Ange Postecoglou says he aims to turn Tottenham into a better all-round team than when Harry Kane was the focal point.
Kane left the club just weeks into Postecoglou tenure, during the summer of 2023, having become Tottenham’s all-time record scorer with 280 goals from 435 matches during his 19 years at the club.
The England captain left to win silverware, having three times lost finals with Spurs - twice in the Carabao Cup and once in the Champions League. Postecoglou, whose side finished fifth last season and currently sit eighth this term, has set about trying to spread the goals around within the Tottenham squad.
In Kane’s absence, Heung-min Son was made captain, while the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and more recently, Brennan Johnson have shared goals around the team, along with Kane’s replacement Dominic Solanke.
Asked if he hopes to make Spurs a stronger team than during Kane’s spell, Postecoglou replied: “That’s the aim! Don’t get me wrong, if Harry was here I’d be a very, very happy manager. We’d find a way to fit him in.
“But you are right — part of him leaving is that opportunity for people to grow. And we’re still in that phase. There’s more that the guys have in them. I keep saying that some of them have a really high ceiling.
Once I can cajole and convince them to just keep going, don’t be afraid, don’t fear failure and stumble, criticism and scrutiny.
“Some of them are still trying to stick their head up a little bit more every time. Then you have a performance like [against Crystal] Palace and you feel like ‘Nah, they are going to cower again and not stand up even further.’
“But you need to go through those experiences. I can definitely see that growth. Once I can cajole and convince them to just keep going, don’t be afraid, don’t fear failure and stumble, criticism and scrutiny.
“There is that opportunity for us and it’s the only way we’ll become the team we want to be. We won’t do that by bringing in another Harry. Those players are rare. For us it’s going to have to be a collective effort to get to where we want to.”
