Five silver linings if Harry Kane decides to leave Tottenham
By Gary Pearson
No amount of money in the world will prepare Tottenham for life without Harry Kane, but Jose Mourinho should concoct a backup plan in case the Englishman decides to leave.
It is possible the worst case scenario will become an eventuality in north London. Kane admitted he is amenable to leaving if Spurs don’t progress in a way mirroring his lofty ambition. And at this point, who can blame the England ace.
While most supporters shudder to think of life without their homegrown maestro, it’s a possibility becoming more likely with each passing trophy-less season. Tottenham’s talisman deserves to lift the most lucrative club silverware in Europe. Of course he’d prefer to achieve that glory with Spurs, but he’s made it clear that he won’t sit idly by waiting for it to happen.
Losing Kane would be an irreparable hammer blow to Spurs. But there would be a few silver linings to losing the club’s franchise player:
1. Receiving a staggering cash windfall transfer fee
Money certainly won’t replace the world’s most lethal striker, but what is guaranteed to be a world record transfer fee will lessen the blow. The fee, which will garner about £200 million, is enough to buy two, possibly three, first class replacements. The issue, however, is trying to lure elite players to a club that may not be participating in the Champions League.
2. No more over reliance on a single goalscorer
After Kane and Son Heung-Min, few Tottenham players can be relied upon to score consistently. Tottenham’s excessive reliance on Kane to come up with the goods has hampered severely the team’s ability to progress to the next level. The best teams in the world have three or four primary scoring options. That is not the case for Spurs, who have a dire time putting the ball in the net without Kane and Son’s services. Losing Kane would force Tottenham into becoming a more well-rounded, versatile team.
3. Will be able to play two up front, keeping both strikers happy
Even with consistent Champions League participation, no élite striker is willing to come to Tottenham and play second fiddle to Kane. Spurs must play only one man up front when Kane is healthy, eviscerating any chance of bringing in a top rated second striker. If Kane leaves, so too does the club’s need to play just one front man. Two strikers could be deployed, both of whom would see consistent match time.
4. No more wondering when the next injury is coming
Every time Kane goes down or gets tackled, my heart rate goes through the roof. The injury prone front man has suffered a fairly serious injury each season since I can recall. And usually at the absolute worst time of the season, too. When you rely on a solitary player the way Spurs do, any injury is potentially catastrophic. I will also argue the only reason Kane is so often injured is exactly due to how much the club relies on him. It’s a double-edged sword Spurs can do without. If Kane departs for pastures anew, Tottenham will no longer worry about losing one of their only goal scoring threats for an extended period each season.
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5. Will the next injury be career threatening?
In correlation to point four, one has to wonder whether Kane’s next injury will be the one that puts in jeopardy the rest of his career. Even if the next injury isn’t career threatening, concurrent health issues will surely decrease significantly his market value, something Daniel Levy cannot fathom happening. It could be time for Levy to cash in on the Spurs legend.