TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Can Ange Postecoglou keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur?
The new Spurs boss will be eager to keep the captain at the club, but with one year left on his contract it could be time to cash in.
Tottenham Hotspur announced Ange Postecoglou as their new manager on Tuesday, bringing to a close the two-month search for Antonio Conte’s replacement.
Postecoglou led Scottish Premier League side Celtic to the domestic treble last season and has enjoyed success throughout his coaching career. However the Spurs job is his first in one of the big five European leagues and he has a major issue to contend with when he walks through the door.
The club’s captain and talisman Harry Kane has just one year left on his contract and has attracting interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs. Both Manchester United and Bayern Munich are in desperate need of a striker, while Real Madrid are also searching for a replacement for the departing Karim Benzema.
Can Postecoglou convince Kane to stay, or will the new boss be forced to start life at Spurs without the club’s greatest-ever player?
Are Real Madrid in for Harry Kane?
There are very few players in world football who turn down the chance to join Real Madrid. Los Blancos had already been expected to strengthen their attacking options but the departure of Benzema has made that position an absolute priority.
Reigning Ballon D’Or winner Benzema was the club captain, a focal point for the attack, and the top goalscorer in each of the five seasons since Cristiano Ronaldo left in 2018. Finding a player to replace Benzema’s varied talents is almost impossible, but Kane may be the only striker in the world who could fulfil a similar role for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Earlier this week AS USA reported that Kane is Ancelotti’s preferred option and that he has expressed that to the Madrid board. It is thought that the initial offer will be around €80 million but Madrid are aware of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy’s reputation as a tough negotiator.
Does Harry Kane want to stay at Postecoglou’s Tottenham?
Given the emotional bond between player and club, Kane will only leave Spurs if he believes that a move brings considerable benefits.
Since reaching the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino in 2019 Spurs have stagnated as a club and gone backwards on the pitch. The managerial spells of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte failed to bring the success that their CVs suggested and the fanbase has become disillusioned with the team and their performances.
Towards the end of the season, as Spurs limped to an eighth-place finish, few could have blamed Kane for wanted to consider other options. However the arrival of Postecoglou, an ambitious manager with a reputation for front-foot football, could help to change that.
Even if Kane decides that he wants to leave for Madrid, the club may decide to make him honour the final year of his contract. With Kane now 29 this summer could be the last chance for him to get a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs and for Tottenham to extract a huge fee for his services.
The next few weeks will be crucial, both for Harry Kane’s career and for Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur.