Ange Postecoglou backs Richarlison as Tottenham deal with Harry Kane exit
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou insists it will take a collective effort to replace the goals of Harry Kane, but has backed the “fantastic” Richarlison to fit in well into his attacking system.
Spurs start a new chapter when they make the trip to Brentford on Sunday with Postecoglou in charge for the first time and the Premier League opener will mark the beginning of the post-Kane era.
Richarlison only scored once for Spurs in the top flight following a £60million move from Everton, but Postecoglou is a big fan of Brazil’s number nine and will count on him alongside the likes of Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison to fill the void of talisman Kane.
“Oh, I don’t think there is a like-for-like replacement for Harry mate but yeah in terms of (trying to buy) a striker, again we’ve been planning for this, fair to say, for a while,” Postecoglou said.
“A lot of our business up to now is with that in mind. This doesn’t change things dramatically, from my perspective anyway, in terms of what we’re trying to build.”
On Richarlison, Postecoglou added: “He’s fit. There’s no issues with him. He picked up a slight knock in training and he got through the Barca game really well.
“He’s represented his country at a World Cup, which is not an insignificant thing and sometimes when things like this happen, opportunity exists and it’s up to somebody to step through that door. That’s Richy or anyone else.
“That’s all you can ask for in football, just to have that opportunity.
“I wouldn’t be expecting one player, and it’s not the way we’ll be set up, to cover the absence of Harry. It’s about the collective and how we can become a really strong offensive force with the players we have.
“We have some really fantastic attacking players and Richy is one of them.”
While Kane scored close to 43 per cent of Spurs’ goals in the Premier League last season, they also had a poor defensive record under Antonio Conte and caretakers Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason, shipping 63 times in 38 fixtures.
The Dutchman joined from Wolfsburg this week and could be handed his debut at Brentford, with Guglielmo Vicario and England international Maddison nailed on to start while Destiny Udogie, who returned to the club this summer after a loan with Udinese, could receive his professional bow for Spurs.
“There is still three or so weeks to go in the transfer window, so I think there will still be movement but not because Harry has gone, that’s always been in the plan,” Postecoglou revealed.
“From my perspective we’re preparing for Brentford and there won’t be any incomings between now and Sunday.
“Micky’s settled in well. He’s had a pre-season with Wolfsburg but he hasn’t played 90 minutes yet so match-conditioning wise he’s probably not at the level, but he’s definitely available for the weekend.”