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Most observers believe Harry Kane should force a Spurs exit and leave for Bayern Munich, but that course of action is not as easy as it sounds.
What do you do if you are Harry Kane? There is a possibility of a fresh start at Tottenham Hotspur following Ange Postecoglou’s arrival in North London, with the club going in a different direction after the failed dalliance with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Spurs had thought they were within touching distance of ending an extended trophy drought after Mauricio Pochettino made them Premier League contenders in 2015-16 and 2016-17 and reached the Champions League final in 2019.
However, rather than take that next step under supposed proven winners, the North London side have slipped further behind the league’s leading sides, and a top-four place is no longer guaranteed.
Tottenham appears to be back where they were pre-Pochettino, except there are even fewer assurances given that the league is replete with superior contenders and finer quality below the so-called top sides.
Harry Kane’s Tottenham dilemma
While Spurs had a say in the top-four conversation in the mid-to-late 2010s, they are on the outside looking in again.
The previous permanent head coach decided enough was enough, effectively tanking his time at the club, his interim replacement Cristian Stellini was out of his depth, and Ryan Mason was not given the job despite the team’s slight improvement in last season’s denouement.
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19:31 - 12.06.2023
Caretaker manager Ryan Mason to remain at Tottenham despite Ange Postecoglou’s appointment
Ryan Mason, the temporary manager of Tottenham, will continue to work for the club as a member of Ange Postecoglou's coaching staff.
Spurs had to make do with an eighth-place finish, ergo missing out on Champions League football.
Regardless, Kane’s excellence was noteworthy in 2022-23. Only Erling Haaland (36) scored more than the Englishman’s 30, a number that accounted for 42.9 percent of Tottenham’s Premier League goals last season.
While last season saw the centre-forward become the club’s record goalscorer — supplanting Jimmy Greaves’ 260 goals in February 2023 — and 30 strikes took him ahead of Wayne Rooney (208) in the all-time scoring charts, the striker’s lack of honours remains a stick to beat him with.
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21:32 - 04.07.2023
TUESDAY TRIVIA Why are Bayern Munich chasing Harry Kane?
We examine Harry Kane’s numbers from an impressive individual campaign last term, demonstrating the Bundesliga club’s interest.
With 47 more goals needed to match Alan Shearer’s 260-goal record and 48 required to eclipse the icon, the striker may need two more campaigns of top goalscoring to surpass Shearer.
But he has only a year to run on an extension signed in 2018. This ordinarily would not be a problem — players in this category tend to have the upper hand in deciding their futures — but Daniel Levy and Spurs demand a king’s ransom to sell the striker.
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What was Tottenham’s position when Kane signed the six-year extension?
In hindsight, there is an inclination to criticise the striker for committing to the club until 2024, but this requires some context.
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Kane’s extension happened less than a month after then-head coach Pochettino agreed to stay on for five more years.
The club had ended in the Champions League positions three years running and had challenged for the Premier League in two consecutive seasons, with the 2016-17 campaign a more sustained push.
They were also bound to move into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2018 (the stadium’s opening was delayed for months until April 2019), and the following campaign ended with the club dramatically making it to their first-ever Champions League final.
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Ostensibly, things were looking up for the Lilywhites. However, the squad had plateaued under Pochettino, and the subsequent years since the 2018-19 season have seen the North London side end in the top four once.
With one year remaining on that long-term extension, Kane’s future is in the spotlight.
Why not a Premier League move for Harry Kane?
Ideally, this would be Kane’s preferred option. But the centre-forward is being priced out of the market due to Tottenham’s £100 million demand to sell their record goalscorer.
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11:55 - 27.06.2023
Harry Kane: Man United to miss out on Tottenham star as Bayern submit €70m bid
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have submitted an offer of €70m to Tottenham in an attempt to sign Harry Kane.
Kane tried for a Manchester City move in 2021, with Pep Guardiola’s men making a £100 million offer for the striker two years back. That was rebuffed; the Cityzens went on to sign Jack Grealish and have since acquired Erling Haaland. That ship has long sailed.
Liverpool or Arsenal are unlikely to approach the 29-year-old this summer, leaving Chelsea and Manchester United. However, it is far from straightforward.
A reunion with Pochettino is a long shot due to Tottenham’s unwillingness to sell to their cross-town rivals and the West London club still having Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on their books.
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17:00 - 03.07.2023
TRANSFERS Inter Milan set for talks with Chelsea over Lukaku
The Blues are ready to sell and might agree to a loan-plus-buyout deal.
Erik ten Hag’s side completed a move for Mason Mount on Wednesday but now have to raise money through sales to come close to Spurs’ Kane demands.
Indeed, a transfer outside England may be more feasible this summer.
The appeal of Bayern Munich for Harry Kane
Not only would Kane spearhead Thomas Tuchel’s attack in Bavaria, but the allure of winning the Bundesliga — which would be the striker’s first honour for club or country — could attract the frontman.
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15:30 - 27.06.2023
FOOTBALL Bayern Munich make shock Harry Kane bid with £60m offer for England captain
The German champions are desperate for a striker and have earmarked the Tottenham man as a key target although their offer falls below Spurs’ valuation.
Die Bayern have claimed the German top-flight title for 11 years running, and adding the Englishman to their ranks makes them favourites for a 12th consecutive league triumph.
The loss of Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona proved detrimental, with Julian Nagelsmann’s idea to spread the goals around his attack not bearing much fruit before his dismissal in March.
The German club have had a bid below Tottenham’s asking price rejected, but there are reports of another offer in the offing.
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Moving to Bayern boosts FC Hollywood’s prospects of securing the Bundesliga for a record-extending 12th time and claiming a seventh European Cup. That must surely be an attractive prospect for Kane.
The England international’s quandary is unquestionable.
Push for a Bayern transfer and probably miss out on surpassing Shearer’s Premier League record.
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Play out the final year of his Tottenham contract and seek a move to the best project at home or abroad — even if that risks domestic sides acquiring players in his position to rule out a move next summer — or agree to an extension in North London.
It remains to be seen what Kane decides, but one way or another, this saga is ending sooner or later.
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