Ange Postecoglou defends Richarlison as Tottenham lose 4-2 to Barcelona in their final pre-season fixture – after striker failed to impress while deputising for Harry Kane amid reports of a FOURTH Bayern Munich bid
- Richarlison was deputising up front for Tottenham in the absence of Harry Kane
- The Brazilian striker endured a frustrating outing as Spurs lost 4-2 to Barcelona
- Kane is the subject of transfer speculation amid interest from Bayern Munich
Ange Postecoglou praised Harry Kane’s stand-in Richarlison, who endured a frustrating night in front of goal in Tottenham‘s 4-2 defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday.
The Premier League outfit fell to late strikes from Ansu Fati and Abde Ezzalzouli in their final pre-season fixture despite two goals from Oliver Skipp.
But it was Richarlison, who deputised for the in-demand Kane, who drew the most attention after a poor display. Still, Postecoglou was quick to defend the Brazilian and revealed that rustiness from injury may be to blame for his performance.
‘He’s had a bit of a knock and missed a few days training,’ the Spurs boss said after the game. ‘But he works so hard for the team and he was a bit unlucky with a couple of his chances.’
The former Everton man picked possibly the worst moment to fluff his lines as Tottenham’s talisman Kane continues to be at the centre of a long drawn out tug-of-war.
Richarlison struggled to make an impression standing in up front for the absent Harry Kane
Ange Postecoglou defended his striker and stressed the importance of focus ahead of the year
Bayern Munich are reportedly ready to table a fourth bid for Harry Kane worth £94.6m
While Spurs were preparing for their Spanish challenge, reports surfaced of Bayern Munich’s intention to return to the negotiating table after having their third bid rejected for the England skipper.
The German champions are reportedly ready to submit an offer worth £94.6million in the knowledge Kane is keen to resolve the uncertainty surrounding his future before the start of the new campaign on Sunday.
Postecoglou, who joined the London club from Celtic in the summer, reiterated his wish to focus on preparations for the new season, resisting the noise that surrounds Bayern’s pursuit of their star striker.
‘That’s for the club and for the players involved,’ he added on what the end of the transfer window could bring. ‘That’s not my focus. I give my advice and opinion but they’re the ones who are going to be driving it.’
