Harry Kane, captain of England and hero at his boyhood club
Tottenham, looked to be heading to Manchester City for an eye-watering £160m.
Yet, after Spurs chairman Daniel Levy refused to give an inch in
any negotiations, Kane stayed in North London.
That came after the striker reportedly didn’t show up to training
and was allegedly trying to force a move, angering some Tottenham fans in the
process.
And the off-pitch drama may have caught up with the 28-year-old
this season, scoring just one Premier League goal and looking a shadow of the
man who is the club’s second-highest goalscorer.
With his form nose-diving and only showing limited signs of
recovery, one big question looms: should Spurs have cashed in on their star man
and rebuilt?
Haunted by Bale reinvestment
Tottenham found themselves in this situation back in 2013 when
Gareth Bale forced a move to Real Madrid.
The club had already invested the money they made from that sale
with seven signings designed to keep the club in top-four contention.
That…...didn’t quite go to plan.
Christian Eriksen had a major impact during his time at the club,
and, though divisive, Erik Lamela was a key player until his departure this
summer.
However, Paulinho, Nacer Chadli, Roberto Soldado, Vlad Chirches
and Etienne Capoue aren’t remembered quite as fondly.
Spurs made several signings this summer and while it is still
early on in the season, none of them have exactly hit the ground running.
The likes of Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero and Bryan Gil have
impressed in patches since joining but have not been consistent, while
Pierluigi Gollini is simply acting as a back-up to Hugo Lloris.
Though having an extra £160m would not have gone amiss, there is
no guarantee that any reinvestment of that cash would have resolved the issues
at the club.
And there is no guarantee it would have been invested, with Levy
and Fabio Paratici both tending to err on the side of caution when it comes to
spending big money.
Can Kane recapture his form?
It should not be forgotten that it has taken Kane time in the past
to get his scoring boots on.
There have been a number of seasons when it has taken time for him
to get going before becoming the player that Spurs fans know and love,
terrorising defences and scoring big goals.
And there is no reason why that can’t be the case again this year.
A long, covid affected season and the mental and physical toll of
the Euros may be taking time to wear off before he comes back to his best.
However, at 28 he is potentially nearing the end of his prime.
Though not old by any stretch of the imagination, some have argued
that Spurs have seen the best of him and that this was the perfect opportunity
to offload him and bring in fresh blood.
So….should Spurs have sold Kane?
There’s no easy answer to that question.
Some will argue that Nuno Espirito Santo’s system doesn’t allow
strikers to thrive but Kane still did well in a similar system under Jose
Mourinho.
And with the Bale investment and several other big signings in
recent years not going exactly to plan, reinvestment on unproven and new
players would have been a risk.
Ultimately, the club needs to give him more time to find his
groove and encourage players around him to motivate him and provide more
service.
By the end of the season,
when we see how Kane and Tottenham have both fared, we will see what needs to
be done.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
