Ange Postecoglou defended his decision to make nine changes after Tottenham suffered a penalty shoot-out defeat at Fulham in the Carabao Cup second round.
Spurs entered this contest following back-to-back wins in the Premier League, which had generated a feelgood factor around the club despite the departure of all-time top scorer Harry Kane on the eve of the new season.
Only Micky van de Ven and Richarlison retained their starting berths from the win at Bournemouth and while Tottenham improved from a sluggish start, penalties were required after a 1-1 draw and Davinson Sanchez failed to score from 12 yards to hand the visitors a 5-3 spot-kick loss.
It inflicted a painful dent to the momentum built during the first couple of months of the Postecoglou era but the Australian pointed to the need for players to get minutes when quizzed on his changes.
“Obviously disappointed with the outcome, getting knocked out of the cup,” Postecoglou said after Richarlison’s second-half goal cancelled out Van de Ven’s own-goal after 17 minutes.
“We weren’t at our fluent best, particularly early on which was not surprising considering the amount of changes I made. A lot of the boys tonight, it was their first start of the season.
“We lacked cohesion and fluency, but I really liked the way we hung in there. There are many different ways to grow as a team and we showed some real character.
“We had our moments in the second half to maybe go and win it. We weren’t able to get over the line and lost on penalties.
“It is my priority (the cups) but there is no European football so how am I going to find out about our players? What opportunity would I have to do that other than the game? They are all part of our club.
“We thought they’d be able to bring a different energy tonight and that doesn’t mean the cup or any game isn’t our priority.
“From my perspective, we’re very much at the discovery stage so we need to find out and give the players the opportunity to contribute, because that’s why they’re here.
“They’re not just here to make up the numbers. They keep working hard and deserved the opportunity to go out and play tonight.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva felt the best team won and insisted his players would react differently in the future if a repeat occurred of a bizarre incident with right-back Kenny Tete after half-time.
Tete was forced to leave the pitch for a number of minutes after he broke his boot and Spurs went on to score, with Ivan Perisic making the most of space on Tottenham’s left-hand side to cross in for Richarlison to head home the equaliser in the 56th minute.
Dutch full-back Tete was all smiles at full-time after he scored the decisive fifth kick to help Fulham progress into round three with a 5-3 shoot-out success at Craven Cottage.
“Yes the best team won and the best team on the pitch will play in the next round of Carabao Cup,” Silva, who served a touchline ban, said.
“During the 97 minutes, we were the team with the more chances to score and unfortunately we concede a goal in one moment we were with 10 men after the Kenny Tete incident.
“In the future we are going to approach that in a different way because you cannot give the opposition the chance to play against 10 men for two or three minutes because that incident happens.
“Of course it was the first and it will be the last time it happens for us because we will approach in a very different way.”
Tottenham suffered their first on-pitch setback of the Ange Postecoglou era after they exited the Carabao Cup in the second round at Fulham after Davinson Sanchez crucially had an effort saved in a 5-3 defeat on penalties.
Richarlison had opened his account for the season to cancel out a 19th-minute own-goal from Micky van de Ven, which had given the hosts a deserved half-time advantage despite being without boss Marco Silva, who was serving a touchline ban.
No further goals were forthcoming and the 1-1 scoreline at 90 minutes meant spot-kicks were required and after five successful penalties a low effort from Sanchez which was saved by Marek Rodak proved the difference.
Kenny Tete fired Fulham’s fifth penalty past Fraser Forster to book their place in the third round and leave Tottenham with only one realistic option of trying to end their trophy drought, which stretches back to 2008.
Both of these Premier League teams had exited this competition at the first opportunity last season, but 15 changes were made overall with Spurs making nine after entering at the second round stage for the first time since 2009.
Fulham went with largely their first-choice back four and left-back Antonee Robinson created the opening opportunity when he burst past Sanchez and crossed to the back post, but Rodrigo Muniz headed wide.
It was a sign of things to come from Sanchez, who had been expected to leave this summer but instead has moved up the defensive pecking order ahead of Eric Dier under Postecoglou.
Sanchez continued to be troubled and was at fault for the opener in the 19th minute.
Tom Cairney turned Sanchez inside out on the edge of the penalty area and his floated cross was deflected beyond Forster by Spurs’ centre-back Van de Ven.
Postecoglou had brought a feelgood factor back to Tottenham after a difficult first half of 2023, but the away fans at Craven Cottage turned their frustration to chairman Daniel Levy with chants calling for him to leave the club.
Forster had to be alert soon after to deny Muniz’s snapshot before Spurs did finally threaten but Richarlison’s effort was blocked by Tim Ream and Ivan Perisic had a free-kick deflected wide.
The lively Muniz went close again on the stroke of half-time with a header from Adama Traore’s cross, but Forster saved well to keep it 1-0.
Spurs boss Postecoglou had still seen enough and teenage forward Dane Scarlett was introduced for Giovani Lo Celso.
It had an immediate impact with Richarlison forcing Marek Rodak to tip over his deflected shot before Scarlett’s presence created a chance for Manchester United-linked Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who side-footed wide from 10 yards.
The leveller did arrive with 56 minutes played and it was a moment to savour for Richarlison, who stooped low at the back post to head in Perisic’s cross for only his fourth goal for Tottenham since a £60million move last summer.
Fulham were unhappy that Perisic was able to make the most of the hosts’ absent right-back Tete, who had to leave the pitch to get a new boot after a fine tackle on Scarlett moments earlier.
The hosts improved after conceding with Bobby Decordova-Reid slicing wide from inside the area and substitute Harry Wilson had an effort blocked by Sanchez.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min were on by this point and Manor Solomon nearly won it for Spurs with a curled effort but Rodak saved, before Forster denied Wilson with his legs to ensure penalties were required.
Fulham were picture perfect from 12 yards with Andreas Pereira, Raul Jimenez, Wilson, Joao Palhinha and Tete all able to score while Sanchez’s tame effort ensured Tottenham exited in the second round for the first time since 2005.
Ange Postecoglou oversaw a thrilling first win as Tottenham manager as Pape Sarr’s strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal settled a pulsating Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Even by Spurs’ standards this has been a chastening year, with their struggles in the second half of last season compounded by homegrown star Harry Kane’s recent switch to Bayern Munich.
But former Celtic boss Postecoglou has brought new hope to Tottenham and his entertaining, new-look side sealed a fine 2-0 win thanks to Sarr’s effort and a late Martinez own goal.
Erik ten Hag’s men – playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future – began on the front foot in north London and could have gone into the break ahead.
United were aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty after the VAR reviewed a Cristian Romero handball in a half that saw Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Bruno Fernandes waste good chances.
Those let-offs allowed Spurs to grow into proceedings, with Pedro Porro smashing an effort off the bar before Luke Shaw deflected a Sarr cross onto the post just before the break.
Spurs returned with the bit between their teeth and took a 49th minute lead as Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first goal for the club.
Antony struck the post as the sides traded blows in a thrill-a-minute start to a second period that eventually calmed down, with Martinez’s late own goal wrapping up a home win.
The atmosphere was fantastic throughout as Spurs beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time, with Postecoglou receiving a fantastic reception before and after the match.
The home fans – a number of whom had protested about ticket prices before the match – had to hold on tight during a bright United start.
After some half-hearted chances, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to stop Rashford giving United into a 13th minute lead having been slipped in by Antony.
Andre Onana’s stunning diagonal pass to Alejandro Garnacho deserved more than a driven cross being blocked, with an audacious Fernandes rabona cross headed over from close range by offside Rashford.
There was anger that the VAR did not intervene after Garnacho’s shot hit Romero’s arm, with the proximity of the effort understood to be behind the decision not to award a spot-kick for handball.
Another let-off soon followed. Smart play ended with Luke Shaw’s cracking first-time cross putting Fernandes behind, only for the unopposed skipper to head well off target from six yards.
But Spurs had grown into proceedings by this point. Sarr was denied by Onana after being played through by skipper Son Heung-min and went closer still in the 40th minute.
Son laid off for Porro to slam a thunderous shot off the crossbar and Sarr’s low ball back into the box deflected off Shaw and onto the post.
Spurs had clearly settled into a more cohesive attacking unit and needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead.
Good team play ended with Kulusevski sending in a cross from the right that hit Martinez, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam home at the far post and spark wild celebrations.
The opener added extra spice to an already entertaining encounter.
Antony was allowed onto his favoured left foot just two minutes later and beat Vicario, only for his attempt to come back off the far post.
Spurs immediately swept up the other end. Onana stopped a low Destiny Udogie attempt and penalty appeals for Martinez’s challenge on Romero fell on deaf ears.
Vicario reacted well to tip over a Casemiro header and Fernandes saw a low shot pushed wide before the offside flag was raised.
Yves Bissouma had efforts either side of a blocked Son attempt, before changes took the sting out of the game.
Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies were among Spurs’ introductions, with the latter swinging at the former’s pass and getting the slightest touch before Martinez accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 83rd minute.
United pushed to reduce the deficit but their play was stilted and frustrated, with an offside Raphael Varane denied by Vicario during nine scoreless minutes of stoppage time.
Ange Postecoglou oversaw a thrilling first win as Tottenham manager as Pape Sarr’s strike and a Lisandro Martinez own goal settled a pulsating Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Even by Spurs’ standards this has been a chastening year, with their struggles in the second half of last season compounded by homegrown star Harry Kane’s recent switch to Bayern Munich.
But former Celtic boss Postecoglou has brought new hope to Tottenham and his entertaining, new-look side sealed a fine 2-0 win thanks to Sarr’s effort and a late Martinez own goal.
Erik ten Hag’s men – playing under the cloud of continued talk about Mason Greenwood’s future – began on the front foot in north London and could have gone into the break ahead.
United were aggrieved not to have been awarded a penalty after the VAR reviewed a Cristian Romero handball in a half that saw Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Bruno Fernandes waste good chances.
Those let-offs allowed Spurs to grow into proceedings, with Pedro Porro smashing an effort off the bar before Luke Shaw deflected a Sarr cross onto the post just before the break.
Spurs returned with the bit between their teeth and took a 49th minute lead as Sarr reacted quickest to a deflected Dejan Kulusevski cross to score his first goal for the club.
Antony struck the post as the sides traded blows in a thrill-a-minute start to a second period that eventually calmed down, with Martinez’s late own goal wrapping up a home win.
The atmosphere was fantastic throughout as Spurs beat United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time, with Postecoglou receiving a fantastic reception before and after the match.
The home fans – a number of whom had protested about ticket prices before the match – had to hold on tight during a bright United start.
After some half-hearted chances, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spread himself to stop Rashford giving United into a 13th minute lead having been slipped in by Antony.
Andre Onana’s stunning diagonal pass to Alejandro Garnacho deserved more than a driven cross being blocked, with an audacious Fernandes rabona cross headed over from close range by offside Rashford.
There was anger that the VAR did not intervene after Garnacho’s shot hit Romero’s arm, with the proximity of the effort understood to be behind the decision not to award a spot-kick for handball.
Another let-off soon followed. Smart play ended with Luke Shaw’s cracking first-time cross putting Fernandes behind, only for the unopposed skipper to head well off target from six yards.
But Spurs had grown into proceedings by this point. Sarr was denied by Onana after being played through by skipper Son Heung-min and went closer still in the 40th minute.
Son laid off for Porro to slam a thunderous shot off the crossbar and Sarr’s low ball back into the box deflected off Shaw and onto the post.
Spurs had clearly settled into a more cohesive attacking unit and needed just four minutes of the second period to take the lead.
Good team play ended with Kulusevski sending in a cross from the right that hit Martinez, with Sarr reacting quickest to slam home at the far post and spark wild celebrations.
The opener added extra spice to an already entertaining encounter.
Antony was allowed onto his favoured left foot just two minutes later and beat Vicario, only for his attempt to come back off the far post.
Spurs immediately swept up the other end. Onana stopped a low Destiny Udogie attempt and penalty appeals for Martinez’s challenge on Romero fell on deaf ears.
Vicario reacted well to tip over a Casemiro header and Fernandes saw a low shot pushed wide before the offside flag was raised.
Yves Bissouma had efforts either side of a blocked Son attempt, before changes took the sting out of the game.
Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies were among Spurs’ introductions, with the latter swinging at the former’s pass and getting the slightest touch before Martinez accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 83rd minute.
United pushed to reduce the deficit but their play was stilted and frustrated, with an offside Raphael Varane denied by Vicario during nine scoreless minutes of stoppage time.
Richarlison is not capable of filling the hole Harry Kane has left at Tottenham, according to former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.
Kane joined Bayern Munich for a Bundesliga-record €117million (£100m) earlier this month, leaving Tottenham as the club's all-time top goalscorer having netted 280 times in 435 appearances in all competitions, including 30 in 38 Premier League games last season as Spurs finished a disappointing eighth.
Kane's departure has left Tottenham fans concerned over their attacking options for this season, with the striker's impressive output last term making up for disappointing campaigns from the likes of Son Heung-min and Richarlison, who only scored 11 league goals between them.
Richarlison particularly struggled in his first season with Spurs, netting just once in the Premier League after joining from Everton for £60m, and Redknapp doubts whether the Brazil international can step up in Kane's absence.
"[Richarlison] can't fill Harry [Kane's] boots," Redknapp told Stats Perform. "No, he's not on the same level as Harry Kane.
"He's got to do better than what he did last year for sure. He's played for the Brazilian team and is a regular for them, he played at the World Cup. [He] scored goals at Everton, did okay there.
"I think Son will play through the middle. They'll let him off the leash and stick him through the middle. I think that's where he wants to play. He'll score goals, he will get between 15 and 20 goals, I think.
"But Harry Kane and Son together is definitely better than Son on his own. So that is the problem."
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy decided to cash in on Kane with a year left on the striker's contract, a decision that Redknapp understands but does not necessarily agree with, adding: "It's difficult. Daniel had that problem with him at the end of the year as a free agent.
"So do you wait and let him walk away for free, or do you take the 100 million? Could he have bought in that type of money by just staying this year and getting them back in the Champions League? Quite possibly.
"I thought Tottenham made some good signings, [James] Maddison coming in would be a big plus for Harry. He'd supply and make goals for him.
"[It is a] difficult one, but Daniel does what he feels is right for the football club at the end of the day, and he obviously feels it's better to take the 100 million now than get nothing at the end of the season."
Kane's exit is one of several big changes at Spurs, with former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou appointed ahead of this season as Tottenham bid to return to the top four.
Redknapp feels Postecoglou is in for a baptism of fire in Premier League management, having to cope without Kane in a league that will prove to be very competitive at the top end again, explaining: "He's got a great job. He's got a result as he's come from nowhere, really, in the last few years to manage Celtic and then manage Tottenham.
"I like him. When I see him, I like him an awful lot. It looks good. He's a good character. And I think he'll do a good job. I suppose when he came he always knew that he would have Harry for a year at most.
"I'm sure he's excited with the players he's working with, it will be the best players he's ever worked with anyway.
"He's never worked with a squad of players near that standard before. It's going to be a tougher division this year and he needs time.
"There's Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle [United] and Tottenham. Seven teams here scrapping it out for four places.
"I think Spurs will be okay. I think Maddison was a great signing. They just took the centre-half now, the Dutchman [Micky van de Ven], who is supposed to be a good player. They'll bring two or three more in.
"They will be pushing for a top-four place, [but] whether they can make it without Harry Kane, I'm not sure now."
Ange Postecoglou does not currently feel worthy of the Tottenham fans’ support but has promised to try bring them joy after being inspired by Australian singer Nick Cave.
It has been a difficult 2023 for Spurs after the club’s trophy drought extended and record goalscorer Harry Kane departed on the eve of the new Premier League season, but there is overwhelming support for Postecoglou.
The new man in the Tottenham hotseat was this week reminded of football’s significance to supporters when he listened to a podcast between Louis Theroux and his compatriot Cave.
“It is not about making the fans happy, it is about giving them joy and joy comes from suffering,” Postecoglou said ahead of Manchester United’s visit on Saturday.
“I am saying that because I listened to a podcast during the week and I thought it was a great description of what football is about.
“I am at that funny stage where supporters have been very, very supportive but I don’t expect that nor do I feel worthy of it.
“I still need to prove myself to our fans and the people at the club by our deeds rather than our words.
“Hopefully at the moment we are giving them sort of belief in what we’re trying to create but we need to back it up on a weekly basis.
“We need our supporters behind us. We want the Tottenham ground to be a place where the energy is all on our side, so hopefully that happens tomorrow.”
Postecoglou was serenaded for a number of minutes by the away fans at Brentford last weekend and a tifo display is planned for his first competitive home match in charge.
But he admitted: “It means a lot but I’m not comfortable with it. You love what it means because for the most part it’s blind faith.
“I haven’t yet delivered anything. Hopefully when the day comes that we deliver as a team it will mean something different then.
“I don’t dismiss it either, that’s people taking a huge leap of faith on me as an individual and I appreciate that. It’s a really good reminder of the responsibility that I have.”
While fans will get behind the team for the 5.30pm kick-off with Erik Ten Hag’s United, a protest will take place hours before arranged by Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust over the club’s decision to increase matchday ticket prices.
The ‘Call to Action’ from THST will ask for the club to reverse the increase – which they insist will price out loyal fans – and Postecoglou backed their right to “express their emotions” during Friday’s press conference.
He is also acutely aware of how important home form can be, adding: “It’s a beautiful stadium, absolutely, but as much as opposition teams enjoy playing in the venue, what we have got to make sure is they don’t enjoy the experience.
“What makes grounds difficult to play on is the experience you give teams, whether that’s the environment the fans create or the football you play against them.
“If you want to make it a place where we see it as an advantage, you have got to make sure the experience for opposition clubs is not a pleasant one.”
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made sure teams did not enjoy travelling to Old Trafford and Postecoglou reminisced about his meeting with the managerial great this week.
Postecoglou was in charge of South Melbourne when they lost 2-0 to United in the Club World Championship in 2000.
And more than two decades later he will try to secure his first Premier League win against Ferguson’s old club.
“I don’t think I take elements in my own game but people like Sir Alex, whether it’s consciously or unconsciously, they have an effect on you,” Postecoglou acknowledged.
“It’s not just football managers. I’m a pretty curious kind of guy and you learn things from all sorts of people and events.
“I’ve always tried to constantly nourish that part of my brain that is constantly curious about things.
“It was significant for me because we were coming from nowhere playing at one of the world’s most iconic stadiums, the Maracana, against one of the greatest teams at that time that football had seen, against one of the greatest managers.
“I had five or six minutes with him and apart from saying hello, I just listened. That’s the best way to have interaction with people like that. There’s no point me talking for five minutes, he’s not going to learn anything off me.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists Eric Dier remains “part of this team” despite his absence from Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford.
Dier was one of several senior players left out of the Spurs squad along with Hugo Lloris, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele.
Postecoglou has been honest about the need for Tottenham to offload players during the final weeks of the transfer window, but he suggested nothing should be read into Dier’s absence.
Reports on Sunday which linked Dier with a move to Saudi Arabia were later shut down and he trained at Hotspur Way earlier that day, but he may have to assess his playing options now he seems to be fifth choice at centre-back.
“Eric is part of this team. We left a few out,” Postecoglou said.
“We left some players on the bench that are very good players. We need a strong squad, it’s not about 11 players.
“Eric is in the same boat as all the other boys. He’s working hard in training and available for selection.
“My decisions then are what I think will give us the best chance of success for any given game and then we reassess the week after. Nothing really unusual there.”
Dier was a regular under Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte and made 42 appearances last season.
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The summer arrival of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg has pushed Dier down the pecking order and despite featuring in pre-season, Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez appear to have also moved ahead of him.
Dier joined Spurs in 2014 but was snubbed for the captaincy roles with Son Heung-min named skipper and James Maddison and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero listed as vice-captains.
Romero was part of a new-look defence at Brentford with debuts handed to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, Van de Ven and left-back Destiny Udogie.
Postecoglou added: “Obviously we had Micky, Destiny and Vic, three of our back five, making their debut for the clubs and anyone will tell you when it comes to the defensive side of the game, the more understanding you have, the better you are.
“We obviously took a bit of a gamble throwing them all in but I thought all three handled themselves really well. It is not an easy place to come, you get put under pressure with balls coming into the box and I thought they all handled themselves really well.
“Micky has only had three sessions with us so I could have waited to put him in there, but my feeling is he will be a very good footballer for us and the quicker we introduce him to Premier League football the better he will be.”
Sunday marked the start of the post-Harry Kane era for Tottenham, but his departure to Bayern Munich on Saturday night did not alter the plans of Brentford too much.
Bees boss Thomas Frank said: “No, that is the short answer. Of course he is a different type to Richarlison. He is the England number nine compared to the Brazilian number nine.
“That we know and the only tweak would have been that if Kane drops down deep, we would have needed to be aware of his fantastic passing skills and get closer to him.
“Richarlison is more about the runs but our game plan is our game plan with the things we believe in.”
Ange Postecoglou promised Tottenham would improve and praised the resilience of his squad for not allowing Harry Kane’s departure to distract them after they battled to a 2-2 Premier League draw at Brentford.
Kane’s exit to Bayern Munich – coupled with four full debutants being used in their season opener – contributed to the start of a new dawn at Spurs and along with hosts Brentford, they produced an entertaining affair in west London.
Cristian Romero headed Tottenham in front after 11 minutes before quick-fire efforts from Bees forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa turned around this season opener, but James Maddison – wearing the 10 shirt in Kane’s absence – set up Emerson Royal to level matters on the stroke of half-time.
It stayed 2-2 despite the visitors having 69 per cent possession and 18 shots, which pleased Postecoglou to an extent but the Australian was also aware they must get better in the final third, especially following the £100million sale of their record goal-scorer.
“Football clubs move on pretty quickly,” Postecoglou reflected when asked if he had discussed Kane’s departure with the squad.
“I haven’t needed to address it, I haven’t needed to give them a warm fuzzy cuddle just to see how they are. We had a game to prepare for and they knew that.
“I think that was the important thing for us. If it felt like we were distracted, I was distracted or anyone else, I think you would have seen evidence of it today, particularly after that first half and the way it went.
“We showed a real resilience that we’re going to need because it’s going to be a challenging year for sure.
“It was a good starting point for us today, but we need to improve and we have to improve and we will.
“I think that 2-1 down, having conceded a penalty and an own goal, it would have been very easy for us to drop our heads but I never sensed that in the group.”
After Romero had combined with fellow vice-captain Maddison to open the scoring, he was forced off following an earlier clash of heads with Mbeumo.
The Argentina international wanted to stay on, but Postecoglou had no doubt over the substitution, although was critical over how a pedantic minor error by Spurs’ backroom staff penalised them when it came to further substitutes.
Postecoglou added: “They were pretty sure we needed – for his own benefit – to get him off and obviously what we know about head injuries, for me it is not even an issue. We will always err on the side of caution.
“Disappointed that we apparently filled out the wrong slip and it was not a concussion sub.
“In this day and age, where what we know about head injuries, if we are going to worry about what form we fill out, I thought it was pretty clear what happened – but hopefully he’ll be OK.”
Despite no longer having Kane to call on and with other experienced members of the squad in Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier not involved, Postecoglou was happy to give the away fans reasons for optimism.
“I thought our supporters were outstanding today,” he said.
“It is fair to say we have put them through a fair bit this pre-season and all we can try and do is give them some hope and belief.
“Hopefully they leave the ground, maybe disappointed we weren’t able to get the win, but at least seeing the players are fully committed to us trying to be a football team that makes an impact.”
While a lot of the pre-match focus centred on Tottenham being without Kane, Brentford are missing last season’s top goal-scorer Ivan Toney until January due to his ban for repeated betting breaches.
Bees boss Thomas Frank maintained there was no need for them to sign a new forward and was pleased to be validated in their opening fixture with Mbeumo and Wissa on target.
He said: “There have been quite a few questions from you guys at the end of last season and the start of this about ‘will we buy a striker?’ And I’ve said no, no, no, no and no because we believe the forward players we have will provide enough goals.
“Bryan and Wissa showed it last season and I am so glad they showed it again today.
“Do I want Ivan in the team? Yes, but I know he is not there before January so I am not focused too much on that, only on the players we have now.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed Harry Kane’s move to Bayern Munich is “imminent” after the clubs agreed a fee that could rise to £120million.
Bayern have tracked the England captain all summer and a number of bids were turned down, but a breakthrough was reached on Wednesday night.
It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club and join the Bundesliga champions, who will pay an initial £100m for the forward with add-ons able to potentially take the transfer up to an overall fee of £120m, the PA news agency understands.
Reports on Friday morning initially suggested Spurs had refused to give Kane permission to travel to Germany, but they were squashed by Tottenham and he is set to fly out on Friday afternoon and will complete a medical once he lands in Munich.
Postecoglou, speaking ahead of Sunday’s trip to Brentford, confirmed: “Fair to say I don’t have a blow by blow account but my understanding is it has progressed to the point where it looks like it will happen.
“From that perspective, at least it gives us some clarity and we move forward without Harry.
“From my perspective it is just about understanding where we are at and the information I have at the moment is the deal is imminent but like with all these things, you leave yourself some leeway.
“But moving forward and training today preparing for Brentford, we are doing it without Harry.
“It is best Harry speaks for himself in terms of the decision but no doubt he is one of the greats of this football club and that never changes.
“I am only new in the building but fairly evident Harry Kane will always be one of the greats for this football club.”
Kane is unlikely to be signed in time to feature in Bayern’s DFL-Super Cup match with RB Leipzig on Saturday night.
However, with the clash taking place at Bayern’s Allianz Arena home, England captain Kane could well be unveiled to supporters before kick-off.
This is not the first summer where Kane’s future has dominated headlines after Manchester City had a failed pursuit in 2021.
Kane sat out the first match of that season – coincidentally against City – but Pep Guardiola’s side never got close to agreeing a fee with Tottenham for the forward.
With Kane into the last 12 months of his contract at Spurs this summer, speculation over his future this time always felt more significant.
Bayern saw bids reportedly turned down in June and July but made their intentions clear, with club officials in honorary president Uli Hoeness and president Herbert Hainer speaking openly in the media about Kane’s desire to join the Bundesliga champions.
A third bid was submitted last Friday and a new twist occurred when Spurs spent all weekend deliberating before chairman Daniel Levy rejected the offer on Monday.
With noises coming out that Kane, who scored four goals in a friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday, had enjoyed working with new Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, confidence started to grow that he could spend the season with his boyhood team.
Bayern’s latest bid proved enough for an agreement to be reached and, after Kane took his time to weigh up the decision, he decided it was right to end his 19-year stay at Spurs.
It means Kane’s pursuit of Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record will go on pause, with the Tottenham forward still 47 goals off equalling Shearer’s tally of 260.
He will leave N17 as the club’s leading marksman after he surpassed Jimmy Greaves’ 266-goal record in February with the winner against Manchester City.
Kane will also get the chance to fulfil his career-long ambition of winning trophies at Bayern, while remaining in the Champions League after spending only one of the last three campaigns in Europe’s elite competition.
Back at Spurs, Postecoglou, who only took over in June, will be tasked with filling a huge void.
New Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has admitted last week’s meeting with Harry Kane was “nothing earth-shattering” but still a good chat amid Bayern Munich’s growing efforts to lure the forward to Germany.
Kane has entered the final 12 months of his deal with Spurs and speculation over his future has heightened in recent weeks.
The England captain returned to training on Wednesday and held a meeting with Postecoglou, but the Australian has played down its significance.
Postecoglou told reporters at a press conference, via football.london, from the WACA Ground in Perth: “I had a good chat with Harry.
“Nothing earth-shattering as people are seeking. Just a good chat, introduced myself, spoke about the club and where we can improve.”
Bayern appeared to up the ante regarding Kane at the weekend with the club’s honorary president Uli Hoeness claiming an agreement over personal terms had been reached with the Spurs forward.
“Harry Kane has clearly signalled in all conversations that his decision stands – and if he keeps to his word then we’ll get him, because then Tottenham will have to buckle,” Hoeness told German TV channel Sport1.
“Kane wants to play internationally and luckily for us Tottenham will not be active internationally next year.
“He now has another opportunity to come to a top club in Europe.
“Up to now, the father and the brother have always stood by what they promised. If it stays that way, that’s OK.”
Kane was spotted interacting with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy upon arriving in Australia this weekend for the club’s tour of Perth, Bangkok and Singapore.
While Bayern continue to push to secure the services of the England captain and have reportedly lodged two bids for the forward, Spurs’ stance remains the same, they have no intention of selling Kane.
Spurs’ record goalscorer has also been offered a new contract that is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, the PA news agency understands.
Kane is yet to make a decision on the new deal but Tottenham and chairman Levy continue to stand firm on their desire to keep the striker.
Bayern honorary president Hoeness added: “Levy is clever, he doesn’t name a number. First we have to get him to name a number.
“Of course he plays for time. I think he’s a savvy, super professional, I appreciate him a lot – but I don’t think there are people on the other side who have been doing it since yesterday.”
Ange Postecoglou is a coach in the same style as Mauricio Pochettino so says Michael Dawson, who is excited by the Australian's appointment at Tottenham.
Tottenham's long search for a new coach took them to Celtic's door, and Postecoglou this week signed a four-year contract.
That came on the back of the former Australia coach leading the Hoops to the treble in Scotland in 2022-23.
And former Spurs defender Dawson thinks Postecoglou will end up being an ideal fit.
Speaking to Stats Perform at an exclusive launch event for Club and Nike Members held at Alexandra Palace, Dawson said: "I think it's a really positive appointment with Ange Postecoglou.
"What he did at Celtic, but not just there. I think what he did in Australia and then Japan, people were wondering, how would he actually settle in [at Celtic], how would his style of playing get implemented.
"He's certainly done that Celtic. So now he has to come to our club and do the same. I do believe it's a lot harder because the Premier League, in my opinion, is the best league in the world.
"But he's done in Scotland and now he'll want to come and come to England and do it again at a massive football club. I'm sure he's delighted to get the opportunity to work in the Premier League, and at Spurs and work with a group of young players that are in the building and try and improve them like he certainly did at Celtic."
Indeed, Dawson believes the 57-year-old's approach will be similar to that of Pochettino, who led Spurs to multiple top four finishes and a Champions League final during his stint in charge.
"Daniel [Levy's] gone out and made the manager clear that he wanted to play an attacking style of football," said Dawson.
"I looked at 2014, when I was at the club when Pochettino came through the door. You try and implement your style of what you want with a group of players then try and get the best out of that players and the right personnel to play in the right formation.
"[Postecoglou] plays with a 4-3-3 and with his fullbacks inverted, and they overload the midfield. Players will be on holiday and go away on international duty, but certainly when the first day of pre-season comes he'll be trying to get the message across."
Spurs finished eighth and failed to qualify for a European competition, and Dawson knows they must be targeting much better.
"I look at the Spurs team and the players that we've got at the top of the field with Harry Kane, one of the best strikers in the world," he added.
"He's done it for many years and he will keep doing it. He's an absolute genius, world-class, Spurs' all-time goalscorer, England's all-time goalscorer and he will keep doing that because he's relentless.
"Son [Heung-min], [Dejan] Kulusevski, Richarlison; it's now about getting the best out of these players to try and get us back to where I believe we should be and that's in the Champions League.
"There's no there's no hiding, it was a disappointing season. We looked at 12 months ago when we ended the last two games by beating Arsenal and finishing in the Champions League, it was great. This year we've come up short. The players know that and now you always get another chance."
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou appears to be moving towards a swift resolution of his future amid reports he has verbally agreed to become Tottenham’s new manager.
Postecoglou admitted on Saturday that his ability to enjoy Celtic’s treble success would soon be disrupted by some decision-making and that seems to have happened even quicker than he anticipated.
The 57-year-old dodged questions on his future before and after Saturday’s Scottish Cup final win over Inverness having emerged as the overwhelming frontrunner to take over at Spurs.
Neither club are commenting publicly but reports claim Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night that he intended to leave for London and he is now said to be closing in on signing a two-year Spurs deal with the option to extend.
When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, the Greek-born Australian said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.
“But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.”
The former Australia head coach has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in Japan and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.
Postecoglou became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.
But he looks set to swap Glasgow for another rebuild job as Spurs finally look to appoint a permanent successor to Antonio Conte, who departed on March 26.
Postecoglou is due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday and a deal could be finalised quickly.
Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.
Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou believes his players have become conditioned to the constant demands for success.
Captain Callum McGregor lifted the cinch Premiership trophy on Saturday after a 5-0 win over Aberdeen rounded off a season in which Celtic collected 99 points and scored a post-war club-record 114 league goals.
Postecoglou has now claimed four of five domestic trophies available since arriving from Japan in the summer of 2021 and he can follow in the footsteps of Jock Stein, Martin O’Neill, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon by clinching the treble with Scottish Cup victory over Inverness on Saturday.
“From the moment I arrived, I think I have said many times, coming off a trophyless season, we could not go another year without winning something,” he said.
“From the first day I arrived, irrespective of what happened at the start of the season, I made it clear to the boys that expectation is always there.
“That will never change. Whether you are winning or not winning, expectation at this football club is you have success every year.
“I think the players have become conditioned to that. They train like that every day, they behave like that. Callum is pushing them like that every day. You can’t have an off day. You can’t have an off season.”
Postecoglou is already thinking about how he can improve Celtic next season.
“You can’t stand still in this game,” he said. “It changes very quickly. It’s fine margins between having success again and not being successful.
“And more than that, this team’s going to improve. Most of the key players in this team, you can see them improving.
“All the the ones who joined last year have had better years this year than last year, and the ones who stayed, Callum and Greg Taylor and Tony Ralston, all those guys, have all come on, and had better years this year.
“That tells me there’s more improvement. There has to be.”
Aberdeen manager Barry Robson will try to make sure his side compete better with Celtic next season but he sensed Saturday’s game would be difficult given the occasion and the fact his side had achieved their goal of finishing third in the league three days earlier.
Robson, whose side will be guaranteed European group stage football if Celtic win the cup, said: “We’re going to try our best in every department and be as good as we can possibly be.
“We know the differences in finance between teams in the league.
“I’ve played for teams challenging the Old Firm and I’ve played for the Old Firm myself, so I know how difficult it is.
“But we need to be as good an Aberdeen team as we can be, which we’ve done, and also perform well in Europe.
“We need Celtic to do us a turn at Hampden next week.
“That wasn’t our fight. Our fight was getting to third. But we want to make it a fight.”
Ange Postecoglou insists he will carry the can for Celtic’s recent dip in form after Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat away to Hibernian made it three games without a win for the cinch Premiership champions.
The Hoops’ cause was not helped by the fact they had Daizen Maeda sent off while they led 2-1 at Easter Road, but the manager – who made six changes to his starting line-up – believes his tinkering is the main reason his side have lost their way since wrapping up the title earlier this month.
“We love to live in the moment and everyone is sort of making assessments on what is happening right now,” said Postecoglou. “That’s fine.
“Most of that is on me, to be honest. I am the one making five or six line-up changes every week. That’s hurting the side and there’s no doubt about that, but I’m doing it for a reason and that has affected our level of performance.
“Until the sending off, I thought we were in a good position. Aside from that, as I said, that’s my responsibility. I’ll take that. That’s the decisions I’ve made. In the last three weeks, they haven’t been to be benefit of the team.”
Celtic goalkeeper Scott Bain, who was handed a rare start, was badly at fault for Hibs’ last two goals, scored by Elie Youan and Paul Hanlon.
“It is disappointing for him and that is the life of a goalkeeper as he was having a good game up until that point,” said Postecoglou. “It is just one of those moments and I don’t know when the last time he played was.
“These guys are out there and in many respects it is not fair on them as I am putting these guys in and that would be okay if there were one or two changes but I’m making five or six changes a game and that is hard on the guys coming in, I totally get that.
“That’s just the way I do things as I like to throw guys out there and it is a sink or swim mentality, but we provide the support and give them the feedback to be better.
“It is unfortunate for him because it was looking like a good night for him.”
Forward Sead Haksabanovic went off injured in the first half and is now a doubt for the Scottish Cup final against Inverness.
“I’ll wait and see what the medical team say but with the cup final is 10 days away and it could be tough for him,” said Postecoglou.
Hibs boss Lee Johnson hailed his side for going “toe to toe” with the champions as they set up a final-day shootout for fourth-place with city rivals Hearts at Tynecastle on Saturday.
“It was a fantastic win and a big three points against a top team,” he said.
“The fans deserved that, it was nice to send them home happy.
“That wasn’t a smash-and-grab win. We went toe to toe with the champions.”
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou and striker Kyogo Furuhashi have enjoyed a double success at the PFA Scotland Awards.
Postecoglou was named Manager of the Year by his peers at the ceremony on Sunday evening, during which a special merit award went to former St Mirren, Aberdeen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Australian was honoured after guiding his club to back-to-back top-flight titles as they chase a domestic treble.
He saw off competition from fellow Premiership boss Stephen Robinson of St Mirren, Dunfermline’s James McPake and Stirling Albion’s Darren Young.
Kyogo took the cinch Premiership Player of the Year title after scoring 30 goals in all competitions, 24 of them in the league to sit at the top of the charts.
He was one of three Bhoys men nominated along with Japanese team-mate Reo Hatate and last season’s winner Callum McGregor after the club surged to a second successive title, with Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen completing the shortlist.
In addition, Celtic frontman Jota claimed the Goal of the Season prize for his sublime chip in the 4-0 home victory over Old Firm rivals Rangers in September.
The Ibrox club’s midfielder Malik Tillman, who has scored 10 league goals this season, was named Young Player of the Year.
Tillman was nominated along with Celtic duo Liel Abada – last year’s winner – and Matt O’Riley joined by Rangers midfielder Malik Tillman and Albion Rovers’ Charlie Reilly, who scored 24 goals despite the Cliftonhill side finishing bottom of League Two.
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