Harry Kane has enjoyed an extraordinary campaign,
almost single-handedly firing Tottenham to a top 6 finish in what has been a very hard
campaign for the club. He has also declared his intentions to move to a bigger club to
win trophies. His announcement has alerted every big club in the world and a transfer
feels inevitable this summer. So, what is he good at and how does he suit
other big clubs? Let’s take a look. This is Football Per 90 for you, high-quality football
analysis brought to the common fan. Before we start, be sure to like the video
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Kane is the definition of consistency. His record of fifteen non-penalty goals in four
consecutive seasons has been matched by only Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, Mo Salah and
Alan Shearer in the league’s history. In his career at Spurs, 2018/19 is the only
full season in which Kane scored fewer than 15 non-penalty league goals. Even this was
down to bad luck. He injured his ankle twice after bad tackles.
Kane’s goal contribution rate is among the very best in Premier League history. Kane
ranks 4th when compared to other prominent Premier League strikers of the 21st century
trailing only Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie.
Kane is not merely a good goal-scorer but also an excellent creator. He is only the
third player since 2000 to lead his league in both goals and assists, a feat matched
by only Leo Messi and Luis Suarez. He has made over 30 goal contributions in
3 league seasons and has won 3 golden boots since 2015, the most of any player in that
timeframe. His combination with Heung-min Son in particular
is amazing. The two have assisted each other 14 times this season, setting a new league
record. While other world-class strikers have all
enjoyed trophy success, Kane has been left empty-handed. Kane has made the Champions
League final, League cup final twice and the FA Cup semi-final twice but has lost all of
them. He deserves better and he knows this, which
is why he’s pushing for a move. Kane is among the best finishers in the world,
behind only Messi and Mbappe. He doesn’t need many chances to make defences pay, he
is as clinical as they come. Kane’s technique, confidence and power make
him a potent finisher even from long range. He is capable of shooting accurately even
when surrounded by defenders, an invaluable skill. He is comfortable shooting with his
weaker left foot and his head, making him a complete scoring package.
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Per 90! Kane often played as a number 10 in Tottenham’s
academy and it is easy to see why. Kane is happy to drop deep and feed his teammates
running past him. As mentioned before, Son is the biggest beneficiary of this, but he’s
not the only one. The numbers back up Kane’s passing ability,
especially in terms of creating chances. Kane is among the very best in the world at
creating shots and goals. His natural ability and vision have developed with experience
and maturity, resulting in Kane’s passing improving every season. He ranks above the
70th percentile for most creativity metrics, a great achievement.
Next, let’s look at his involvement in attacking play, an even more impressive part of his
game. Kane is capable of playing cross-field passes
like an accomplished midfielder, a skill that helps Tottenham a ton. His vision and execution
help generate and speed up attacks at will. It is not a stretch to say that Kane is a
number 10 and a number 9 combined in one. He moves the ball into the final third and
speeds up play besides scoring and assisting, making him incredibly unique.
Kane is a good ball-carrier but isn’t elite at it. He has quick feet to help him carry
the ball. His 84th percentile rank for carries into the final third shows how deep he drops
in possession to progress the play. Kane has ranked in the top 5 for shots per
game in the league in every season since 2014/15 except for 19/20. There’s a simple logic
behind this – More shots leads to more goals. All other top goalscorers take plenty of shots
too and Kane is no different. While many players overperform expected goals,
the difference between good and great strikers is often the number of shots. Only elite goalscorers
have the confidence and the ability to shot consistently. Kane is one of them.
Kane loves playing big games, especially against London rivals. His record against top 6 rivals
is unreal and will only improve with time. Against other big 6 teams, Leicester and local
rivals West Ham, Kane averages over 0.7 goal contributions per 90, only slightly shy of
his career average. Kane is an incredibly complete striker and
there are pretty much no holes in his game… Except one: his fitness.
Kane has suffered plenty of injuries, especially to his ankles. He missed 17 games in 2018/19
due to his ankle and 4 more in 20/21. It doesn’t just stop there. Kane injured
his ankles before 2017 too and whoever buys him must be careful about potential injuries.
Kane turns 28 soon and the time for him to win trophies is running out. However, it is
not too late for him to move. His former teammate Kyle Walker moved to Man City at a similar
age and has gone on to win 10 domestic trophies in just 4 seasons. This is the sort of future
Kane could have too. City have been the club with the most links
to Kane and it is easy to see why. Kane is the best player in the league, City are the
best team in the league and Guardiola is the best manager in the league. What’s there
not to like? City can offer Kane the chance to win plenty
of trophies, the presence of other world-class players like De Bruyne and the chance to earn
big money. If Tottenham decide to sell Kane to a domestic rival, City seems like the most
obvious choice. City’s rivals United have also been rumoured
to like Kane. United have a long-history of buying the best players from within the league
and Kane would fit in perfectly in that aspect. Kane’s legacy would receive a massive boost
if he can fire United to their first title since Sir Alex. However, there is no guarantee
that United will win trophies over City. Although the presence of players like Rashford and
Bruno is tempting, there is a risk. Tottenham’s rivals Chelsea have also been
linked but a move feels unlikely. While Chelsea have an elite coach, a team with filled with
young talents and a lot of money, it is very unlikely that Tottenham will sell Kane to
them. The rivalry between them is huge and it will take silly money for the move to happen.
PSG, managed by Kane’s former manager Mauricio Pochettino, have also been linked. And while
they have Neymar and Mbappe, the two of them command big wages and therefore it is unlikely
to see Kane join them. Kane has also stated his desire to stay in England and break Alan
Shearer’s goal record.