Ange Postecoglou weighed in on Harry Kane‘s potential trophyless debut campaign at Bayern Munich and revealed the primary reason he left Tottenham.
After joining Bayern Munich for £100 million from Tottenham Hotspur, Kane’s debut season could end without any silverware. After being knocked out of the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal, Thomas Tuchel’s side has just the Champions League to look forward to, as they play Arsenal in the second leg of their quarter-final encounter, with the score tied at 2-2 after the first leg. However, Postecoglou has denied that Kane’s departure will be considered unsuccessful in the absence of titles.
Asked whether Kane’s first season in Germany should be deemed a failure if his wait for a first major trophy goes on, the Tottenham boss said: “No, I don’t think that’s fair. I’m not going to speak for Harry, for God’s sake. But I don’t think that’s the only reason he left. I think he was pretty clear that he wanted a different experience and I think there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s been my whole career. He was at one club for a very long time. He was at a point where he either makes a decision to stay and become a one-club man, which is fair enough, or he can experience something different as a footballer, maybe as a person.
“I don’t know. These are questions for him. But I don’t get this notion that he just moved just to win things. I don’t think if he had stayed here he didn’t think he was going to win things. I just think he wanted a different experience and he’s getting that. I’m sure at the end of his career, if that was his reasoning behind it, he’ll find that it does. It gives you a real broad experience about what football is about, what life is about. I don’t think that’s fair on him.
“Ultimately all these decisions you make about your personal career… I know every decision I’ve made in my career, it’s very hard for other people sometimes to understand because they’re not living my life. They’re not with my family or with the people around me to know why you come to these decisions. They’re very rarely around too many simplistic things. Most of the time there’s a whole range of factors that you put into it.”
Kane has been a prolific scorer for Bayern Munich this season, totaling 39 goals in 39 games across all competitions, including a key strike against Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. When asked about Bayern’s prize expectations, Kane admitted that failing to win the Champions League would be a setback for the club, but he will do everything in his power to bring them over the line.
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“Of course, from the club’s point of view it will be a failed season if we don’t win anything this year because we’re expected to win, but then all you can do is take that into next year and try to turn that around,” Kane said.
“So I think that’s a harsh reality in winning and losing, you can do a lot of good things throughout the year and still end up on the losing side so I don’t think it’s as harsh as [being a failure]. There’s a lot of things that go into it but I think the main thing for us right now is that we still have an opportunity to turn the season into a great season if we win the Champions League.”
With Bayern still in the running for Champions League success, Kane remains hopeful about the team’s chances. He stressed the necessity of grabbing the opportunity to make the season unforgettable by winning the prized European title. To make that a reality, Kane must put his best foot forward against Arsenal on Wednesday night at Allianz Arena.
