Harry Kane: A Critical Decision for Tottenham

The Prestige of Harry Kane

Harry Kane is one of the finest players in the world, arguably the best out-and-out striker in the game today. His goalscoring record at Tottenham, and for England, is sensational, but he’s more than just a goalscorer.

Kane is also an outstanding creator who can serve as the hub of a team’s attack. It would be a big blow for Tottenham to lose him, but it’s something they now have to strongly consider.

Contractual Challenges and The Champions League Dilemma

Kane has one year left on his contract and has shown no signs of being willing to extend that contract, with Tottenham having now missed out on Champions League football for the third time in four seasons. A player of Kane’s quality needs to be playing in Europe’s top competition, and frankly, Europe’s top competition needs a player of his quality.

Tottenham risk losing him for free if they decide not to cash in this summer, and that would be a catastrophic outcome as it would leave no money to replace him. Spurs really have no real option other than to sell if the England captain doesn’t put pen to paper in the coming weeks.

Potential Replacements for Kane

Dusan Vlahovic – The 23-year-old Serbian striker is rumoured to be available as Juventus look to try and undo some of the damage they have done to their accounts since their decision to buy Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. Funnily enough, that deal was done by former Spurs Sporting Director Fabio Paratici. Having not done a particularly good job at Tottenham, it would be ironic if the catastrophic job he did at Juventus ended up helping Spurs secure their new number 9. Vlahovic hasn’t performed as well for Juventus as he did for Fiorentina prior to his move but there’s no doubting his talent, or ability to find the net. With players like Kulusevski, Maddison, and Son creating for him Vlahovic would thrive, and his physical style of player is well suited to the Premier League.

Goncalo Ramos – One of the reasons Benfica was comfortable accepting lower than the release clause in Darwin Nunez’s contract last summer was because of their belief in Goncalo Ramos, a striker with an excellent all-round game. Ramos had played an important role in the 21/22, acting as a foil for Nunez and enabling the Uruguayan striker to thrive. Benfica knew he could be more than a second option. Handed the keys to the attack this past season the 22-year-old Portuguese international notched 27 goals and contributed 12 assists across all competitions. Those are Kane-esque numbers, and his hold-up and link play has drawn comparisons to the Englishman. Ramos was linked with Manchester United, PSG, and Bayern Munich earlier in the window, but with Bayern wanting Kane, United chasing Rasmus Hojlund, and PSG seemingly in disarray there might be an opportunity for Tottenham to jump the queue and secure an excellent allrounder.

Ivan Toney – If you were looking for a striker to be Harry Kane-esque but didn’t have Harry Kane at your disposal then Ivan Toney of Brentford is probably the best option. After Kane, he is the most well-rounded striker in the Premier League, with a wide-ranging skillset that makes him both a goalscorer and a creator. Toney scored 20 times in the Premier League last season, and if not for the poor finishing of his teammates likely would have had over 10 assists as well. He, like Kane, is comfortable dropping deep to get involved in build-up play and, again like Kane, possesses excellent passing ability. He’s arguably a better aerial presence than Kane and with the pace Spurs have in their wide men, his flick-ons could be a source of chances for Son and Kulusevski. He is of course suspended at present and will miss the first half of the season, but that might play into Tottenham’s hands when it comes to negotiating a fee. Richarlison should be able to fill the void until Toney is eligible to play in January, with Dane Scarlett, Jude Soonsup-Bell, and Son all capable of filling in when needed.

Spurs’ Future Without Kane

Losing Kane for free would be disastrous, but selling him this summer doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Reinvest the money properly and improve the other areas of the team and they will be back in the mix for a top-four finish.