At the start of last week it seemed like Harry Kane could once again be looking for a new club if he wished to play in next season’s Champions League.
Fast forward to the weekend, and wins over Arsenal in the North London Derby and Burnley at Turf Moore means he could well achieve that ambition with Tottenham.
But is that the extent of his ambitions?
On Thursday, Kane led Tottenham to a 3-1 win over Arsenal, scoring two goals to close the gap on the rivals. But their fate was still out of their hands. But that win over Burnley, thanks to a Kane penalty, and Arsenal’s 2-0 loss at Newcastle, means Tottenham are now clear favorites to play among Europe’s finest next season.
Along the way, Kane has become only the third player to score 15 goals or more in eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League, alongside Sergio Aguero and Alan Shearer. He is also the record goalscorer in the North London derby with 13 goals.
With Antonio Conte slowly turning the club’s fortune’s around, their seems to be plenty of reasons to keep Kane happy at his boyhood club.
But there remains the lingering feeling that having been denied a dream move to Manchester City last year, he might still leave decide the Tottenham Hotspur stadium this summer if another big offer came along.
But with Pep Guardiola’s team signing the generational talent of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, it seems that Kane has now missed the chance of a lifetime to join Manchester City for a second time.
The first opportunity came last summer when City were ready to pay $150 million, but Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy held firm.
Kane’s clear desire to leave led to criticism among the club’s fans and not surprisingly he had a faltering start to this season, before normal service was resumed. His partnership with Son Heung-min has once again been deadly, he has scored 16 and assisted seven in the league, and is playing with a smile on his face.
But is this enough for a player desperate for tangible success?
Kane has two years left on his contract with Tottenham. He will turn 29 in July, and while he remains in superb form and shape, the peak years of his career will arguably be behind him should he see out that contract.
Now it seems Kane has two options, either wait for a another year and force Spurs to sell him for free, or push this summer to move to any other club. This would include the possibility of a move abroad.
Few top clubs, Manchester City excluded now, would not want to have Kane on their books.
Manchester United, Chelsea and even Liverpool would welcome his addition, as would Europe’s leading clubs, including a Kylian Mbappe-less Paris Saint-Germain.
In Spain, the two giants have expressed interest in the player, but with Karim Benzene shining at Real Madrid and Barcelona struggling with finances, neither move looks imminent.
Kane, in all likelihood, will stay in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp’s team seems to be full of formidable strikers, even if Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are themselves in the middle of contract negotiations, and a move to Anfield would seem the least likely of the lot.
It would also be difficult for Kane to consider a move to Chelsea, one of Tottenham’s traditional and hated rivals, and a move to Stamford Bridge would be considered a betrayal greater than the one to the Etihad would have been.
This leaves the possibility of a move to Manchester United, to join Eric ten Hag’s expected revolution and all the risks that come with it. Above all, there would be no Champions League football for another season.
I personally think that Kane is better off staying at Tottenham for another season, especially as Conte’s project gathers pace and Champions League football seems almost assured now.
The big question remain: what is Kane’s priority?
Is it merely Champions League football, a chance at winning trophies or one last big contract as his career enters its last third?
The next few weeks should reveal all.
