Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane’s split was a ‘win-win’.
Goals from Son Heung-min and James Maddison gave Tottenham Hotspur a 2-0 win in the ninth round of the 2023/24 Premier League on Thursday (Aug. 24) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. With seven wins, two draws, and no losses since the start of the season, Spurs moved to within two points of Manchester City and Arsenal at the top of the league.
It’s a rise no one expected. Spurs finished eighth in the league last season in a tumultuous season that saw the club replace Antonio Conte, Christian Stellini, and even Ryan Mason as interim coach. Once a UEFA Champions League contender, Tottenham found themselves unable to compete in the Europa League or Europa Conference, let alone the Champions League.
Just before the start of the season, Kane, who had been the team’s leading scorer for nearly a decade, left the team. Kane, who had only played for Tottenham on loan, had never won a trophy in his entire career. Fed up with the situation, Kane left Tottenham to join German giants Bayern Munich.
After losing Kane, Tottenham were unable to find a replacement. The only legitimate striker they had was the promising Alejo Velis. With Kane’s departure, the expectation was that the squad would be weakened and suffer an even worse season than last year.
So far, however, the team has shown that they’ve only gotten better since Kane’s departure. After a shaky performance in their opening game, a 2-2 draw at Brentford, there were some doubters, but they have since gone on to win seven games and draw one. Along the way, they’ve picked up points against title contenders like Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United, proving that they can be competitive against the big boys.
Like Tottenham, who have been on a winning streak since Kane’s departure, Kane has left Tottenham to play “happy football” in Munich.
“Kane has made an easy start to life at Bayern Munich,” said the UK’s Daily Mail on Thursday. Only a major injury or collapse will stop him from winning trophies,” and predicted that Kane will finally be free from the shackles of Tottenham in Munich.
The Daily Mail wrote: “Kane became Munich’s most expensive player with a year left on his Tottenham contract. “Kane got off to a great start on arrival in Munich. He is learning German and enjoying Oktoberfest and has settled into the German culture. Munich fans have also shown their love for Kane, buying more than 10,000 shirts on transfer day.”
Kane’s scoring is also at a career high. Kane has scored nine goals in his first eight league games. His previous best in the Premier League after the opening eight games was seven in the 2020/21 season. Across all five major European leagues, only Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan – 11) and Sergio Aguirre (Stuttgart – 14) have scored more goals than Kane.
Munich is currently in third place in the league with an unbeaten record of 6 wins and 2 draws, trailing leaders Leverkusen by two points. It’s still early in the season, so an upset is still possible. The team is also cruising in the UEFA Champions League, having won two straight group stage matches. With Munich traditionally being a dominant force in German soccer, Kane’s chances of staying out of trouble this season are quite high.
“Kane will surely lift the first trophy of his career this season,” said the Daily Mail, “and he’s made an effortless start so far. Only a major injury or a squad 바카라 collapse due to teammates’ injuries will stop him from winning trophies,” emphasizing that injury will be Kane’s biggest enemy.
It will be interesting to see if Tottenham and Kane can create a ‘win-win’ situation this season, with both players escaping irrelevance at the same time.