HARRY KANE: TOTTENHAM STRIKER'S FUTURE IN THE AIR BUT SHOULD HE LEAVE SPURS?

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After a shock exit from the Europa League, losing 3-0 to Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham’s future is looking rather bleak. Many have questioned whether their time has been and gone, after losing to Liverpool in the Champions League final and having dropped off considerably since recruiting Jose Mourinho as manager.

Things have changed under Mourinho. Currently, they sit at 6th in the Premier League table, behind West Ham. The atmosphere around the club changed, with Mourinho freezing out Dele Alli. The toxicity that Mourinho was accused of creating at Manchester United has been replicated at Tottenham, his treatment of Alli is the same way he treated Paul Pogba.

This begs the question of if Harry Kane should leave Tottenham? He has been their talisman and top goal scorer for years and hasn’t received a trophy while at the club. He is highly admired by all at the club and throughout the country. By being a consistent goal scorer at club level, he cemented his place in England’s starting line-up, a place he will undoubtedly hold for many years.

Whilst Kane has received personal honours, like the Premier League Golden Boot, Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Month and being chosen for the PFA Team of the Year, he has never won a trophy with Spurs. Kane is 27 and is undoubtedly in the prime of his career, trophies should be the minimum he expects. You could argue that Kane’s career has longevity due to the type of striker that he is, he is a traditional, old-fashioned centre-forward. He relies on his movement, hold-up play and close control. These are attributes that he is unlikely to lose as he ages.

Kane will likely earn the title of the highest goal scorer in the Premier League, a title currently held by Alan Shearer. Many comparisons have been made between the two. Shearer only won one major club honour, a Premier League title for Blackburn Rovers in 1994-1995. Shearer was offered a transfer to Manchester United, where he could’ve won many titles and honours. That is arguably the one thing missing for Shearer’s long and illustrious career: more major honours.

It is highly unlikely that if Kane wanted to leave Spurs that he would have nowhere to go. Plenty of top clubs in England would happily acquire his services and would have the financial backing to pay the money that Tottenham and Daniel Levy believe that Kane is worth. Kane would more than warrant a high transfer fee, he is a proven goal-scorer in the Premier League, he’s English and has played on the European and world stage.

However, Kane obviously holds an affinity and loyalty for Tottenham. He has been at Tottenham since 2004 and played regularly since 2014. He is not the club captain but is obviously the club’s talisman, everyone looks to him. And for good reason, he has 214 goals from 326 appearances and has a good relationship with everyone at the club. This season he has created a dynamic partnership with Heung-Min Son. The two of them have combined to break a 25-year record for the most goal combinations within a single season. This relationship will be a massive pull for keeping Kane at Spurs.

The pressure is certainly on for Spurs to find their form and win trophies in order to keep their top choice striker. Loyalty can only take them so far.