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One of the Best Young Strikers in the World: Tottenham’s Very Own, Harry Kane

By Alexander Balano

Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane (18) celebrates after scoring against the MLS All Stars during the first half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane (18) celebrates after scoring against the MLS All Stars during the first half of the 2015 MLS All Star Game at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kane Joins Three Youth Academies in Three Years

Joining Arsenal’s Youth Academy

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When Arsenal happens to be interested in you and you want to play football, how can you say no? This is the dilemma that Harry Kane was tasked with. Accept or reject? Looking at what Arsenal accomplished during the 2000-01 season it’d be hard to say no, when the Gunners could help you succeed… Or that’s what was supposed to happen.

Arsenal’s 2000-01 season highlights:

  • Premier League runners-up
  • FA Cup runners-up
  • Reached the third round in the League Cup
  • Quarter-finalists in the UEFA Champions League

The Gunners are a football club with plenty of history, everybody knows this and accepts this — respects it even as a football fan regardless of your club colors and rivalry with the north London team.

As a youth player, you want to join a club with that rich history to help inspire you to work hard and achieve your dreams. Granted, Harry Kane didn’t last too long, only a year in Arsenal’s youth academy (2001-2002) due to a growth issue that Kane discussed with the Telegraph.

But at the time — as an 8-year-old — it was smart to join an established football club even if it is Spurs’ arch rival. Here’s Kane on why Arsenal decided to let him go after a year:

“It’s hard to tell at that age what the player is going to turn into,” Kane told the Telegraph. “I was only small at that age. I was small for my age. I was a late developer. So, look, it is hard to call a player at such a young age.

Unfortunately it was also a waiting issue. Patience didn’t seem to be on Arsenal’s side so Harry Kane was abruptly released, which isn’t out of the norm. Plenty of youth players are let go if they’re not progressing well to the standards or projections that teams had thought or wanted after signing a youth player at a young age.

Except, this is why clubs tend to miss out on plenty of talented footballers now.

Next: Harry Kane Joined Watford and Tottenham's Academies