OPINION
It might seem counter-intuitive to say that a player like Harry Kane is set for a defining season in his career at the age of 25.
He is an elite-level striker who has proved himself over many seasons at Tottenham since he became a first-team regular in the 14/15 season.
He scored 21 goals in his first proper season in the Premier League and improved on that tally in the following three seasons, notching 25 goals in the 15/16 season, 29 in 16/17 and 30 in 17/18.
However, he suffered a big drop-off last campaign when he scored 17. He was out for two periods with ligament damage last season but returned for the Champions League final, where he had a poor game as Tottenham lost 2-0 to Liverpool.
It might be too early to say that Kane is injury prone, but he missed a chunk of the 16/17 season with ankle injuries, before missing just the one league game in the 17/18 season.
When Kane is out, Tottenham suffer. They’ve tried to find a good back-up but when you’ve got a striker as dominant as Kane, it’s extremely hard to sign a striker willing to sit on the bench who’s good enough to play regularly at Premier League level in his own right.
Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura stepped up in Kane’s absence but Tottenham will be looking for a secondary striker again this summer with Fernando Llorente set to leave at the end of this month.
Tottenham could command a huge fee for Kane – enough to buy two premium Premier League strikers. Selling him would infuriate the Tottenham fans, but with his status and his value, Kane needs to be scoring at least 20 goals a season and more like his prior level of 25-30. Staying fit is key to this.
Kane’s goals will be key if Tottenham want to keep up with Liverpool and Man City, who both have players who can guarantee that many goals.
We’re not doubting Kane’s talents but we’re looking at the potential future success of Tottenham. And, if Kane doesn’t produce the goods next season, it could be time to look at moving him on and buying the players who can.