs are rarely successful when the fans want regime change at the very top of the club.
Manchester United and Everton have found that to their cost in recent years and chairman Daniel Levy is detested by a sizeable section of the Tottenham fanbase, despite overseeing the building of a brilliant new stadium.
Recent green shoots of recovery at Old Trafford might provide an answer. Erik ten Hag has started to turn the ship around by being given more say in recruitment.
It is clear the arrivals of Lisandro Martinez and Antony from Dutch football were on his say-so whereas United previously invested in vanity signings like Cristiano Ronaldo when they seemed to go against the manager’s philosophy to rebuild.
One of Antonio Conte’s biggest gripes was Spurs signing players they felt had resale value.
Hence money was spent on Yves Bissouma and Djed Spence last summer the Italian didn’t consider good enough.
Postecoglou’s record in the transfer market at Celtic was exceptional, particularly bringing in players from Japan.
Levy has employed him to improve the team, Postecoglou has to convince the chairman that the manager really should be the driving force behind potential signings like Harry Maguire – and the future of Harry Kane.
Chairman Daniel Levy (pictured) is despised by large swathes of the Tottenham fanbase
Erik ten Hag has improved Man United after being given more say in recruitment, signing Lisandro Martinez (left) and Antony (right) from Ajax
2. RESOLVE THE HARRY KANE ISSUE...AT LAST
Ironically, Levy’s decision to put a £150million price tag on Kane when Manchester City came calling two years ago has hurt Spurs far more than Pep Guardiola.
City simply won the Premier League without a centre-forward and then signed Erling Haaland. Tottenham have gone backwards even if Kane’s personal form has been good.
Now the England captain holds the cards with a year left on his contract. If Spurs ask for too much from Manchester United or Real Madrid, Kane can simply sit out another 12 months and then leave without Tottenham earning a penny.
Obviously, a fit and firing
