Ange Postecoglou believes Harry Kane leaving Tottenham limited how far the team could progress under Postecoglou, and the former head coach also linked Kane’s absence to missed Champions League qualification as Spurs now struggle near the bottom of the Premier League after sacking Thomas Frank following a poor run of form.
Postecoglou took charge in June 2023, replacing Antonio Conte, and had to reshape Tottenham without Kane, who joined Bayern Munich that summer. Spurs ended that season fifth in the Premier League, which secured European football but not a Champions League place, and Postecoglou is convinced Kane staying would have changed that outcome.
Discussing Tottenham’s direction on The Overlap, Postecoglou argued that Kane’s influence
across several seasons had been undervalued by many observers and stated that Kane’s departure created a gap that no single signing could realistically cover, even though new arrivals helped Spurs remain competitive during that first campaign.
"It's fair to say with Mauricio [Pochettino] they were going down that path, Postecoglou said on The Overlap. But at the same time, people were being too dismissive of Harry's influence throughout that period. He's an unbelievable player. If Ihad Harry, the first season we finished fifth, I'm convinced we would have finished in the Champions League spots. Even him leaving, you can't plug that hole. It's impossible. "
Kane left Tottenham with 280 goals in 435 matches in all competitions, the highest total in club history, while Son Heung-min became Spurs’ leading scorer after Kane moved but managed 28 goals in that period, far behind Kane’s numbers for Bayern, which underlined the scale of attacking output Tottenham lost.
Since joining Bayern Munich, Kane scored 124 goals in 130 appearances and celebrated the first major trophy of the forward’s career last season, while Tottenham adjusted with players such as Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski, who added energy and creativity but did not match Kane’s elite scoring rate.
Tottenham, Harry Kane and Postecoglou on managerial strategy
Postecoglou’s remarks on Kane followed Tottenham’s decision to dismiss Thomas Frank after a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, a result that extended Spurs’ winless league run to eight matches, with four draws and four defeats, leaving the team 16th in the Premier League and five points clear of the relegation zone.
Frank collected 29 points from 26 league fixtures, averaging 1.12 points per match, the lowest figure for any permanent Tottenham manager who oversaw at least five Premier League games, and the dismissal made Frank the fifth long-term head coach removed by Spurs in seven years, alongside Postecoglou, Conte, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.
"Mauricio played a certain way, fit the DNA, but the big thing was they'd not won anything, they needed winners, so let's go for Jose [Mourinho], Postecoglou added. He gets them to a cup final, then they sack him the week before it. If you're talking about winners, in a one-off game, I wouldn't mind Jose being my manager! Then it was Antonio [Conte], because he's another winner. He goes, I come in, and they wanted the football. Antonio made Champions League, but didn't have the football. My DNA is I'll win as well, so we go down that path. So what are they trying to build?"
Postecoglou suggested Tottenham’s leadership has shifted between prioritising trophies, playing style and identity without settling on a clear long-term plan, and highlighted that recent decisions, from changing coaches to accepting Kane’s sale, continue to shape Spurs’ current position and prospects in both domestic competition and European qualification battles.
