Kane has refused to talk about his future, saying his focus is on Spurs’ current campaign. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
There will be a clamour to acquire the services of Kane if he decides to leave Tottenham. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Is Harry Kane the best modern-day footballer never to have lifted a trophy?
It’s an impossible question to answer, for any evaluation of ‘best’ is subjective. But he certainly is among the most prolific scorers without silverware — he has notched up more than 300 goals in his professional career, for club and country. He is also arguably the most high-profile owner of an empty trophy cabinet, given that he is England captain and one of the leading lights of the Premier League as Tottenham Hotspur talisman, both of which guarantee him plenty of media attention.
Kane has come close to hoisting a cup in celebration. He has twice finished on the losing end of a League Cup final. The 2016-17 Premier League season saw Tottenham rack up an impressive tally of 86 points and still end up seven behind champion Chelsea. Kane has also suffered heartbreak in Europe, for club and country: with Spurs in the Champions League final, against Liverpool in 2019, and two years later with England in the final of the Euros, against Italy.
Perhaps most disheartening for Kane has been the fact that his time at Spurs has been among the club’s brightest periods in recent history. When former manager Mauricio Pochettino was masterminding a modern, high-energy style, Tottenham fans had every reason to dream big: the football was eye-catching; Spurs were frequently going toe-to-toe with the best.
There was a genuine feeling among supporters that there had been a power shift in North London away from Arsenal and that Spurs were now poised to join the Premier League’s elite on a consistent basis. The feeling was backed up by the league table, as Kane’s Spurs began to finish above the Gunners. But the period also saw Arsenal win four FA Cups (and four Community Shields) — and it’s hard to reassure yourself of a power shift when your bitter city rival adds to its much larger trophy cabinet, that too during a period when it is noticeably slipping.
One of the biggest stories
Given this context, it’s understandable why Kane’s future has become one of the biggest stories in world football — a story that has had plenty of play since last summer when he indicated that he was frustrated at Spurs. “[2020-21] has been a disappointing season if I am totally honest. We have had so many opportunities and we haven’t quite got over the line. I want to be winning the biggest prizes and we are not quite doing that,” he said.
Sky Sports reported last summer that Kane had informed the club of his desire to leave, adding that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea had been in touch with his representatives. The 28-year-old was a major target for City, but an initial bid — reportedly worth £100 million — was not enough for Tottenham to let him go and City was reluctant to meet Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s reported asking price of £160 million. The transfer saga dragged on all summer, with the ‘will he, won’t he?’ speculation reaching fever pitch.
Both the emotional toll of losing on penalties at Wembley in the Euros final and the transfer situation appeared to affect Kane’s performances early in 2021-22. After a difficult start to the season under Nuno Espirito Santo, Kane rediscovered his feet once Antonio Conte took over.
“I understand Harry’s situation. When you finish your career... it’s right to see what you have won. This is important, especially for the top, top players,” Conte said about the situation he inherited. “I think that when Tottenham brought me here they wanted to send a signal outside, and maybe also to our players. We have to try and build a situation where we are competitive to try and win. If we want to build something to win, Harry must be a starting point.”
It hasn’t quite worked out this season in terms of silverware, but Spurs are well placed to finish in the top four. Although currently fifth (going into the weekend), the side has perhaps the most desirable run-in of all the contenders for Champions League spots and looks to have the momentum. Kane’s future, however, continues to remain a subject of speculation — while some experts have suggested that he might extend his time in North London if Spurs qualify for the Champions League and Conte stays at the club, others insist that his 12th professional season at Tottenham will be his last.
Non-committal
When pressed about his long-term future recently, Kane was non-committal. “Obviously my main focus is just finishing this season, first and foremost,” he said. “We’re still in a competition for the top four and that’s where my focus lies. I can’t control what will happen in the future.”
The Athletic recently reported, however, that Kane is United’s No. 1 target, irrespective of who the next manager is. With only two years left on the contract he signed in 2018, the report suggested that the upcoming summer was Tottenham’s last opportunity to command a large transfer fee — and unless he signed an extension, the club would be reluctant to lose further leverage by allowing him to run the contract down.
If United does make a move, there’s the possibility that Spurs will play in the Champions League next season and Kane won’t. He may, however, be at a club equipped to fight for trophies — if United adds the England captain to its incredible attacking talent, the side has the firepower to challenge even if it doesn’t strengthen weaknesses elsewhere in the squad.
For, despite the constant speculation — and Kane will be well aware of it — he has been excellent on the pitch. His season’s tally of 12 goals and five assists in 28 Premier League games don’t compare with 2020-21, when he had 23 strikes and 14 assists. But he has continued to improve over the season: in his last five Premier League games, Kane has scored five and set up three.
Kane adds a lot to any side he plays for: elite goal-scoring, top-class chance creation as a central striker and the ability to knit play, participating both in patient build-up and devastating counter-attack. He can exchange passes in tight spaces and hold the ball up to move his team up the pitch or find a runner in space. So although he turns 29 in July — not ideally situated on the age curve for a ‘development project’ — he is the kind of player one buys to immediately contend.
Hungry for more
Moreover, Kane appears hungry and seems to have recovered from the ankle issues that have bothered him previously. In addition to pursuing trophies, he also has goal-scoring history to chase. During the international break, he pulled level with Bobby Charlton in second place on the all-time England men’s scoring chart, his 49th goal leaving him four behind Wayne Rooney. Not a bad place to find yourself in a World Cup year.
In the Premier League, Kane already has the record for the most away goals (95), but he is also moving up on the list of all-time scorers. With 178 goals, he is currently fifth and has the opportunity to overtake Sergio Aguero (184) by the end of the season. Andy Cole (187) and Rooney (208) are next in line, but his sights will be set firmly on Alan Shearer’s 260, even if it looks distant at the moment. A more immediate target, however, is a trophy — it will be interesting to see who Kane plays for next season and whether he finally realises his ambition of collecting silverware.
