Ange Postecoglou has ‘no control’ over Harry Kane as Tottenham star eyes exit

Ange Postecoglou insists he won’t let Harry Kane’s transfer saga distract him from the job of rebuilding Tottenham. The England captain is due to return to pre-season training on Wednesday and will have early meetings with Daniel Levy and his new manager.

All the while, Bayern Munich are continuing to make very public overtures into signing a player entering the final year of his contract. “It’s something I have no control over,” he said.

“What I will deal with is, is it affecting the group? Is it affecting Harry? That’s the only time it will maybe register. It won’t affect me and I doubt somebody like Harry would let it affect him in any sort of way because this football club means too much to him and he wouldn’t let it infiltrate the dressing room.

“Harry Kane is one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved here. I want to make this club successful and there’s no doubt that’s what he wants. I doubt our conversation’s going to be defining in the way people think it will be. I just want to introduce myself to Harry, give him my vision for the football club and then go on the training pitch and make it happen.”

Certainly the thought of Kane colluding with Munich over a move is the last thing on Postecoglou’s mind. “For me it’s, in my head right now that Harry’s on holiday, he’s on a sunbed and playing with his family and having a great time – that’s the picture I’ve got,” he said.

“Now, if other things are going on I’m not going to think about it and the reason I don’t is because he’ll be here in two days’ time and everything I need to know will be sitting right in front of me. Nothing’s landed on my desk at this moment from anybody at the club to say there’s a decision to be made.”

Postecoglou promises attacking football – “an aggressive team, a dominant team, a team who takes the game to every opposition home and away.” And he is aware of the size of the challenge. He added: “I want to bring success to this football club and I want to bring European football to this football club. To bring it back to where it has to be.

“The biggest thing is that there is an enormous challenge here and I love it. For me, all my career I have always taken over sides which have needed a rebuild and that is the challenge. To create something that hopefully lasts beyond my tenure because I won’t be here forever.

“What does success look like? The fans will tell me that.” The key ingredient needed in the Tottenham dressing room right now is positive energy and the 57-year-old brings an abundance of that. He is affable, eloquent and seems to want to be everybody’s mate – provided they remain on board.

The first tranche of players have already returned for pre-season and the message so far has been a simple one. The manager added: “Just to be open-minded and to realise I’m different to the other managers and I’ll do things my way. The quicker we jump on the train the quicker we will get there and again allowing people to be themselves.

“When there is resistance it just slows down the whole process but what I will make clear is that we won’t change the process. But it won’t change me.”