Given the current lull in the 2019/20 fixture list following the postponement of football and the uncertainty about what will happen with regards to the end of this campaign, Tottenham Hotspur fans should’ve expected the future of England striker Harry Kane to feature prominently in the newsfeeds given the current lack of real news.
26-year-old Kane held a recent interview with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp and his standpoint hadn’t changed from previous years when answering the same questions – if he felt Spurs were still moving in the right direction and looking for success and trophies, he’d stay, and if not he’d likely move on.
With the press making as much of this as they could, especially in light of our recent struggles on the pitch, I think Paul Merson has made quite a valid point in his recent column for the broadcaster.
Will Harry's Goals Dry Up Under Mourinho?
Yes
No
Dismissing that money would be a motivator for Kane, Merson focused in on his known desire for medals and questioned whether or not Jose Mourinho’s more pragmatic and defensive approach to the game would also be a factor in the strikers thoughts.
“Will Kane get six or seven chances a game playing the way Jose Mourinho does? I don’t think so. For me that’s what he needs to weigh up. He loves scoring goals, he wants to play for an attacking team, but I don’t see that happening next season, if Mourinho makes it tight and starts playing the way that made him one of the best managers of all time, and I think that’s what Kane is weighing up.”
Merson went on to say that Kane would be looking at Mourinho’s history when it came to style of play and with a full pre-season under the new gaffer, we would definitely approach a new season with a more defensive outlook, and Kane would soon see that chances up top would become more limited. Added to that, given how Mourinho has historically liked his target men to operate, that wouldn’t necessarily suit Kane’s own style of play – so there would quickly be an element of frustration that came into play, especially with reduced opportunities at goal.
“So far at Spurs it’s been gung-ho, with the 3-2s, your 5-2s, 4-3s, but that isn’t Mourinho deep down. And what that means is that Harry Kane won’t be getting five chances a game any longer, and he will have to weigh that up because he loves scoring goals. I don’t think Kane will want to be in a team where he is getting 10 goals a season, even if Spurs are further up the league.”
Adding.
“Tottenham was perfect for Kane under Mauricio Pochettino; they played nice, free-flowing attacking football, they were nice to watch, but they didn’t win anything.”
Merson also pivoted the style of play element and Harry’s desire to be on the scoresheet to how much he has the All Time Premier League Goalscorer tag on his mind as he chases down Alan Shearer’s 260 record.
“I don’t see that happening if he stays at Tottenham under Mourinho. He’s on 136 at the age of 26, with Alan Shearer on 260. He has to score at least 50 goals in the next two seasons to stand a chance of reaching that, because he isn’t reaching those numbers in his 30s – football isn’t like that anymore. I don’t see him doing that with Mourinho as manager.”
For me, they are valid points. Harry is a natural goalscorer and these things will be on his mind as he looks ahead to the future. Despite Mourinho’s past, they do seem to get on though from the things that have been said and Mourinho himself will know Kane’s thoughts here, and I don’t believe Harry wouldn’t look for the middle ground where it works for all – but on a number of fronts when it comes to his future, next season will be key.
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Merson never has a point. The man is totally pointless!
But entertaining….and I do agree with him here!