Pundit and former player Craig Burley has been talking about Harry Kane’s future at the north London club.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Burley discussed Spurs’ recent 1-0 win over Everton as well as Kane and his situation at Spurs. The pundit went on to say that the Englishman’s situation is certainly a worrying one.
Kane did feature for Spurs in the win over Everton, but he couldn’t score a goal. However, the 26-year-old did score in the Premier League against West Ham and Sheffield United in recent Spurs games (via Transfermarkt).
While talking about Kane’s situation, Burley said:
“Harry Kane’s in his prime. He’s got the Euros to think about. He’s got the next five or six years of his career to think about. You can’t be superseded by somebody else in your position by just sitting tight and waiting for it to happen.
Are Tottenham holding Harry Kane back?
Yes, we are
Absolutely not!
“So at this current juncture and on the playing squad alone, Tottenham Hotspur are not in a position, in my opinion, to convince Harry Kane that they are going to be giving him the platform he needs going forward to be successful in terms of trophies and be successful in terms of an individual. They’ve gone backwards. There’s no doubt about it. They’ve gone backwards this year and that’s a huge worry.”
Burley points out at how Spurs’ recent struggles have made sure that they’ve gone backwards and because of that, Kane’s development as a footballer is stagnating as well.
TIF Thoughts…
Kane’s goals per 90 minutes tally this season stands at 0.55. That is lower than the tally from the seasons in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18 and the 2018-19 season as well. In the current campaign, even his non-penalty goals per 90 minutes tally has been the lowest out of all those seasons (via FBRef).
So arguably, his goalscoring numbers are declining at Spurs. However, the fact that he continues to overperform on his xG shows that he’s still a very good finisher and could still get goals on a regular basis.
Spurs are currently eighth in the Premier League and there is no guarantee about whether they can get European football for next season. They have gone from playing in a Champions League final last season to potentially finishing outside the European spots in the Premier League in the current campaign.
There clearly has been a drop this season and Kane’s numbers show that he’s been affected by it. Spurs need to get better as a team under Jose Mourinho or their striker might have a decision to make soon.