Tottenham Hotspur interim head coach Ryan Mason has hit out at suggestions that Harry Kane was waving goodbye to the Lilywhites faithful after Saturday’s 3-1 Premier League loss to Brentford.
The North London club’s final home game of a troubled season was a miserable affair for Mason’s side, who went ahead in the eighth minute through Kane before Brentford came storming back in the second half.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a late Yoane Wissa strike condemned Tottenham to back-to-back losses in the top flight, and fans quickly filtered out before a relatively muted end-of-season awards ceremony and lap of honour.
Alongside his family and teammates, Kane applauded and waved to his fans amid intense speculation surrounding his future, and the manner of his gestures led to the idea that he could have been bidding his farewells to the North London club, as he is yet to extend his contract beyond 2024.
However, when questioned on whether Kane was saying his goodbyes in his post-game press conference, Mason reminded the media of their similar suggestions at the end of the 2020-21 season and insisted that the striker was simply paying tribute to the fans like the rest of his team.
When asked if Kane was addressing the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium faithful for the final time amid links with Manchester United and Bayern Munich, Mason said: “No, he waves at the crowd every season.
“I remember sitting here two years ago, and you guys were convinced he was leaving, saying the same thing. It’s the last home game of the season so he wants to show his appreciation to the support he’s received, and we’ve all received this season.”
With just eight minutes on the clock, Kane opened the scoring in stunning fashion – picking out the top corner from long range after Dejan Kulusevski backheeled a free kick into his path.
However, two smart Mbeumo finishes from the left-hand side of the box turned the tie on its head, although the Brentford man was helped by some lacklustre Lilywhites defending.
As the game entered its dying embers, Shandon Baptiste robbed Oliver Skipp of the ball in a dangerous area, and Mbeumo turned provider for Wissa to put the cherry on the icing on the cake.
When asked about his side’s second-half capitulation, Mason added: “This is the Premier League. You have to be ready for the whole game. I thought the first half we played a very good match, had a few opportunities to score a couple more.
“But of course in the second half the intensity dropped and we were punished. It’s the Premier League, we have to expect that. Very, very, very disappointed with the second half performance.
“Obviously we’re conceding a lot of goals for different reasons. But I thought today we showed a lot of courage in the first half. We were brave, played a good match with the ball but in the second half the intensity dropped. Understandable to a certain extent because we’ve been working a different way for such a long time.
“We just needed to take our opportunities when they came our way. They really took their opportunities in the second half – three or four shots on target and three goals so difficult to take.”
Tottenham’s final game of the 2022-23 Premier League season sees Mason’s side travel to relegation-threatened Leeds United in eight days time.
