Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham in-tray: Kane and Lloris futures, defensive recruits and reviving recent signings

Following confirmation of Ange Postecoglou's appointment as Tottenham manager on a four-year deal, the Australian has lots to contend with immediately. 

Spurs had three different managers this term and struggled to establish consistency, finishing eighth in the Premier League - their worst season since 2008/09 - and crashing out of the domestic cups to Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest. 

The north Londoners' insipid attacking showing against Milan also put paid to their Champions League hopes at the last-16 stage, with Tottenham now involved in a fight to keep hold of talisman Harry Kane this summer. 

Ahead of a pivotal season in N17, here are four things that Postecoglou must do as a priority. 

Convince Kane to stay

Probably the biggest issue at hand. 

Kane scored 30 Premier League goals this season - his joint-highest figure in a single campaign - and yet that still wasn't enough to get Tottenham into Europe. 

The England captain and Son Heung-min have long been tasked with shouldering the attacking burden, but the South Korean's form faltered this term while Kane remained clinical. 

Tottenham's talisman sees his current contract run out next summer, and with Manchester United and Real Madrid both looking for a new No 9, he is the only player in the world, along with Victor Osimhen, who has the quality to fill both roles. 

After failing to engineer a move to Manchester City in 2021, Kane may now fancy moving to Old Trafford, with Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 260 goals well within his sights. 

The fact that Kane turns 30 next month may sharpen his thinking when it comes to playing for a club challenging for silverware. 

Postecoglou's task is to convince his prize asset that Tottenham can join that elite group, but time is certainly of the essence if Kane is to remain. 

Get a new first-choice goalkeeper

Hugo Lloris has been a great servant to Tottenham, but at the age of 36 and with just one year left on his contract, the time has come for the Frenchman to be moved on. 

Lloris made more errors leading to goals (four) than any other Premier League goalkeeper this season and suffered knee and thigh injuries during a difficult campaign. 

Spurs have been linked with a host of names to replace him, with David Raya, Jordan Pickford, Robert Sanchez, Dean Henderson, Caoimhin Kelleher and Jan Oblak among those mentioned. 

Any prospective replacement is likely to be significantly younger than Lloris - Oblak is the oldest from this list at 30 - and would be an encouraging sign of things to come in the Ange Postecoglou era. 

Bolster central defensive options

Alarmingly, Tottenham conceded 63 league goals this season - with only five teams in the division worse off in that regard. 

There were nine occasions when Spurs conceded at least times during that period and four times when they let in at least four, including the barely believable 6-1 annihilation at the hands of Newcastle. 

Davinson Sanchez was booed off by his own fans in April after a short-lived and error-strewn display in the 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, and both he and Eric Dier are out of contract next summer. 

Clement Lenglet is heading back to parent club Barcelona after a season in England, while Japhet Tanganga has barely played in the last year. 

Cristian Romero seems to be the defender to build around, while Ben Davies is tied down until 2025.

Those options seem pretty threadbare however - a refresh is needed. 

Revive Richarlison's fortunes

Richarlison arrived in north London with a £50m price tag, but the forward has struggled to find the net since his arrival from Everton. 

The Brazil international was a pivotal ingredient in the Toffees escaping relegation last season, producing some of his best form in the run-in, including netting the winner against Chelsea. 

However, after bagging a brace against Marseille in the Champions League, he failed to score in a Spurs shirt until 23 April, grabbing a 93rd-minute equaliser at Anfield only for Diogo Jota to break visiting hearts a minute later. 

Part of Richarlison's scoring woes can be attributed to a lack of game time - he started just 12 league matches this season - but the 26-year-old did have the third-worst shots-to-goals ratio of any forward/striker who had scored at least once in the division in 2022/23 (behind only Neal Maupay and Diego Costa). 

It would be premature to sideline Richarlison, but he needs to show much more of a clinical edge to lend confidence to Postecoglou and the fanbase alike, especially with Kane potentially heading out the door.