Harry Kane’s exit from Tottenham looks inevitable, purely based upon the rather simple business that this football club’s ambitions are not aligned with his own. We know this with certainty after Harry’s recent interview with Gary Neville.
I find Harry Kane’s supposedly weak position frankly ridiculous. Daniel Levy has considerable form for selling his best players. Michael Carrick went to Manchester United. Luka Modric was sold to Real Madrid. Dimitar Berbatov also went to Manchester United. Gareth Bale went to Real Madrid. Kyle Walker went to Manchester City. Christian Eriksen eventually found a new home in Italy. This list is far from exhaustive.
Just because Tottenham has never been in such an exposed position of vulnerability from so many directions, this has no bearing upon Kane’s position or indeed his rights.
A few days ago, The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Jack Pitt-Brooke ran a piece which cast enormous doubts over even the legitimacy of the England captain’s desire to move on.
This line in particular was pure disinformation: he knows that the power is not in his hands.
This is utterly bewildering commentary.
The remaining years on a player’s contract are not chains that bind them, they are an added buffer of potential compensation in the event that the player wishes to leave.
Beyond the obvious fact, that slavery has been abolished, football contracts don’t operate as many conventional contracts under English law. So for example, if you sell your house to someone, you can’t keep a key and occasionally pop around to use the loo or stay the night if you’re in the area. The deal is done.
The issue of price is also being misrepresented. The market decides values. If one considers the selling price of our analogous house, a seller is entitled to ask for the moon, but if potential buyers are all of a different mind. You will not sell your house for the number you originally asked for.
This is the key element. Harry isn’t a 3 bed semi-detached with a south-facing back garden. The man has a voice.
Footballers are able to assert certain rights. One may not care for it but as Jermaine Jenas points out, players sometimes have to force the issue, and generally speaking, care for it or not, the simplest solution is to move the player on and make some money.
What is mentioned satisfactorily by either the Athletic boys or Jenas, is the responsibility of the club to ensure that players remain motivated to stay. Put simply, make their club the place to be.
The narrative surrounding this story from The Athletic and others is one whereby Kane is some sort of nitwit who is duly bound for disappointment.
Soo he was pretty weak right then?
In the Sun
Rose was also made to look worse in the Amazon thing, that was a complete ENIC whitewash, complete sh*te…
I don’t think anyone is in a position to slag off Rose to much and then slag off ENIC. He’s generally echoed the majority of the fans sentiments in all honesty…
They have had s slap on the wrists with FFP, but it’s possibly doable for them if it’s 100m.
You seem like o think clubs hold the best hand in what is basically a game of poker when a player wants out. They don’t, the player wins every time, because basically they always leave.
He stood his ground, but the situation should not be allowed to happen, it makes a fool of Levy and the club.
Well it is Carlton Cole !
Even considering such an idea sickens me, as I find it just humiliating.
The sad yet ridiculous thing is their will be some social media idiocy from people who should not have a voice.
Guilty as charged but once you start writing, the anger and frustration with Enic and Levy overwhelms one.
I am of the belief that Levy still believes in a lot of these players, hence the comments from Mason saying the club should have done better this season, that’s a worry.
Same as Bale with Real, contract.
Kane has no reason to think he is letting the club down should he leave, I would not want him to go to the chavs though, that would be a bitter pill.
Listening to Carlton Cole on 5Live saying Manchester City can’t afford Kane.
Sheikh Mansour has a personal worth of £17 billion and his family are worth £ 1 trillion.
Are these pundits living in the real world?
I almost admire rose he asked for something got the levy rough treatment and said right I’ll just be as stubborn although I don’t admire the boy tantrums and press leaks and as soon as his toxic self is gone the better
Just people expressing their frustrations in as many words as they can get through, understandable if a little overdone.
The way contracts are structured is bewildering, managers and players have certain extras added to them, Mourinho’s as an example, where he he gets a payoff if sacked, but I don’t understand how the hell Rose is still here, that is a farcical situation.
Not as old as you mate, just backing you up, you said Kane had all the power right?
How many coincidences before people realise there aren’t any?
Oh please stop the comparison to slavery, ridiculous. As said if he really wanted to leave he could buy out his contract, if contracts are so worthless can someone explain why Messi is still at Barcelona?
hahahha
Hahahahahha
Jez, how old are you mate, as we have an age restriction on this blog?
Plus Messi is 48.
If you keep a player against his will, the chances of him being in the starting 11 are close to zero. You’re not the sharpest, are you?
Then Levy will be disappointed and he will have to sell Kane for the price the market is willing to pay. He can’t hold Kane hostage. As HH has said numerous times, slavery has been abolished.
Nice one Matt. And I will remember that it’s actually predictive text. Cheers!
Are you an accountant by any chance?
My wife always texts me when she’s on her way home from work. A couple of years ago instead of writing ‘leaving now’ as usual, I received a message from her reading ‘lesbian now’. Remember thinking wow that’s a particularly insensitive way of breaking the news to me. More worrying/intriguing was just how many times had she typed the word ‘lesbian’ for it to come up on her predictive text options?!?
Spot on mate.
Too right, I’m guilty myself.
I just laugh every time I hear about City being tight for money.
If Harry really wants to leave and ‘stick it’ to Levy he could buy out his contract, 31 million should do it.
You forgot to mention that he has worked tirelessly for the club for the last twenty years. 🤦♂️
Read “a boat load of chances” for “a boat load of changes”. Ain’t type ahead wonderful?
Was looking forward to the Euros, now every goal scored by Kane will be bittersweet 😔
Compared for paying over the odds the Messi contract would have dwarfed any Kane deal.
What if Levy thinks he is valued more then the market?
A lot of ‘what ifs’. Of course a player can make it hard for the owners, play dirty etc. But for all the hand wringing above about fans giving their support for him to leave and understanding his motivations (which I also would) if he stays I imagine most fans fickle as we are would quickly forget as he starts banging in the goals.
The crux of my point is Levy doesn’t give a dam what we/ players think, I’d imagine this is fairly obvious by now and he will expect a significant amount for his prized asset.
Also perhaps Harry should have given some thought about signing a 6 year contract? 1 year less and it would be a different scenario, he had lot more power to wield then! It’s not like he was forced to sign it.
Tangy couldn’t handle Poch’s pre season. But recruitment is key but it just shows what a sh#t show recruitment Is at Spurs
Along with toe-rag!
HK is on his way and the only question is where. My money is on City which is a scary prospect as I think he could score over 40 goals a season there. I watch them regularly due to family links with the club and have seen Jesus squander a boat load of changes that Harry would have gobbled up. Pep would surely put emphasis on getting the ball to him on the edge of the box with all those dangerous diagonal passes they specialize in from the edge of the area. Just imagine the damage he could do in a team that makes chances for him rather than having to manufacture them for himself. There’s even a part of me that would like to him to land there as it would be something to see and far more palatable than a move to Chelsea. Good luck to the young man I say as he has been a wonderful asset to Spurs who now deserves a club that understands football excellence.
Modric was promised a move if he stayed for another year. We sold him for less to RM than Chelsea bid. Ironically the year Chelsea took our place in CL
If city really were looking at a deal for Messi, the kane numbers would work even with a 150m transfer fee esp over 4 or 5 year, so in the football game it’s good value. If levy has a price and it’s matched levy must expedite the transfer as quickly as possible more for levy’s bad habits of micro managing and he’s still got managers, players to sign and pies and pints to sort.
According to Football 365, if fans give them any credibility, Man City made an offer for Kane in January. I suspect now that it is only a question of price but I believe that the days of Man City paying over the top have changed. Levy, if true to form, will demand an inflated price but Kane is twenty eight with dodgy ankles, and the idea that Levy will force him to stay another season because the board are angry he went public is truly laughable. He would then only have two years left on his contract and would be nearly twenty nine years old with no resale value to the buyer which is already the case now. Whichever club Kane ends up with, it will be one that wants to win things, does not care about his resale value and will not flog him to death because they will be professional enough to have good back up strikers.
Kane is a man who has made his own career without much help from the club or coaching staff. He went out on loan on many occasions and has always worked his socks off to improve by training hard and staying later than other players, despite not being blessed with consummate ability.
The idea that he has tarnished his reputation with the fans is risible. In fact, he has increased his reputation with his honesty and I suspect that most Spurs fans are grateful for his service over the years and wish him well at his new club as they realise and so does he, that the jig is finally up with Levy and Enic. I was somewhat of a late convert in realising that Enic and Levy are a toxic regime who are only interested in feathering their own nests, but better late than never.
You would find it hard to find two more complete opposites than Kane and Levy and the fans realise this. Kane is not a spoilt troublemaker agitating for a move like Paul Pogba does on a regular basis. Rather, he has realised, somewhat late in the day one could argue, that all is not well on the good ship Tottenham and is unlikely to improve. I wish him all the best with his new club.
He is worth what the market says he is.
I’ve explained this numerous times on video and endlessly in written form.
Odd as ENIC plants
I just think Kane will agree to stay for one more year.
If Kane could get his move wrapped up before the Euros, he would be off ASAP.
Because he doesn’t want it dragging on, however, i think he’ll be willing compromise.
That’s how i see it anyway.
Star striker when the players plays because he loves the club, you keep him at spurs by force and you will see how many goals he will score next year, I guarantee it will be his worst year as a spurs player. Already seen a dip in his performance these last few games because he is not happy at spurs.
Harry how about asking people to keep their replies to about 10 lines or under..Holy shit lads are writing books here as replies…love ur blog btw
It’s now best for all sides that Harry leaves. Levy obviously needs the money either for a rebuild or to pay back the Treasury loan of £175 million next March.
Harry will not be part of Spurs long term, how do rebuild a team around a player who won’t be here.
It’s also got to the stage where a lot of the players are relying on Harry Kane to win games by his firepower alone. They’re literally standing watching the play.
Harry going might, just might release some of these players mental blocks and the onus is on them to step up.
There is nothing worse than a player who doesn’t want to be there. If you want to see what happens to a club in that situation read about what has happened to Celtic this season.
Funny isn’t it how easily upset they are by Harry but not a word about anyone else. Strange too that I haven’t seen a lot of them on this site before. They’re welcome but it’s odd.
Because to me £150 million min ?
I really marvel at the few jokers below suggesting Kane has somehow “tarnished his legacy” or something like that by putting pressure on the board to finally deliver (after 20 years of jam tomorrow). “Best stadium”, “best training facilities” ffs.
I say good on Kane for exposing Levy, especially now that Spurs are in such disrepute, and I firmly believe there are many more fans thinking along the same lines.
Is how much is kane worth ?
Harry hasn’t sabotaged the end of the season,that was Levy sacking Mourinho and putting a prefect in charge of the school.The season was finished anyway.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Mason was let go for failing to get top four.
So this is all down to Levy.Unbefcukinglevyable.
Kane should go with Spurs blessing..I just hope we get a decent director of football in and invest the money wisely.
Leicester have proven you dont have to break the bank to gain success.
I could think of three players from Chavs ,but not the ones mentioned.I just don’t think he would go there and be the second coming of Judas.
I’m speechless
I think Kane moving before the Euros is unrealistic,they’re only three weeks away.What worries me is Levy dragging everything out till the last day or so of the window and finally selling leaving us no time to find a replacement.Any new manager in place before then wouldn’t be best pleased.
Spot on 👍🏻
Probably because other words,perhaps somewhat less polite, have more impact and seem to be more appropriate.
One of the most underused words in the English language!
So THFC doesn’t operate within modern slavery law?
Thank you, Donna
Well Said .
Nitwit 😂
There are plenty of people I know who share this opinion. Noisy people on social media doesn’t represent fan opinion. Most people I know are frustrated with the club but recognise the incredible job Levy has done in the 20 years he has been running this club. We’ve gone from a team struggling to finish in the top half to one which is now disappointed if we don’t qualify for the CL and he’s done this while building the best training facilities and the best stadium in the world.
1) Kane has arguably cost us EL qualification with this going public before the AV game.
2) If you weren’t suggesting Kane will refuse to play, what did you mean by ” Anyone who thinks Levy will allow his £100m+ asset to depreciate, by getting splinters in his arse for a season”?
How can you sit there and write such twaddle? Kane has “tarnished his reputation by going public”. Unbelievable. Are you Levy’s son because 95-99% of Spurs fans will take Kane’s side against the most hated chairman in football right now.
The planet where Kane has three years left on his contract and Spurs don’t want to sell their star striker.
Modric also left to win things. He wouldn’t have gone to Middlesborough if they’d offered him a pay rise. Also the “I want to win things” is hollow when he’s saved some of his worst performances for finals and semi-finals. He’s had the chance to win things with Spurs but like the rest of the team got stage-fright (or demanded to play when he wasn’t fit).
A lot of the fanbase will turn on Kane if he behaves like a spoiled brat. He has already tarnished his reputation with some by going public before the end of the season.
If he had gone about this behind the scenes and only gone public after being refused a move for a reasonable price then he might have some sympathy, but as things stand he’s sabotaged the end of our season for entirely selfish reasons. if he is told to stay at Spurs because no-one will pay what he is worth to the club I will have no sympathy for him.
ts not about Levy Vs Kane, Its about what is best for the club. Letting Kane leave for less than a WR fee with 3 years left on his contract isn’t in club’s best interests regardless of whether you like the chairman.
What if Harry doesn’t take the high ground either? What if he feels conned by baldy over their “gentleman’s agreement” and goes public over it? How much more bad press can Levy and enic take after the SL fiasco before the fans start voting with the feet.
If a player doesn’t want to be at a club he can make it highly difficult for the owners. Perhaps Harry should adopt some of Levy’s tricks and play dirty too. In this instance the fanbase would be behind him against Levy without a doubt, and Levy would pretty much find himself isolated for the first time in a transfer saga.
If Levy wanted to continue on the basis of low net spend and wage bill, then he should have backed and continued with Pochettino. He develops players and I wonder how much time has been wasted with LoCelso and Tangy’s development into quality performers in the Premiership without a coach like that.
In fact signing those two and Sessingnon indicates that Levy still wanted to continue with this before Pochettino left but didn’t back him with a rebuild. Rodon another more recent example.
My guess is that Pochettino, Kane, Hugo etc were all expected to continue keeping the whole low spend boat afloat forever more. After the final a rebuild and real backing was needed and even a season outside of the top four might need to have been part of that.
Levy tried a quick quick fix after falling out with Poch and was seduced by the sweet talking 15m pa Jose rather than an ‘expensive’ spend up on the team. my guess is that Jose believed (perhaps arrogantly) that he could get more out of the players than Pochettino could in his last 8 months. Please spare me though Jose’s ‘naivety’ about the squad, there is nothing naive about Jose whatsoever…
Stephen what planet are you on?
+1 on that.
Kane is desperate to get this sorted, one way or another, before the Euros.
If Levy’s price isn’t met, i can see Kane staying for another year.
Also, the market will open up next year.
He obviously wants to leave, but he even hinted that it wasn’t vital this year.
I agree. If asked to name a price Levy will ask what they think Kane is worth and then quadruple it! There’s no way he won’t start negotiating with a world record fee (adjusted for inflation of course), plus 15% for the fact he is HG, England captain, etc.
If he doesn’t get this price then Kane won’t be leaving.
You can’t compare Kane with Modric remotely. Much of the fanbase had turned against Modric for wanting out. He wanted more money at the end of the day. With Kane the situation is highly different, he is one of our own and adored by the entire fanbase, the vast majority of which are supportive of his desire to go and win trophies elsewhere because it’s nigh impossible at enic’s Spurs.
Back in the day of Modric Levy still had much support because the current PR disasters were still a long way away. Levy’s “project” still seemed tenable and there was no reason why the club wouldn’t win trophies. Some of us with higher intelligence could always see Levy was a con merchant, but the rank and file still gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Fast forward to 2021 and the situation has been turned entirely on it’s head. Virtually the entire Spurs support, including the supporters trust, have sussed Levy and enic out.
Virtually every fan wants Harry to be successful and win medals. Levy is now the villain of the piece, is he willing to see his popularity plummet even more by holding his star player to ransom at a time when the team is not even good enough to get ropey league.
You can’t compare Kane with any other transfer.
Yeah right. If it weren’t for that pesky Kane, we’d be playing for a champions league place today. And, I never suggested Kane would refuse to play
To be clear I think if Levy receives the amount he thinks is acceptable he will sell if he doesn’t he wont. I dont think Levy gives one iota about the high ground or any gentleman’s agreement. As is often stated on this blog his main driver is turning a profit. I doubt it would happen but I’m sure the idea of breaking the transfer fee record would appeal.
Didn’t the the Athletic do a piece on how super duper Levy the business genius was? Lewis is a powerfull man. Plenty are projecting the ENIC PR still, Kane is Levys only chip now, to suggest he’s not able to move is bonkers. Levy can’t embark on this latest “rebuild” without selling.
Also, I see we have 7 rings for Brady, City’s 7th title, Chelsea 7th fa cup loss and Atletico win La Liga for first time in 7 years…..??
Kane will not refuse to play once the window has closed and he is likely to be more valuable after a season with fans back in stadiums. Kane should be told that he has been badly advised and that the club will not sanction a transfer this summer because he has- in going public for selfish reasons- sabotaged the end of our season.
If Kane throws his toys out of the pram he can be fined for each instance. Yes that might destroy the relationship with the club and that will be his doing. In any case, he will not gain anything if he forfeits his salary and still can’t move clubs.
Your house analogy is based on the idea that the homeowner wants to sell, Spurs don’t want to sell Kane’s player registration. Ironically, Spurs position is more analogous to the position of the metal works company who didn’t want to sell when Spurs were redeveloping WHL.
I don’t think Spurs will sell this summer unless its for a world record fee, (or City offer a player in exchange like Phil Foden). The talk of taking Chelsea’s deadwood I’ve seen in some newspapers is fanciful stuff.
Kane has probably doomed his chance of a move this summer by going public, Remember, Modric was kept for a further year even after going on strike. Levy can simply say no.
Sure but they are because they result in transfer fees. Do you think Kane would down tools once the new season started? He’s obsessed with scoring goals and breaking records, along with playing for England. I find it hard to believe he’d continue to down tools as you say. Also levy has done this in the past e.g. Modric and there are plenty examples of clubs refusing to sell unless they get the amount they want e.g. Sancho in recent times.
Not this time around I don’t think. As H clearly stated Kane is not leaving for more money as in the previous examples, he is leaving to win trophies. Very hard for Levy to take the high ground over that one, contract regardless.
Players have all the power, always. Anyone who thinks Levy will allow his £100m+ asset to depreciate, by getting splinters in his arse for a season, needs their head looking at. The only thing left of concern is how long Levy allows the situation to play out, in the interest of maximising price, over getting players in and pre-seasoned for the new coach.
I think Kane has struck while the iron is hot with Levy, to inflict a degree embarrassment and exert maximum pressure on him and the owners to try and get some kind of reaction.
Kane has been used as the face of the ‘brand’ for several years. 50ft depictions of him adorn the club shop and every promotional item while the stadium was being marketed. It’s time for Levy to return the favour. Either let him leave or get serious about what exactly the team (Kane Is slugging his guts out in) is all about.
Levy and the club’s PR machine has used Kane to great effect. Not only that, the number of points Kane has helped us gain over the last four seasons is hard to put a price on.
Levy and the board are in no position to take any kind of moral high ground over this, no matter how blinkered and out of touch they are. Kane and 95% of our fan base are deeply unimpressed with Levy and ENIC and the constant feigning ambition on the pitch. There are no amount of patronising press statements, or attempts to educate the plebs about things they have “no compwehension” about that will fix this.
Kane has shown more than enough patience and devotion to the ‘project’, possibly too much. Neither he or the supporters are stupid enough to listen to any more of this stream of empty twaddle that’s been emanating from the club’s press office for the last 22 years.
Levy can talk about the “long term future” of the club all he wants but the future is already here after 22 years. Levy has run out of time to spin that one any longer…
Kane is probably in as strong a position as a player could be. The fans totally love him, so if Levy somehow tried to paint him as the villain, very few would cotton on. He’s become entirely synonymous with Spurs (I like the ravens in The Tower analogy); he’s stayed here so long out of pure love for the club; he’s the captain of England, by all accounts a decent, hard-working guy who made his own success; one of our own.
He’s also often made it clear (and cleverly so) that if he leaves, it will be because of a lack of ambition from the board, not due to wanting 300K per week at City or United – which adds to his leverage, because if he truly goes, it will tell everyone in the footballing world that the ENIC “project” is just smoke and mirrors, and our remaining quality players will likely follow him out the door.
He owes nothing to Spurs. Fans love him and hate the board to the extent that most would wish him to go elsewhere and actually win stuff, so the attention is once again firmly on Levy
Except I don’t actually believe there’s much Levy can do now. He’s been warned well in advance and did nothing. Now he has to reap what he’s sown.
You’re very naive. He’ll do what ALL players do when they want out. He’ll simply down tools.
Contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on unless your a player like Aurier who’s stealing a living as are Dele, Winks, Sanchez et al.
Or I don’t agree with the position, as I don’t believe his departure is inevitable as claimed 😉 I think a contract rather then a players voice is just a tad more tangible no? And I think Harry stating ultimately it will be up to him if he moves is naive. Regardless if the clubs and his ambitions differ, if both put their foot down who wins? He has power but the club wields more in my humble opinion.
THFC owners are not aligned with any player or manager who has the intention of winning things.
So you didn’t read the article either. Oh, well.
So you didn’t read the article. Oh, well.
It’s not the forgone conclusion as most of the media seem to suggest. Yes Levy has sold our best players in times gone by but also he has precedent as you so often comment on wanting to squeeze out evey last penny. Whether city will fork out the amount levy wants is questionable. Kane has 3 years left on his contract, Levy holds more of the cards. Kane can go on strike but what else? And do you really think he would?
Berbatov Carrick Keane Modric & Bale were all over 8 years ago. Walker left with Poch’s blessing as they fell out and Trippier was thought (incorrectly) to be better. Eriksen went with 6 months left on his contract. I think with 3 years left on his contract, Levy holds the cards this summer but come next summer Kane will have the upper hand with only 2 years left. That said if someone pays up this summer, he’ll go but I have my doubts of anyone being able to match Levy’s, rightly, enormous asking price.