The King Is Dead, Long Live The King

Divorces are difficult. Separations can be life-shattering. Change is challenging. Things are made even worse if you’re the one in the relationship that doesn’t actually want to part ways. However, if you truly love someone and genuinely want them to be happy no matter how it leaves you, if your beloved one wants out, if their mind is already made up, then holding them back, forcing the retention and trying to make them stick around could see things deteriorate. They’ll grow resentful of your selfishness and ultimately a refusal to let them go will hold you back from your new life without them.

As another summer rolls in, the annual speculation swirls around Harry Kane’s contract and whether his career at Tottenham is to finally come to its natural conclusion. We love him, he still loves us, but we want to ask the question, even put forward the case, for whether now is the best moment for Kane to leave us.

Let’s get one thing straight from the outset; there’s never a good time to lose your club’s best player, your talisman, the greatest goal scorer in our history, a genuine club legend, and perhaps the greatest player ever to wear our shirt. That’s never going to be a positive discussion. It’s a horrible, ugly, sour topic to swallow. Of course we don’t want him to leave. Of course we are better off with him by our side. Of course he’s irreplaceable and there are barely any players in all of Europe that are guaranteed to score you 30 goals each and every season. We are weaker, we are damaged, and ultimately we’d get less points with him transferred.

When forced to consider this topic, as I contemplate what I could lose, I get sentimental and my mind drifts off, as it replays the multitudinous moments we’ve all experienced under Harry Edward Kane…

It always starts with that 2016 Dele Alli backheel to him near the corner flag and the subsequent bullet that he fired into the far side-netting, mask whipped off, players piled on. The absolute silence in the milliseconds between the ball leaving his boot and the bulge of the net, was the sound of shock that Spurs were back, before the crowd released a roar louder than any I’ve heard before or since. It was God-like, for in that moment Kane single-handedly moved the tectonic plates between Arsenal and Tottenham.

Then my mind meanders to February 2015 and that late game-winning header, again versus the Gooners – a bitter derby for which Harry has scored more goals than any other player in it’s 110 year existence  – as the commentator proclaims “well, he was a hero before, he’s a messiah for Tottenham now”.

There are of course 278 other goals I could reflect upon, but I feel the need to mention his more recent 95th minute winner against Manchester City, away, toppling Guardiola’s mighty side back in 2022. That entire game felt like a true Kane masterclass, one of the great Premier League performances, observing a genius provide a peak performance, so incredible, full of so many exquisite individual Kane moments, that scoring a late winner to make it 2-3 felt utterly appropriate. Again, the commentary sticks in my mind, “That. Is. Extraordinary. City thought they had saved it, but you are NEVER saved face to face with Harry Kane”.

*Sigh* All the feels.

Surely we can’t possibly entertain the idea of him leaving us, right? Lock the doors. Shut the gates. Refuse any advances. Tighten your grip on that contract. No sane club would ever consider selling their all-time best player. No club would surely deliberately weaken itself. No amount of money could persuade our owners to inflict irreparable damage upon its team and ultimately its relationship with its fans. People suggest Kane has all the power now that he’s reached the final year of his deal with Levy, but whilst there are 12 months left on it, we don’t actually have to even discuss it for another season. He’s ours. That’s an irrefutable fact. No matter what Kane actually wants, he plays for Tottenham for another full season if we want him to. However, some contracts are more significant than others. And come next summer the link will be severed, Kane’s definitely gone and Levy loses any modicum of remaining power.

As the 2023 transfer window opened, the inevitable media coverage surrounding Kane’s contract kicked off once again, like an unwelcome third party moving into our lives and judging the state of our relationships. Column inches have been committed every summer for the last few years in what feels like an annual cycle of somewhat insulting media speculation. The disrespect shown to Spurs, a club they paint as not worthy of holding onto a player this great, is rude and dismissive, as if to highlight how much we are punching above our weight, undeserving of a player so attractive. According to them, surely it’s only a matter of time before the real clubs, the elite clubs, the media-revered clubs, swoop in and give Kane a gateway to the trophies and elite teammates that he deserves.

Every summer is an opportunity for a round of Spurs-bashing. The media love a narrative and Tottenham’s rise to the top table in the last decade disturbed their view of the established state of the game. We weren’t even pitched as plucky underdogs enjoying a brief moment in the sunlight, like Leicester did in 2016, oh no no no, we had overstayed our welcome, Spurs weren’t meant to hang around the elite this long and surely it’s time their talisman fucked off to a proper team and Tottenham went back to the mid-table wastelands in which they belong.

But that’s all bullshit. Their narrative is a false one. Nothing lasts forever in football, it’s always been in a state of constant flux, and the traditionally elite Premier League teams (Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal) couldn’t deny the arrival of new, rich, disruptive owners (firstly with Chelsea, subsequently followed by City and more recently Newcastle). Weirdly, you‘d think the arrival of Russian sugar daddies and dubious Middle Eastern fossil fuel funds and their quick-fix impact would be the obvious clubs to attack and Spurs’ well-earned, long term, self-sustainable business model growth would be preferred for any club joining the exclusive nobility. Alas not. City and Chelsea became so powerful, so dominant, so fast, with a multitude of the world’s best players, that it was box office for the media. They reset the narrative to accommodate the changes and the Premier League became ever more attractive. The same can now be said for Newcastle, as the dissenters fade and the media get behind them, all the while desperately selling off Spurs’ best players and slamming the door in the club’s face.

Don’t be fooled though. Tottenham’s rise is legitimate, as part of a bigger plan that ENIC have been working on for decades. A plan that initially involved buying young talent and selling it for big profits, whilst continuously improving the first team and raising the club’s global profile, before investing in the stadium and training facilities to make us an elite force. One that generated huge commercial incomes, that made us self-sustaining, future-proofed and ultimately able to compete with the elites in the transfer market. We’ve shifted from shopping in the £5m to £20m market and now regularly shop in the £30m to £60m spaces. More importantly, we’ve changed from selling the Bale’s, Modric’s, Carrick’s and Berbatov’s, to retaining the Son’s, the Lloris’ and, yes, the Kane’s. We were able to sell our vision to these top players as they could see the progress, they actually wanted to be a part of our new trajectory.

However, the post-Pochettino years (since 2019) caused our vision to go out of focus. Our flirtations with attractive established managers was a massive mistake. Our owners ability to list reasons why our top stars should hang around has now been watered down as a consequence. Our magic has lost its lustre and the likes of José Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conté have set us back. Kane may well have remained to this day, but there’s no denying that there’s a fog at the club, a dark, murky mess that came between us.

And it’s at this very moment Bayern Munich appeared out of the effluvium.

The German giants have been looking for a fresh star striker to replace their own talisman, Robert Lewandovski, who departed to Barcelona last year. Kane fits their bill perfectly. Now entering his final contractual year, this is the time to pounce. Sure, they could get him for free next summer, but then again so could every other side in world football and with Kane having his pick of clubs he surely wouldn’t hold Bayern as his top selection, especially when Shearer’s hallowed Premier League goal record was just two decent seasons away. For Bayern, it’s now or never. But if it is to be now, it’s gonna cost them money, serious money. Levy won’t even come to the table for less than £100m. Bayern’s initial £60m offer was derisible in all honesty, but it meant they were taking steps towards Levy’s table.

They hadn’t counted on one curveball in the works though. This summer the marriage counsellor himself arrived and he was armed with a fog-clearing machine, the charismatic master of man-management, Ange Postecoglou. The Aussie may well turn out to be the one to convince Kane to stay, especially with the front-footed, attacking style he’s known to promote (and that all players prefer to play). At the very least, it’s possible that Kane likes what he sees, allows himself a few months to test out these new methods and if he’s convinced then maybe he pens a new deal with Tottenham. If not, then Munich could return in January for a slightly lower fee, or Kane may just push through to next summer and become the most in-demand free signing in football history.

Of course there’s a big chance that Levy could bite the bullet this summer (or in January) and sell him to Bayern to avoid losing such a big player on a free. Levy looks like he may lose whether he sticks or twists. Conversely, utilising Kane for one more full season in order to get us back into the lucrative Champions League could cover the £80m income that we’d miss out on if we refuse Bayern Munich’s current advances and instead use Kane for a top 4 run. It would also buy us time to develop and secure a deal for his replacement next year. With Chelsea and Liverpool both improving next season, plus the current top four clubs going for it again, there’s a lot of competition for the Champions League spots. This means the option to keep hold of Kane is a massive gamble. I wouldn’t stick if I was Levy, the odds are simply too long, especially considering our 8th placed finish last season and all the dramatic changes we require to get back into those lucrative Champions League places.

This summer feels like the big reset we’ve all been desperate for in recent years. Postecoglou is the perfect boss at this junction in our history. He’s a charismatic man-manager, a specialist in turning around the fortunes of underperforming teams and a u-turn in style from what we’ve witnessed in the last few seasons. He’ll shed the unwanted, uncommitted players, whilst inspiring those that have been playing within themselves through recent years. New arrivals are being invested in, with both Tapsoba and Van De Ven looking like they’re ready to step into our new back four. The Aussie revolution has begun, a feel-good factor surrounds the club and the spark is back. The counsellor will work his profound wisdom into the team and most fans now believe we have a solid future. Kane has to depart at some point, so is now the optimum moment, whilst change is in the air, expectations for next season are in a period of good grace, and placing an additional £100m into Ange’s transfer kitty could aid the club’s current transformation.

It’s always hard to separate from those you love and let’s face it Kane has been the love of our lives. The Big One. The one we thought would deliver us happiness forever, until death do us part and all the rest. But he’s entering his latter years and although I’d suggest he has several more years at the very top, he’s almost certainly enjoyed his peak with us. This just feels like the perfect moment to thank him for everything he’s done for us, all those beautiful memories, but it’s time to send him off to pastures new to live out his days. This is the moment. This is it folks. Deep down you always knew this day would come, so whilst we’re under new stewardship, whilst we’re all in a good place, whilst we are thinking of the next era and we need players that can commit to the new journey alongside us, let’s rip the plaster off and we can all move onwards to bigger and better things in the post-Kane era together.

Just indulge me for a moment and imagine a scenario in which Munich get their man and Kane departs abroad, not to Chelsea, not to United, but to the inoffensive Bayern. Meanwhile Postecoglou has £100m to hunt out a new striker. A fresh, deadly, exciting, shiver-down-your-spine, 20-goals-a-season striker. One that fits the Aussie’s system, resets our attack for a new dawn and distracts us from the summer’s enforced heartbreak. You know what they say is the best cure for a break up, right? Get straight into bed with someone new, find yourself that fuck-buddy and start to feel once again. Maybe Gonçalo Ramos is that buddy? Maybe it’s Dusan Vlahovic, he’s still only 22 years old? What about entertaining hot, sexy, young prospects like Evan Ferguson, or Youssoufa Moukoko, or Rasumus Højlund?

You could reset a lot for £100m. Could Richarlison and Son step up in Kane’s absence? It’s not impossible to imagine a scenario where they could score 30-40 goals between them if they flourish. Meanwhile Ange packs out the team’s other positions further with that £100m in his pocket. He’s a manager that’s typically done quite well in the transfer market, yet he’s never had 100’s of millions to utilise. This is a manager that generally lifts players up a level, extracts more from them and he’s particularly good at developing youth. I could imagine a scenario in which £100m gets put to very good use indeed. You think the revolution is underway already? Just imagine how exciting this summer could get if the likes of Lee Kang-In and Kaoru Mitoma arrive alongside Van De Ven and Tapsoba?

Look, I’m not wishing Kane away, I am still very much in love with the best striker I’ve ever seen in my 45 years of Spurs support, and no sane fan wants to see him stolen away. It’s barely impossible to lose a player like that and replace him, let alone improve in his absence, so if he remains I’m more than happy. Perhaps the best case scenario is in fact for Kane to spearhead the Postecoglou era and to sign a contract extension, smashing the Shearer record whilst remaining with us. I’m just suggesting there are potentially exciting alternative futures beyond him. Maybe the seriousness of Munich’s advances, (and they are real and they are very much progressing in the background), are forcing me to dream up excuses in preparation for the bad news, but it’s worthwhile entertaining the debate at this stage.

It is of course also worth bringing up the man in charge of these outcomes, Daniel Levy. The master puppeteer who is known for tangling up big moments like this. He could make the separation a mess, especially if he plays hard ball, drags it out and fails to spend the Kane income on genuinely good fresh talent. Levy is like the kind of divorce lawyer that’d make things acrimonious and at no point would he think of the damage done to the kids. Come to think of it, perhaps we are the helpless, innocent kids in this entire scenario!

We always knew this summer was going to be transitional and painful. If the biggest plaster is yet to be ripped off, then let’s not fuck about, I’m tense but I’m poised and ready. Just do it. Postecoglou will say all the right things to soften the fall. The Aussie revolution is cutting loose from the pain of previous years. He’s the man to soothe us, to reassure us and ultimately to rebuild us. I believe in him and he believes in us. He has my beloved club in his hands, my heart in his hands and I trust him. In fact, can it ever really be a full revolution if the King remains in place?