Tottenham’s players have privately expressed a theory that they have been hit in the back pocket by Harry Kane’s willingness last year to sign a contract that is worth up to a third less than his market rate, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim that there is a feeling among the Spurs squad that the prolific striker “sold himself – and inadvertently the rest of them – short during his negotiations” on a new contract that resulted in him signing a £100,000-a-week deal last autumn that runs until 2022.
The Times report that the Kane agreement was a “downright steal” for Tottenham and their chairman Daniel Levy as he could expect to earn between £200,000-a-week and £300,000-a-week at another major club.
It is said that the Spurs senior players are privately fuming at the star man’s willingness to accept the deal.
“The view of some of his team-mates is that Kane’s acceptance of a modest contract has suppressed their own wages, as in discussions with Levy their representatives have little argument when he states that Kane deserves to be the highest paid player at the club and is happy with his lot,” the Times report.
Kane’s situation has come under the microscope in the wake of his remarkable recent scoring glut, including his hat-trick in Tottenham’s 3-0 win against Apoel Nicosia on Tuesday night.
This followed his double in Tottenham’s 3-2 win over West Ham on Saturday, and his club tally for the season now stands at nine goals in eight matches, and 108 in 173 games in total for the north Londoners.
Kane’s goalscoring prompted West Ham captain Mark Noble to claim “he easily has to be worth £100million-plus” but warned Tottenham “are going to have to be strong to keep him”.
OPINION
Kane’s value is escalating by the day and Tottenham are going to have to shield off sustained and fierce interest in their talisman in the coming months and years. Given that the spearhead only turned 24 in July and has not yet entered his peak years, it is safe to assume his scoring record will at the very least be maintained at the same level and, in all likelihood, get better. That is a scary thought for defenders and a delightful one for the Spurs faithful and statisticians. His ability to score all types of goals – his hat-trick against Apoel included one left foot, one right foot and one header to show his mastery of the centre-forward art – from all angles and against all teams makes him that rarity, a bona fide matchwinner. Throw in a great attitude, total commitment to his job and club, and an insatiable appetite to improve, and the world is Harry’s oyster. Spurs have him tied down until 2022, and this summer’s window showed that if top clubs don’t want to sell their best players, they don’t have to. Just ask Philippe Coutinho, Alexis Sanchez and Virgil van Dijk. Spurs are in a strong position with Kane, but face some tough battles ahead to make sure it stays that way.