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Ange Postecoglou insists Harry Kane would not have failed if Bayern Munich striker goes without a trophy

Ange Postecoglou insists Harry Kane would not have failed if Bayern Munich striker goes without a trophy

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has said it would be unfair to label Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich a failure if he wins nothing this season.

Kane's chances of silverware with Bayern will be over for the year if they are knocked out of the Champions League by Spurs' rivals Arsenal in Wednesday's quarter-final decider in Germany.

When Kane left Spurs for Bayern in a £100million deal last summer, the Bavarians looked as good a bet as any club to win silverware this term but their streak of 11 straight Bundesliga titles was broken by Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, while they have long since been dumped out of the German Cup.

Postecoglou, though, says Kane left Spurs to experience a new environment as well as pursue a first trophy of his career.

"No, I don’t think that’s fair," said the Australian, when asked if Kane's decision to leave his Spurs project could be deemed unsuccessful without a trophy this season.

"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.

Harry Kane has been in fine form for Bayern despite their wider struggles (REUTERS)
Harry Kane has been in fine form for Bayern despite their wider struggles (REUTERS)

“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 scored 39 goals in 38 appearances for Bayern this season, including in the 2-2 draw at Arsenal in the first leg, and is in line for the European Golden Shoe.

Speaking ahead of the game, he acknowledged that Bayern's season would be a failure if they do not win the Champions League but played down suggestions he would also have failed.

"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 it 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."