Kane's goal return in flailing Tottenham team deserves greater recognition
Only Erling Haaland has scored more league goals than Harry Kane (28) in Europe's top five leagues this season. Both strikers were always expected to finish the campaign high up the goalscoring charts for respective sides Manchester City and Tottenham this term, and while Haaland's goals have fired the Cityzens to a fifth league title in the last six years, Spurs' season is at real risk of ending without European football to look forward to next season.
Having been active in the market last summer, spending big to sign the likes of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and Djed Spence, many fancied Spurs to be the ones to push City all the way in the title race. With Antonio Conte at the helm following a full pre-season, the north London side were backed by many to enjoy a successful campaign, and yet their final home game of the season ended in a drab 3-1 loss to Brentford.
A run of one win in seven, which includes five defeats, means Spurs head into the final day of the season in eighth, just one point above Saturday's opponents. Kane fired Spurs ahead in the seventh minute at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, yet an abject performance saw Ryan Mason's side succumb to an embarrassing defeat to the Bees. Those that remained in their seats until the end booed the players off at full time with Kane the only one who warranted a positive send off from supporters.
Unsurprisingly, Kane is far and away Spurs' best rated player in the Premier League this season, returning a WhoScored rating of 7.47 in the process, that enough to make it into the current Premier League team of the season. With one game still to play, this is Kane's third most prolific season of his career, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him break the 30-goal barrier at Leeds at the weekend.
However, there is an argument to be made that this season's haul is Kane's most impressive. Spurs made a positive start to the campaign, winning seven of their opening 10 league matches, but the cracks started to show in the 2-0 loss to Manchester United, and they never really improved again under Conte. Yet as Spurs continued to muddle through the season, one consistent has been Kane's record in front of goal.
To go with his 28 goals, Kane's also provided three assists in England's top tier, meaning he's been directly involved in 47% of Spurs' league goals in 2022/23. As with any team and their main foward, it's hardly a shock that Kane's contributed to so many goals, yet to have done so in this lacklustre Tottenheam team despite a solid support act of Son Heung-Min, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison is a notable achievement. The general acceptance is that this is just Kane doing what Kane does best, which is true, but it is also impossible to overstate just how much Spurs will struggle when he does leave.
After Saturday's defeat to Brentford, the consensus now is that Kane will depart Spurs this summer with the striker deserving of more given his exploits in the final third. Few supporters would begrudge the England captain moving on as he consinstently continues to drag Spurs through the mire. The club's performance levels have dipped in recent seasons, and yet Kane has routinely performed above and beyond to ensure the side has remained competitive.
The 29-year-old, though, can only do so much to fire his side to a top-four finish and if his teammates aren't pulling their weight, both in defence and attack, then it is all in vein. The dire end to the season and directionless approach of the club both on and off the pitch could well prove the straw that breaks the camel's back.
And yet despite the frustration of the fans, they have again witnessed Kane enjoy another wonderful season despite the trials and tribulations of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Haaland's 36-goal haul season is certainly deserving of praise, but then many expected the Norwegian to make a sustained impact for City given their abundance of attacking personnel to create the chances for the 22-year-old goal machine.
Conversely, it wouldn't have been a surprise for Kane to endure a sub-par campaign, yet is Haaland's closest competitor for the Golden Boot, even if there is an eight-goal gap between the pair.
What's next for Kane, only he knows. The star striker is set to have a say in who Spurs appoint to manage the team next season, with Feyenoord's Arne Slot currently the frontrunner for the role. The Dutchman isn't the glamour name they have approached in the past to appease Kane, but is one that provides a solid foundation to rebuild a flailing team.
As has so often been the case for Spurs, Kane has again been their saviour, scoring for fun in a side that has been on a downward trajectory since finishing second to Chelsea back in 2017. To have scored 28 times in this Spurs side is an accomplishment in itself, and one that deserves to be backed up with winners' medals. Kane calling time on his spell in north London this summer wouldn't come as a shock especially as his goal haul has a better chance of resulting in silverware elsewhere.
