Will Champions League football keep Harry Kane at Tottenham for another season?

Harry Kane was the third player to score 15 goals or more in eight consecutive seasons in the Premier League, alongside Sergio Aguero and Alan Shearer. (AFP)
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Updated 18 May 2022
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Will Champions League football keep Harry Kane at Tottenham for another season?

  • Erling Haaland’s relocation to the Etihad means a move to Manchester City is off the table and the England forward could decide that the best option may be to stay put

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.


Al-Ahli thrash Al-Ettifaq to keep pressure on Al-Hilal at the top

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Al-Ahli thrash Al-Ettifaq to keep pressure on Al-Hilal at the top

  • Ivan Toney bags hat-trick and an assist en route to 4-0 victory for Al-Ahli
  • The Greens move into 2nd place on 43 points, cutting the gap to Al-Hilal to two points, with the leaders holding a game in hand

RIYADH: Al-Ahli could not have asked for a better tune-up ahead of their second meeting with Al-Hilal this season on Monday. With the league leaders travelling to Khobar to face an in-form Al-Qadsiah on Thursday, victory over Al-Ettifaq offered Al-Ahli the chance to capitalise on any dropped points.

Matthias Jaissle’s side produced an excellent display in front of the home crowd, opening matchday 19 with a commanding 4-0 win.

Early on, it appeared Al-Ahli may already have had one eye on the looming clash with Al-Hilal. Al-Ettifaq began with determination, winning second balls effectively and dictating the tempo. However, Al-Ahli’s unique 3-4-2-1 set-up for this encounter proved fruitful.

The hosts lined up with Franck Kessié partnering Roger Ibanez and Rayan Hamed across the back, while Wenderson Galeno and Mohammed Abdulrahman operated as wide midfielders. Enzo Millot and Riyad Mahrez occupied the spaces behind Ivan Toney, pulling defenders out of Al-Ettifaq’s defence to create space in behind.

That approach underpinned both first-half goals. In the 17th minute, a long ball launched by Édouard Mendy released Mahrez into the channel, as the Algerian squared for Toney to slot home the opener.

Ten minutes later, Millot dragged Abdullah Al-Khateeb out of defence to play Galeno in behind, who was ultimately brought down by Al-Khateeb, prompting the referee to award a penalty.

Toney finished confidently from the spot to move temporarily clear at the top of the charts, netting his 17th goal of the season — one more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Julián Quiñones.

Al-Ahli pushed on after the break, eager to put the game beyond doubt and manage minutes ahead of Monday.

Valentin Atangana missed a golden opportunity in the 56th minute when a cutback slipped away from him in front of an open goal, but he made amends eight mintes leater. A super diagonal pass from Mahrez found Toney on the edge of the box, who played it into the Frenchman for the third.

Moments later, Toney passed up the chance to complete his hat-trick when Marek Rodák denied him at close range in the 66th minute.

The Englishman would not be denied for long, as in the 84th minute, the referee pointed to the spot once more after Abdulrahman was fouled by Francisco Calvo. Toney converted his second penalty of the night and his 18th goal of the campaign.

Al-Ahli head into Monday’s showdown against Al-Hilal in high spirits, having won their last eight games. Should Al-Hilal defeat Al-Qadsiah on Thursday, the gap will revert to four points. Any slip-up, however, would leave Al-Ahli within touching distance of top spot.

Elsewhere, Al-Najma and Al-Riyadh played out a 1-1 draw in Qassim as the hosts’ winless run continued. Meanwhile, Al-Fayha defeated Al-Khaleej 3-1 to move eight points clear of the relegation zone, with Fashion Sakala and Chris Smalling getting on the scoresheet.

Action resumes on Thursday, with Al-Ittihad travelling to the Eastern Province to face Al-Fateh at 6:00pm. Two more fixtures follow at 8:30pm, as Al-Hazem host Al-Shabab in Qassim and Al-Qadsiah welcome Al-Hilal in a clash that could further tighten the title race.