New Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has not asked for any assurances over Harry Kane’s future, but will use this week’s meeting with the forward to lay out his vision to make the club successful.

Postecoglou faced the media for the first time on Monday and the discussion quickly turned to Kane, who is attracting interest from Bayern Munich amid reports the Bundesliga champions have bid for the England captain.

Kane will return to training on Wednesday and ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou revealed how he expects the conversation with the 29-year-old to go.

“I haven’t had any assurances and I wouldn’t expect any assurances,” Postecoglou explained. “That’s just my nature. I just kind of go along and try to concentrate on the things I know right now.

“What I know right now is that Harry is part of this squad and he’s looking forward to coming back to training and being amongst these players and starting to work together.

“I don’t think it’s my role to sit down and treat people in a manner because of their circumstances. I’m really big on treating everyone the same and Harry has already entrenched himself in the history of this football club.

“He’s a very important part. He’s one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved. My conversation with him will be about how we can make this club successful and I’ve got no doubts that’s what he wants as well.

“I doubt it’s going to be defined in the manner that people think it’s going to be. It’s not going to be a conversation where we walk out of the room and have an understanding. I don’t want that kind of conversation.

“What I want is to introduce myself to Harry and give him my vision of the football club and get a sense from him on what he thinks the club needs to do to be successful and walk out on that training pitch and try to make it happen.”

Tottenham’s stance on Kane has not changed since Manchester City tried to sign the forward in 2021.

City’s advances were turned down and Spurs plan to reject any bids for the forward this summer despite his contract now entering its final 12 months.

Kane is not the only senior figure at the club with an uncertain future. Captain Hugo Lloris is expected to depart and a bloated squad – after 12 players have returned from loan spells – will need to be trimmed.

Postecoglou added: “We’re in that stage, like most clubs, where you kind of know that there will be activity between now and the start of the season and the end of the window. There will be some players who won’t be here and some players that will come in.

“Again in my mind, I try to keep that with the understanding that until something is certain, I’m not going to commit myself either way to whether a player is going to be here or not. There’s no point in wasting energy on something that may or may not happen.

“So far the lads we’ve had in have been excellent. They’ve been brilliant with the staff in adapting and implementing the things I want and we’ll keep moving along.

“We’ll get the rest of the squad back in the next couple of days so it will be great to see everyone in the building.”

Postecoglou will attempt to bring in a contrasting style of football to Spurs’ last three managers with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte all favouring a pragmatic approach with counter-attacking football.

The Australian laid out his plans on Monday to bring back the aggressive, dominant football that is intrinsically linked to Tottenham’s history.

“Anyone that has charted the course of my career will know if you watch my teams play, they all have the same basic elements in there,” the 57-year-old said.

“The elements of it will be – we want to be an aggressive team, a dominant team, a team who takes the game to every opposition home and away.

“I think for me the history of this football club kind of suggests that is the best fit for it.

“I am the kind of guy who loves a challenge. I love a build, I love a rebuild. That is where I feel I am at my best.

“Now my goal is to try and make some special moments here and create something special for this great football club as well.”

New Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has not asked for any assurances over Harry Kane’s future, but will use this week’s meeting with the forward to lay out his vision to make the club successful.

Postecoglou faced the media for the first time on Monday and the discussion quickly turned to Kane, who is attracting interest from Bayern Munich amid reports the Bundesliga champions have bid for the England captain.

Kane will return to training on Wednesday and ex-Celtic boss Postecoglou revealed how he expects the conversation with the 29-year-old to go.

“I haven’t had any assurances and I wouldn’t expect any assurances,” Postecoglou explained. “That’s just my nature. I just kind of go along and try to concentrate on the things I know right now.

“What I know right now is that Harry is part of this squad and he’s looking forward to coming back to training and being amongst these players and starting to work together.

“I don’t think it’s my role to sit down and treat people in a manner because of their circumstances. I’m really big on treating everyone the same and Harry has already entrenched himself in the history of this football club.

“He’s a very important part. He’s one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved. My conversation with him will be about how we can make this club successful and I’ve got no doubts that’s what he wants as well.

“I doubt it’s going to be defined in the manner that people think it’s going to be. It’s not going to be a conversation where we walk out of the room and have an understanding. I don’t want that kind of conversation.

“What I want is to introduce myself to Harry and give him my vision of the football club and get a sense from him on what he thinks the club needs to do to be successful and walk out on that training pitch and try to make it happen.”

Tottenham’s stance on Kane has not changed since Manchester City tried to sign the forward in 2021.

City’s advances were turned down and Spurs plan to reject any bids for the forward this summer despite his contract now entering its final 12 months.

Kane is not the only senior figure at the club with an uncertain future. Captain Hugo Lloris is expected to depart and a bloated squad – after 12 players have returned from loan spells – will need to be trimmed.

Postecoglou added: “We’re in that stage, like most clubs, where you kind of know that there will be activity between now and the start of the season and the end of the window. There will be some players who won’t be here and some players that will come in.

“Again in my mind, I try to keep that with the understanding that until something is certain, I’m not going to commit myself either way to whether a player is going to be here or not. There’s no point in wasting energy on something that may or may not happen.

“So far the lads we’ve had in have been excellent. They’ve been brilliant with the staff in adapting and implementing the things I want and we’ll keep moving along.

“We’ll get the rest of the squad back in the next couple of days so it will be great to see everyone in the building.”

Postecoglou will attempt to bring in a contrasting style of football to Spurs’ last three managers with Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte all favouring a pragmatic approach with counter-attacking football.

The Australian laid out his plans on Monday to bring back the aggressive, dominant football that is intrinsically linked to Tottenham’s history.

“Anyone that has charted the course of my career will know if you watch my teams play, they all have the same basic elements in there,” the 57-year-old said.

“The elements of it will be – we want to be an aggressive team, a dominant team, a team who takes the game to every opposition home and away.

“I think for me the history of this football club kind of suggests that is the best fit for it.

“I am the kind of guy who loves a challenge. I love a build, I love a rebuild. That is where I feel I am at my best.

“Now my goal is to try and make some special moments here and create something special for this great football club as well.”

World number three Daniil Medvedev eased into his maiden Wimbledon quarter-final after Jiri Lehecka was forced to retire injured.

The 27-year-old Russian was in control on Court One and had just gone two sets ahead at 6-4 6-2 when his Czech opponent pulled out.

Lehecka received treatment during a medical timeout at the end of the opening set but initially battled on in some discomfort before opting for a premature departure.

Medvedev awaits either world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas or American Christopher Eubanks in the last eight.

“I honestly did not (realise) until he retired,” he said of Lehecka’s injury.

“I saw that maybe his movement is a little bit restricted but the way he was throwing the ball I thought that it was not causing him enough trouble but then when he retired, I was like, ‘OK, I see it different’.

“I feel sorry for Jiri. Hopefully he can recover fast and he has a lot more grand slams to come ahead of him.”

Lehecka showed some touches of class but his performance was undermined by a series of errors and, ultimately, his fitness issue.

The 21-year-old struggled to deal with the power of Medvedev, with one of his returns of serve flying off court and landing in a spectator’s drink.

Both players were then forced to sit down during the sixth game of the second set due to a medical emergency in the crowd.

The affected spectator eventually walked out of the arena with the aid of medics following a delay of around 10 minutes.

Speaking about reaching the last eight at SW19 for the first time, Medvedev added: “It’s probably my fifth or sixth Wimbledon and I was not very successful but I never lost on this court.

“I feel sorry that all the quarters are going to be played on Centre (Court). I’m like, ‘can I just continue here?’.

“I’m really happy and looking forward to the next match.”

Ange Postecoglou described Celtic as a “bucket list” club for managers as he tipped continuing success under his replacement Brendan Rodgers.

The new Tottenham boss stunned Hoops supporters when he left for London at the end of last season, days after clinching the domestic treble in Scotland with a Scottish Cup final win over Inverness.

Postecoglou, who won five out of six trophies in his two seasons in the Celtic hot seat, was succeeded by Rodgers, who has returned for a second spell in charge of the cinch Premiership champions.

Speaking at his first Tottenham media conference, the former Australia manager was asked if leaving Glasgow was a difficult decision.

“Yes it was a tough decision,” he said. “It’s a special football club. If you have a bucket list as a manager of football clubs you want to manage, that is probably one of them.

“The supporters are not really supporters, the club is an extension of them, it’s a family.

“We had a brilliant two years, great group of players, great staff. We had some fantastic success and great moments within that.

“I will cherish them, but I am the kind of guy who loves a challenge. I love a build, I love a rebuild. That is where I feel I am at my best.

“This challenge when it came along had all the elements I need to get going again.

“I know Celtic have appointed Brendan Rodgers, who is an outstanding manager, and they will continue to have success.

“They have great players, great infrastructure, it is a great football club. I was very fortunate to be allowed that responsibility for a couple of years.

“Now my goal is to try and make some special moments here and create something special for this great football club as well.”

George Boughey’s Soprano has the Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes in her sights after an encouraging Royal Ascot performance.

The chestnut daughter of Starspangledbanner won on debut in a Newmarket maiden in May, beating subsequent Hilary Needler winner Midnight Affair, and was then an admirable third in the Albany Stakes.

On the latter occasion she was two lengths behind the winner, Porta Fortuna, and a length behind Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika, since successful in the Group Two Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

Soprano will also be making the step up from Group Three to Group Two level when she heads to the July course on Friday.

Harry Herbert, of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, said: “She’s in great form, she runs in the Group Two at Newmarket – the Duchess of Cambridge.

“That’s very much the plan, with Ryan Moore booked to ride.

“There’s been a really good form boost and she’s a very smart filly.

“I think she will be even better over further which is exciting for the future, but she’s in good form and I think a stiff six at Newmarket will suit her.

“She ran such a blinder at Royal Ascot, William (Buick) said that had things gone a bit differently, had she broken better and been a bit nearer the pace, then she might have gone very near to winning.

“We’ll see, she deserves to take her chance and she’s very exciting.”

The British Grand Prix is closing in on a deal to secure its long-term future, with the head of Motorsport UK David Richards insisting it is “just a matter of time” before a new contract is announced.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen extended his winning streak, with Lando Norris holding off Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling battle between the two British drivers, at Silverstone on Sunday.

However, a five-year £100million contract signed off by Formula One’s American owners’ Liberty Media, Silverstone and the British Racing Drivers’ Club, which owns the Northamptonshire venue, in 2019 is up for renewal next season.

The British Grand Prix has been an ever present on the F1 calendar, dating back more than 70 years, with Silverstone staging the sport’s first world championship race.

But Motorsport UK chairman Richards said: “I don’t think there is any question that the deal will get done. Both the BRDC and Liberty are keen to see that resolved and it is just a matter of time.

“We were hoping it would be announced this weekend – that wasn’t the case – but that is not because there is no willingness to get it done.”

A record crowd in excess of 150,000 people watched Verstappen’s sixth consecutive win on Sunday, with nearly half-a-million fans in attendance at Silverstone over the course of the weekend.

Liberty has flirted with the idea of staging a street race in London, but a number of roadblocks have thwarted any serious progress.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle said: “We don’t have a new contract yet.

“But we are the most sustainable race in the championship – by virtue of having seven out of 10 teams located nearby, so there is no long-haul aviation.

“We have got 2,700 solar panels powering the Paddock Club. We have a huge recycling operation here and that is very important to F1 in helping them achieve their net zero carbon 2030 target.

“We have radically improved our entertainment programme. The races are thrilling and they get excellent television audiences. It is very popular with sponsors and VIPs. The Paddock Club is in the top two or three of all the races that Formula One sell every year.

“And for the last four years that F1 has surveyed its fans after every race, Silverstone have won those customer surveys, and by some margin too.

“So I struggle to know what more we can do if that is not enough. We are really enjoying working with F1 at the moment. The product is fantastic. Privately F1 are recognising our efforts and I hope publicly they are too.”

Sonny Liston will be attempting to land a knockout blow at York on Saturday when he lines up in the John Smith’s Cup.

Ralph Beckett’s charge was outboxed by stablemate Jimi Hendrix when second in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot but now has the chance to get the judge’s verdict as one of 33 who remain in contention for the valuable £200,000 contest.

Owned by Chelsea Thoroughbreds, the four-year-old has not had his hand raised since striking on debut when trained by Charlie Hills, but connections are banking on the gelding relishing a step up to 10 furlongs to return him to the winner’s enclosure.

“He runs off his old mark and we wanted to get him in somewhere off that mark,” said Emma Spencer, managing director of Chelsea Thoroughbreds and also racing manager for the owners.

“He’s proven over a mile and a quarter and although he didn’t stay in the Derby, he was third at Chester in the Dee Stakes and then he was third in a Group Three at Goodwood.

“So there is a case for saying that a mile and a quarter is his ideal trip and if he runs like he did the other day and he seems to be in a good place then the race could really suit him.”

Richard Fahey’s course-and-distance winner and last year’s fourth Spirit Dancer is also among the possibles for the historic 10-furlong handicap, with Simon and Ed Crisford’s Sea The Casper, William Haggas’ Amleto and Andrew Balding’s Nobel all potential improvers who head to the Knavesmire appearing unexposed and on the back of victories last time.

Also looking to go one better than at Royal Ascot is Kerdos who will line-up in the John Smith’s City Walls Stakes.

The three-year-old son of Profitable was downed late on by Rhythm N Hooves when a silver medallist in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes and trainer Clive Cox hopes he can get in the mix once again as he steps up to Listed level.

“Kerdos ran a blinder at Ascot and the Listed race at York, the City Walls Stakes, that would be our next target for him,” said the Lambourn-based handler.

“Obviously it is against older horses, but he’s a progressive three-year-old who we are really happy is going the right way.

“We know the family very well. I trained his sire Profitable and he’s out of a half-sister to Priceless who was a Group Two winner in the Temple Stakes at Haydock. They normally progress with age and this fella seems to fit that profile well.”

Kerdos is one of 17 possible runners for the five-furlong Listed event, with Edward Bethell’s Regional chief featuring in the opposition following his Achilles Stakes victory at Haydock last month.

Achilles second and third Equilateral (Charlie Hills) and Raasel (Mick Appleby) are also involved, while Fahey’s Great State was a winner of the Listed Westow Stakes over course and distance during the Dante meeting and will be bidding to provide his Malton-based handler with more success at one of his local tracks.

Beatriz Haddad Maia was left in tears after she was forced to retire during her fourth-round match with defending champion Elen Rybakina.

The Brazilian was enjoying her best run at Wimbledon, having never previously got past the second round, but hopes of a first quarter-final appearance were taken away from her when she suffered a hip injury early in the first set.

She had a lengthy medical timeout trailing 3-1 and tried to carry on but after being unable to move during a Rybakina service game it was clear that she could not continue.

Having been in tears throughout the last game, she reluctantly walked to the net and shook hands with the score at 4-1.

It meant that Rybakina’s smooth progress continued as she was on court for just 21 minutes and will now be able to put her feet up to watch Ons Jabeur and Petra Kvitova battle it out for the chance to play her in the quarter-finals.

Former England bowler Steve Harmison believes Ollie Robinson’s Ashes series could be over, suggesting the hosts “can’t afford to take the risk” over his fitness.

Robinson has played all three games so far, taking 10 wickets at 28.40, but was sidelined for the majority of the three-wicket victory at Headingley with back spasms.

The 29-year-old, who was restricted to just 11.2 overs, suffered similar issues during the last Ashes series Down Under in 2021-22 and in the subsequent tour of the West Indies.

With record wicket-taker James Anderson raring to return at his home ground of Emirates Old Trafford in the fourth Test, Robinson looks set to step down, but Harmison believes he may also be out of contention for the series finale at the Kia Oval too.

“He’s done for me; I think he’s done in the Ashes,” Harmison told talkSPORT.

“I think history has repeated itself. He came into the last Ashes and wasn’t able to bowl the overs he could do because of his body. I’m not going to speculate on where he is from a fitness point of view or whether it’s just unfortunate that these injuries have come.

“But England can’t afford to take the risk. With two games left in the series that we have to win, we have to pick the best bowlers. Ollie is one of them but he’s got to be fit to be one of them.

“He started the last couple of Tests at 78mph…and you’re starting to drop to 76, 75mph. As great a record as he’s got in Test cricket, unfortunately he needs to get his fitness and his body up before he starts playing Test cricket again.”

Robinson riled Australia with his fiery send-off of Usman Khawaja in the first Test, with the likes of Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden queuing up to criticise the seamer.

Hayden did so in particularly colourful fashion, taking aim at his pace by accusing him of bowling “124kph nude nuts”.

Great Britain softballer Alana Snow is eager to move on from the heartbreak of narrowly missing out on the 2020 Olympics as her side prepare to kick-start a redemptive new era and take on the world.

Snow was part of the GB squad that in 2019 were one win away from qualifying for the Tokyo Games but fell to Italy at the last hurdle, and she has now reunited with her team-mates in Dublin for the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup.

While their campaign may not receive as much attention as the Lionesses, whose FIFA World Cup bid also begins this month, Snow is sure her team has similar potential to inspire girls to dream of representing their country in a fast-growing sport – just like she once did.

“I can speak of my own experience growing up in Surrey,” Snow told the PA news agency. “My aspirations, my goals and who I saw was always the national team.

“Though I went to the States and played at university, the goal was always playing for my country. Like the Lionesses, they’re such symbols and hopefully being a symbol for girls in softball and maybe us being that next step is so, so important.

“My motivator was not professional, my motivator was not college. My motivator was how can I represent my country the best I can, and I think that if we have a chance then this team can really do that for girls here and I would love to be a part of that.”

Last month, Snow participated alongside Major League Baseball greats in a Trafalgar Square home run derby during MLB’s London Series weekend, a valuable opportunity to alert the general British public to the fact of her team’s very existence.

Unlike football’s World Cups, the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s 18-team showpiece is a multi-stage process, beginning with the first round of matches on Tuesday in Fingal-Dublin, one of three group stage hosts alongside locations in Spain and Italy.

World number 16 Great Britain will take on ninth-ranked Australia in the Group A and tournament opener, with two teams from each of the three six-nation groups advancing to next July’s finals in Italy.

In February, UK Sport funnelled an extra £90,000 of funding into Great Britain’s baseball and fastpitch softball national teams, a boost of both confidence and resource designed to increase the teams’ chances of Olympic qualification – though first the sports themselves will need to clear a major hurdle.

Athletes are eagerly awaiting the International Olympic Committee’s October session in Mumbai, where the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is expected to be finalised.

Baseball and softball featured at the Tokyo 2020 Games but will not be part of next summer’s Paris Olympics, with the sport’s leaders hopeful that a United States-hosted Games will catalyse their respective returns and beat out fierce interest from competition including lacrosse, cricket and flag football.

“It’s a must,” said Snow of the decision’s impact on the GB programme. “It’s so inspiring for us to be a part of. Our goal right now, all we’re talking about long-term wise is the 2028 Olympics.

“How optimistic am I? I’m in my head counting it as a guarantee. Like, America obviously loves baseball and softball. It’s the American pastime. I have no doubt that it’s going to be passed.

“Like, 100 per cent. And I think we are building, and this result this summer in Ireland is so important for us, for the building blocks of what’s to come next.”

Teenager Mirra Andreeva was given a point penalty for throwing her racket and refused to shake the umpire’s hand in a fourth-round loss to Madison Keys at Wimbledon.

The 16-year-old Russian, who has been a crowd favourite on her debut at the All England Club, looked set to become the youngest player since Anna Kournikova in 1997 to make the quarter-finals here when she led by a set and 4-1.

But Keys fought back and Andreeva was given her first warning by umpire Julie Kjendlie after flinging her racket across the grass when she lost the second-set tie-break.

She then appeared to throw her racket again when Keys forced deuce at 2-5 in the deciding set, earning a second warning and an automatic point penalty, which gave her opponent a match point.

Andreeva argued her case with Kjendlie, saying: “Do you understand what you are doing? I didn’t throw the racket. I slid. It’s the wrong decision. I slid and then I fell.”

But the decision stood and Keys won the next point to clinch a 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-2 victory, with Andreeva heading to the net to shake hands with her opponent but walking straight past the umpire.

Andreeva had feared being defaulted after whacking a ball angrily into the crowd at the French Open and teenage petulance is something she will clearly need to grow out of, but there is no doubt she is a special talent.

She had not played on grass until the qualifying tournament two weeks ago but she has learned quickly on the surface and her mix of terrific defence and intelligent point construction will win her a lot of matches.

For nearly an hour she was completely in control, with Keys, who possesses one of the most natural ball strikes in the game but can be very erratic, making error after error.

The American pulled herself together just in time, changing her tactics to follow her big groundstrokes to the net and even breaking serve with a left-handed forehand winner.

By the time the second-set tie-break came around, it was Keys who had the momentum, and Andreeva was unable to shrug off her disappointment at the beginning of the deciding set.

She briefly threatened to turn things around again but Keys kept her composure while Andreeva lost hers and with it the match.

As expected, Royal Ascot winner Khaadem has been supplemented for the Pertemps Network July Cup at Newmarket on Saturday where he will clash with another Ascot hero, Shaquille.

Charlie Hills stated last week the “obvious target” for his surprise Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes scorer was the midsummer highlight on the July course, and the £36,000 supplementary fee was paid on Monday.

Julie Camacho’s Shaquille put up a remarkable display to win the Commonwealth Cup during the same meeting having missed the break, but this time he will have to beat his elders – as well as confirm form with Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot runner-up Little Big Bear.

Another northern raider, the Michael Dods-trained Azure Blue, is also strongly fancied on the back of her win in the Duke of York Stakes over Highfield Princess.

Kinross is in there for Ralph Beckett, but he will have to do without his usual partner Frankie Dettori, who is currently on the sidelines suspended.

Cold Case, Art Power and Run To Freedom are also among the 14 possibles.

Aidan O’Brien’s exciting City Of Troy is one of 12 in the bet365 Superlative Stakes.

The Justify colt won easily on his debut, making even the usual reticent Ryan Moore reach for the superlatives.

Charlie Appleby’s Great Truth and the Richard Hannon-trained duo of Son and Haatem are among his possible rivals.

There are 42 left in the bet365 Bunbury Cup, with Saeed bin Suroor’s Shining Blue at the top of the weights.