Harry Kane is having a fantastic individual season but may need Manchester United transfer to achieve silverware dreams

The annual debate of whether Harry Kane should remain at Tottenham Hotspur or move on to pastures new to win trophies always starts around this time of the season. The three-time Premier League Golden Boot winner continues to be one of the best strikers in the English top flight.

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Kane’s 23 league goals are only overshadowed by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and his 32 goals. It is safe to say that had Haaland not arrived in the Premier League last summer from Borussia Dortmund, Kane would be on the way to a fourth Golden Boot award.

Yet, Kane isn’t going to win the Premier League Golden Boot award this season or any team trophy. In many ways, the Englishman is a forgotten player this season. No matter how many goals he scores, everyone will continue to talk about Haaland.

It feels like Kane is playing the part of Jan Brady from the 1970s American sitcom, The Brady Bunch, who is always jealous of her older sister Marcia. In Kane’s mind, the Premier League world has gone mad over Haaland. It is unfair… Haaland, Haaland, Haaland!

It could have all been different for Kane. He angled for a transfer to Manchester City in June 2021, only for Spurs to hold their ground and refuse to work with Pep Guardiola’s team. Spurs turned down £100 million for Kane, believing the striker was worth more to the club than the cash. Haaland is scoring the goals Kane was meant to score and could win the silverware Kane wanted.

Where can Harry Kane go now?

Manchester City no longer need Kane. Bayern Munich were rumoured to be an admirer of the striker. Yet, the Bavarians, desperate for a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski’s goals, may not do business with Spurs. Kane is valued at €100m, a price Bayern Munich aren’t likely willing to pay.

And really, why would Bayern Munich splurge €100m on Kane this summer? Kane will turn 30 years old in July. Yes, he is still banging in 20-plus goals a season, but the striker will likely have just a few more years left in his body.

In a recent interview, Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus said Kane is “too old and too expensive”. His assessment of the striker isn’t wrong. The Germans have other younger striker options, including Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani, and Werder Bremen’s Niclas Fullkrug. Kane’s ship may have sailed, but there is still a club in Manchester that may be interested in his services.

Manchester United need a goalscorer to take the load off Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United forward has 15 league goals. There is no guarantee Rashford will have a similar goalscoring campaign in 2023-24. This season is just the fourth time he has scored 10 or more goals in the Premier League in eight seasons. It also comes off the back of a campaign in which Rashford scored four Premier League goals, the lowest number of his career.

Manchester United have no obligation to sign Wout Weghorst permanently in the offseason. The Dutchman was an astute signing in January despite what critics say. Kane would be an upgrade on Weghorst to say the least, giving United a target man capable of scoring regular goals. Erik ten Hag needs a No 9, and United are very interested in Kane fulling the role.

What is Harry Kane’s Tottenham contract?

Indeed, Kane is Manchester United’s No 1 summer transfer target. United may be the only team truly in the race to sign the striker. Manchester United are in a strong position going into the summer transfer window.

Kane’s current Tottenham contract will expire in 2024. Spurs have already stated they won’t pressure Kane with a new deal. The club wants to have a new manager in place before trying to tie down their all-time leading goalscorer for the foreseeable future.

Tottenham would love to sign Kane to a new contract, allowing him to retire as a one-club man. Yet, Kane’s desire to win trophies may lead him away from north London, as it nearly did almost two years ago. Tottenham will finish the current season without silverware once more. Spurs are fifth in the Premier League standings, three points off third-place Newcastle United.

Since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019, Kane has experienced a revolving door of managers. Jose Mourinho, Ryan Mason, Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte, and Cristian Stellini have all had their time in the Tottenham dugout. The club’s recent lack of continuity was supposed to be fixed with Conte. Yet, the Italian’s ambition didn’t meet the Tottenham hierarchy’s expectations.

The problem with club legends…

Tottenham are currently experiencing a similar problem Liverpool encountered during the 2000s with Steven Gerrard. It is difficult to build a team around a club legend, a player with a defined role that must be paired with others for the team to excel.

Success and Harry Kane may not be something Spurs can have at the same time. Perhaps Chairman Daniel Levy cannot have his cake and eat it too. There is an argument to be made that Spurs cannot adequately build for the future with Kane at the club. Yes, he has 23 Premier League goals, accounting for 40% of the team’s scoring, but a fresh start for everyone involved could see Spurs finally stop ‘Spursing’ things up.

Kane has had a fantastic 2022-23 season in the league. He has a real goal total of 23 compared to an xG of 18.0, according to Fbref. Kane’s best Premier League goal return was in 2017-18, when he tallied 30 goals. With seven Premier League games left in the campaign, Kane could still come close to tying that 30-goal figure. The numbers show Kane is ageing well, but his production could drop once on the wrong side of 30.

Those 23 goals show Spurs’ shortcomings. No other Tottenham player has scored more than eight Premier League goals. Heung-min Son’s slow start to the season was followed by a broken bone in his face just before the World Cup. Richarlison has been a major disappointment. The Tottenham defence has been dreadful. All these issues have hindered Tottenham’s chances for trophies.

Based on the team’s squad at the start of the season, Tottenham looked strong enough to fight for a Premier League trophy or a League Cup at the very least. Yet, a squad that looked strong at the start of the campaign quickly weakened and tore apart like a wet paper sack.

Tottenham are at a crossroads with seven matches left in the season, which is where they typically are at this point each spring. A squad overhaul is needed, but moving on from a club legend could be the only way to rebuild the team properly.