Ange Postecoglou says he is unconcerned by Bayern Munich's pursuit of Harry Kane but has acknowledged that he might feel differently if speculation about the future of Tottenham's talisman starts to impact the rest of the squad.
Bayern are understood to have lodged a second bid for Kane, worth in the region of £70million plus add-ons, after having an opening offer rebuffed by Spurs.
Postecoglou revealed no-one at Tottenham had told him there was “a decision to be made” over the England captain's future but the situation threatens to dominate the Australian's first few months at the club.
According to reports in Germany, Kane, who has entered the final 12 months of a six-year contract, is keen to join Bayern having already agreed personal terms and held face to face talks with their head coach, Thomas Tuchel.
Postecoglou insisted he is not losing sleep over Bayern's aggressive pursuit of his new star player but admitted he would have a situation to deal with if the dressing room became unsettled.
“If I say it’s annoying me, it would be misleading - it doesn’t register," he said. “I always believe that you’re much better trying to understand what a situation is through your own eyes.
“In my head right now, 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.
“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 [Wednesday] and everything I need to know will be sitting right in front of me.
“So in the meantime, I’m not going to lose time or sleep on conjecture because then you’re jumping at shadows - how much of it is true, how much of it is not true?
“Nothing’s landed on my desk at this moment from anybody at the club to say there’s a decision to be made there. Not even close to that, so because of that I’m looking forward to having Harry here on Wednesday.”
Kane's future dominated Tottenham's summer of 2021 under a new head coach in Nuno Espirito Santo, with the England captain refusing to return to pre-season training as scheduled and subsequently missing the opening game of the season.
Asked if he was concerned the situation could drag on for the entire summer, Postecoglou said: “Irrespective of my desires, I’m sure you guys [the media] will make sure it does!
“Again, it’s something I have no control over. What I will deal with is, as I have in the past, what I see day to day. Is it affecting the group? Is it affecting Harry? That’s the only time it will maybe register. It won’t affect me.
“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. I guess it’s how we react as a football club that’s going to be important and that will get tested, for sure.”
Kane was head and shoulders above every one of his teammates last season as Spurs slumped to an eighth-place finish, and Postecoglou says his focus is on building a team to “reflect the individual excellence” of the club's record goalscorer.
“There’s no doubt that, and I think Harry would say it himself, he wants his team to be successful,” continued the former Celtic boss.
“He’s been very, very successful individually for a long time, pretty much from when he first started at this football club. He would be the first to say that we need a strong team and that’s where my focus is.
“To build a team will reflect the same sort of individual excellence that he’s had in the team context. I’m certainly big on team ethos and making sure we need a strong unit if we are going to be successful and I’m sure that Harry would be the first to voice that needs to be the case.”
There’s going to be plenty of doubters which is when your belief and resolve gets doubled.
Postecoglou has never previously managed in one of Europe's top five leagues and his appointment on a four-year deal raised some eyebrows, despite success in Australia, Japan and Scotland.
He says he is motivated by proving his doubters wrong and wants to achieve something at Spurs that many would consider ”unsurmountable”.
“It's the bit I love best," he said, when asked if he was motivated by being an underdog. “Whenever I reflect on any job I’ve had, it’s not the success that I look back on, it’s the build that I look back on because I know it’s not always going to be smooth, there’s going to be plenty of doubters which is when your belief and resolve gets doubled.
“Not just for me personally, but the whole club, the whole group and I love working through that, getting out the other side and that’s the biggest attraction for me in this position. Aside from being in a massive football club and the premier competition in the world, was the opportunity to do something that people will see in many respects unsurmountable. I love that.”
