The jury has been out for some time now over whether Harry Kane can do justice to his talent while still at Tottenham.
Football pundits Roy Keane and Graeme Souness both believe that Kane has to take the brave step of leaving his current club to etch his name among the greats.
Kane’s future at Spurs is often discussed and while Tottenham has done well on its part to keep hold of the mercurial striker, it is believed that this may not remain the case much longer.
Spurs is not in the reckoning for the English Premier League and has already seen itself knocked out of Europe. While the 27-year-old has collected multiple individual accolades, he is yet to win any team award.
Following England’s victory over Albania, former Manchester united midfielder Keane spoke about the need for Kane to jump ship.
“If you are a top player you want to win the big trophies. There’s a big few months coming up for Tottenham – the League Cup final and can they get into the top four? That’s a huge question mark, will it influence him?
“He’s under contract and Tottenham will have a lot to say about it. But if you are in his shoes this summer, l think he has to move to win the big prizes. He’s not going to do it at Tottenham.”
A host of clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (which could mark a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino) are rumoured to be interested in signing Kane.
For a club that currently finds itself outside the top 4 in the EPL, keeping hold of a player of Kane’s quality will continue to get tougher, especially with the striker entering the peak of his career.
My opinion:
I believe it is not all about the trophies. Players should not look at it in such pure terms. Harry Kane is very much Tottenham Hotspur through and through. If he cannot achieve the target of winning silverware for the team, he should continue to strive for it.
He has spent such a long time at the club and has been instrumental in helping it ascend the Premier League ladder. Even a domestic cup medal at Spurs would mean more to him than a Champions League conquest at Real Madrid.
He can look at the model of Francesco Totti, a one-club legend. Legendary status does not always require silverware. You can achieve it in plenty of other ways.
Kane sits just a few assists behind Thierry Henry’s record, is 57 goals away from becoming his team’s all-time leading goalscorer. In fact, there’s a more than reasonable chance that he will become the all-time top scorer of the EPL.
He may even be immortalised with a massive statue to his name outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!
For his part though, it is unfair to expect any player to just throw in the towel and accept that his team will not be able to challenge for top honours.
He needs to continue to push Daniel Levy into making more investment that will give Spurs the best possible chance possible. Until that happens, though, he needs to reiterate his loyalty to his boyhood club.