May 18 – It’s the news every Tottenham Hotspur fan has been dreading. England captain Harry Kane has reportedly asked to leave at the end of the season, marking the end of an era and sparking a scramble among Europe’s richest clubs for the prolific striker’s prized signature.
According to Sky and other UK-based media, Tottenham, who are already looking for a full-time manager to replace the sacked Jose Mourinho, are now also seeking a replacement for their 27-year-old talisman.
Kane, however, along with a handful of other forwards in world football, is all but irreplaceable and Tottenham’s loss – if it happens – will be unfathomable.
Kane is regarded by Spurs fans as ‘Mr Tottenham’ having risen through the ranks to become a club icon but his growing frustration at not having the trophies to go with his world-class ability has long been a hot topic.
Tottenham will fight tooth and nail to keep Kane, who has a contract until 2024 but reports claim three English clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea – have already been in touch with Kane’s representatives, given his preference is to remain in the Premier League rather than move overseas though there is bound to be interest elsewhere in Europe among an elite few.
Kane has made no secret in recent interviews that he wants to compete for trophies, none of which have been won by Spurs since 2008. It has long been claimed, though never confirmed, that he agreed to stay on after Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino as manager in November, 2019, in order to see if Tottenham’s fortunes changed when it came to silverware.
But if anything Tottenham went downhill under Mourinho and are set to miss out again on Champions League football, adding to Kane’s sense of frustration at his boyhood club.
Although transfer fee data predicts transfer fees will remain stagnant in Europe because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kane is still likely to be valued at between £120 million and £150 million.
Although Tottenham will be loath to lose one of the greatest players in their history, the club need to find a way to pay off huge debts, having seen the aborted European Super League, of which they were one of the 12 founder members, disintegrate overnight.
Whether they would use the Kane transfer money to alleviate those debts or rebuild the squad is one of many intriguing issues. Another is who would agree to become the club’s new manager in the knowledge that Kane was not there to be part of his plans.
Meanwhile, partly as a result of the Super League debacle, Tottenham’s board, led by chairman Daniel Levy, were meeting the club’s Supporters’ Trust today to discuss a proposal to establish an Advisory Panel of fan representatives, the chair of which will sit on the board.
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