Harry Kane Must Make Hay While the Sun Still Shines

Harry Kane is a household name now. The England captain has overcome enormous odds to be at the elite level he currently occupies. When Tim Sherwood gave teenage Kane his debut very few predicted that he would be a regular goal scorer for club and country before his 26^th birthday in addition to winning a world cup golden boot. This would not have crossed even his ardent supporter’s wildest imagination. Harry Kane’s story is a story of hard work, determination and taking chances on and off the field.

Tottenham Hotspurs has boasted of brilliant attacking talent over the years. Players such as Robbie Keane, Defoe, Berbatov, Crouch, Darent Bent and Gareth Bale have donned the white lily jersey in the past. Their stints have been characterized by different headlines; managerial changes, mixed fortunes in Europe and protracted transfers to more successful clubs. While all of the aforementioned players have moved on to different clubs, this has been for various reasons. For some, their moves have proven a great success on a financial and sporting level while others have vanished in football oblivion. 

Gareth Bale’s then world record move to Real Madrid proved a fruitful one for both parties. Tottenham Hotspur was able to show up for a hefty paycheck while Bale got to move to a club of his dream where he would win the Champions League four times while twice testing La Liga success. 

His situation at the club currently may be an untenable one but there is no denying he wouldn’t have been happier elsewhere. His trophy haul has gotten a tremendous lift and so has been his level making him make the ballon D’or 30 man shortlist more times than any Tottenham player in the last ten years.

Harry Kane is at a career crossroad. The prolific hitman is at the peak of his powers but loyalty to Tottenham seems to cloud his judgment about what should look like an obvious move away. The old adage goes; make hay while the sun shines. Pundits and neutral observers alike have urged Kane to move to a bigger club where he could achieve greater success on both a personal and team level. Quite literally, the Englishman has done all he can to help Tottenham fight for titles but perpetual failure has meant that silverware has been hard to come by in the club’s most successful spell in half a century. Tottenham has battled Leicester for the premier league title to the wire, competed Liverpool for the Champions League title while also pushing for the FA and Carabao cups. 

Harry Kane has been pivotal in these trophy hunts and even his brilliant best has yielded non-affirmative outcomes. This means that something has to change in order to achieve any trophy ambition. It must be understood that a goal scorer of Kane’s capabilities will find it hard to contend with ten years of top flight scoring sprees with no trophies to show for it. Options remain realistically two in achieving this end. Daniel Levy must trust Jose Mourinho with an astronomical transfer budget to strengthen the team or Kane leaves the club. It is near impossible to see any title going Harry Kane’s way without these two situations. 

In Jose Mourinho, Kane has a manager who will milk the most from a squad, but even with his magic wand getting a title from this Tottenham team is going to prove harder than retiring Garry Neville from Punditry duty. With Tottenham now feeling the effects of moving into a new stadium, potentially life outside the top four and a thin squad highlighted by the departure of Christian Eriksen and looming departure of Jan Vertoghen, it is difficult to see how exactly a situation like this is going to improve Kane’s trophy fortunes. Additionally, the squad seems disillusioned ever since losing the champions league final even costing Pochettino a job he overachieved in.

Harry Kane is at his physical and football best now and he must take the next step. The Real Madrid hierarchy have occasionally considered the Walthamstow native to replace aging Benzema after underwhelming performances from Jovic in the role. Juventus have also entertained the thought of luring the England captain to Turin to join forces with Cristiano Ronaldo and deliver the champions league. Domestically, Manchester United have expressed interest in making Kane the final piece of the Ole jigsaw. 

While the third option may look more likely due to the glazier’s willingness to open the checkbook coupled with Kane’s preference for staying on British soil, it is the first two options that literally guarantee silverware. A move to Real Madrid or Juventus has been temporarily cooled off due to the amount of money the Tottenham board has unofficially indicated. This coupled with Daniel Levy’s stubbornness and unwillingness to compromise has seen both clubs trade carefully. This, however, does not mean the Tottenham vice-captain is short of suitors overseas.

Just like Suarez, Bale, Cristiano, and Thierry Henry have had to move to achieve personal and trophy ambitions, it is now time for Kane to hit the road. It is understandable for him to feel indebted to a club that showed an awful lot of confidence in him but this might be possibly the only time he has a genuine chance of moving to a massive club as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus seek a new front man. 

Moving abroad might deny Harry Kane a statue outside the Tottenham Hotspur stadium but will guarantee him titles and a higher standing among his peers both present and those in future. Kane must love himself enough to know that a player of his ability deserves trophies at the very least.

Follow Luke on Twitter @LukeSparrow3