Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler believes Tottenham star Harry Kane has been on the receiving end of ‘snide comments and poisonous accusations’.
The England captain became embroiled in a summer-long transfer saga with Manchester City after allegedly reinforcing his desire to leave North London at the back end of last season.
Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly saw at least one bid turned down by Spurs but ultimately could not agree on a deal for Kane, which led him to confirm his status in N17 for this season.
Kane has yet to hit form so far this campaign as he is still in search of his first Premier League goal after four appearances.
However, ex-England forward Fowler has jumped to the defence of the Spurs man, claiming his scoring issues are not as a result of his attempts to leave the club.
In his column for the Mirror, he wrote: “I’ve heard all the snide comments and poisonous accusations, but I’d be amazed if Harry Kane is [winding it in] at Spurs.
“Yeah, no doubt, he’s had a bad start to the season. And yes, Tottenham’s last two Premier League performances have been disastrous. But it’s just lazy to suggest the reason for that is he doesn’t want to play anymore.
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“It’s easy isn’t it, almost an easy way out for people to explain away problems. But one thing I’ve always seen in Harry Kane is the dedication – the obsession even – of a truly professional, committed footballer.
“No doubt he wanted to go to City in the summer. No doubt he’d have been angry and upset when it didn’t come off – not least because he’d have felt he was lied to, duped if you like, over an agreement he thought he had.
“That can affect you, sure. But as a striker myself, I know his first priority is to do well and score goals. And it doesn’t matter if you’re unhappy, you still go out and do your job.
Fowler went on to say how he recalled some players ‘downed tools’ in order to get their desired moves, but reinforced his view that Kane does not belong in that bracket.
“Of course, there have been players who have chucked it off, downed tools. I remember Jamie Carragher said as much – very publicly – about Fernando Torres when he was sulking for a move to Chelsea.
“Not Kane. Not for me. I’ve been there myself when you’re so unhappy and disillusioned. There was a time at Liverpool when I was so frustrated and angry at not playing under Gerard Houllier. In the end, I left because of it.
“But I can say hand on heart I never once downed tools. It never affected my performance. I was always desperate to get out there and score goals for the team. I don’t think you can get to the top of the game like Harry has, without that.”
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Kane will know more than anyone that his start to the season has been below par and not up to his usual standards. It could be a personal issue that we don’t know, but it could also be a structural issue regarding how the team is set up around him. But, there is no doubt that he will get back to scoring form soon.
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