The reporter from the German newspaper, Bild, who turned up at an Ange Postecoglou press conference in Bangkok last week, brandishing a Bayern Munich shirt bearing the name of Harry Kane, was a grandstanding clown whose antics had no place at an audience with the Spurs manager.
His performance, though, was a symbol of a regrettable reality for Tottenham fans: the circus is back in town. If the club does not act quickly and decisively, if the issue of Kane’s transfer is allowed to develop into another summer saga, there is a danger another Spurs season will be over before it has begun.