Simply put, there is no replacing a player like Harry Kane, and Tottenham Hotspur never had any illusions about this fact when they sold him to Bayern Munich two seasons ago. Nothing could replace one of the greatest strikers in the history of the Premier League - a footballer who often carried Spurs and had accrued six seasons with 20 Premier League goals, including two with 30.
But even though Spurs knew they would never replace Kane, it's still been alarming to watch how far the standard has fallen at the striker position. Tottenham haven't had a single striker register double-digit goals in a league season, and watching Richarlison make no impact whatsoever against bottom-tier teams has really driven home the problem here.
Yes, Tottenham absolutely miss the sheer goal-scoring power and the consistency at which the England international bagged those goals, but beyond that, they also badly miss Kane's ability to hold play up and get everyone involved. No striker in the history of the Premier League has been as good all-around as Kane, and disputing that at this point would be almost blasphemous.
And really, that's what Tottenham miss nearly as much as the goals. They miss having a striker who can bring others into the game. Just look at how much Mohammed Kudus has to do and how much young guys like Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are hung out to dry because Richarlison can't hold the ball or create meaningful chances for the wingers.
Tottenham's first replacement is missing
Well, Tottenham did spend 65 million pounds on a striker who is one of the best all-around talents in the Premier League right now. Dominic Solanke is a bit of a late-bloomer, but he was crushing it for Bournemouth and could out-dribble and out-create most strikers in the league, which is why Spurs spent a record to sign him.
Solanke's first season was a mixed bag, especially as a goal-scorer, but there is no question that Tottenham wouldn't have won the 2024/25 Europa League title without him. And his all-around ability was central to that.
Still out injured, Solanke's absence is a bigger storyline around Tottenham than people outside the club care to admit, but diehard fans can see a palpable difference in how Spurs play. Nobody has any illusions that Solanke is anywhere near Kane's level, not even creatively, but with his size, athleticism, technical ability, and knowledge of the game, Solanke can bring the all-around ability that Tottenham are missing to link their attack up.