'Why Kane deserved move & how Spurs have bounced back from turbulent summer' - Jermaine Jenas

3 years ago 36
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I thought Harry Kane was OK for Tottenham in his first league start of the season against Watford.

He seemed a bit angry I thought at times, picking up a booking just before the break, but maybe that was just a reaction to what was happening on the pitch and how the referee, Andre Marriner, was handling the game.

But in terms of working for the side, linking play and trying to get his goal, it was a decent enough performance from a deeper role, which he can perform with the runners and movement that Tottenham have in their side.

Both full-backs got forward, Dele Alli was coming from deep, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's passing was a feature and Steven Bergwijn and Son Heung-min were making runs.

Harry Kane touch mapOnly seven of Harry Kane's 38 touches came in the Watford penalty area but he covered more ground (10.15km) than any other Spurs player except Dele Alli (10.72km)

They were a threat at times but with Watford parking the bus, getting shots off was always going to be more difficult for Harry, which is why he was restricted to just one, late in the game.

But he was occupying those pockets, trying to find passes to open Watford up and he almost got his goal late on when a toenail prevented him from having a tap-in.

Where next for Kane and Spurs?

The club fully understood Kane's situation in the summer and there will be a huge portion of Spurs fans who still sympathise with him. He deserved his move.

Whether it was Robbie Keane leaving for Liverpool, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick going to Manchester United or Luka Modric and Gareth Bale heading to Real Madrid, they all earned their moves.

Kane has probably been Tottenham's best player over the past five years. He is their talisman and 'one of their own' as the chant goes from the terrace.

In a normal market you would usually have seen Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United at the table fighting it out for Kane's signature.

But because of the price Spurs wanted and the way the market was going there was only one place for him to go - though I am still shocked that United didn't come in and steal him because he looks tailor-made for Old Trafford.

The other surprise was City not making him their number one priority. If I was Kane, that would kill that move forever because there had obviously been discussions about how he was going to be a City player and they would do whatever it took to get him.

Harry Kane claps Tottenham fans at WolvesKane announced his intention to remain at Spurs on 25 August after a protracted summer transfer saga involving Manchester City

However, they elected to make Jack Grealish their priority - which is their prerogative.

It is going to be a frustrating year for Kane. I was at the club when Modric had a similar situation with Chelsea and he was desperate to leave. He was angry about it but turned up the next season and was brilliant, and he ended up going to Real Madrid.

Sometimes things happen for a reason but it is going to be tough to get his head around it and as a footballer I hope he still gets what he deserves, which is the chance to go and play for one of the world's biggest clubs.

Whether it was the pandemic, his price not being met or the forward Tottenham wanted as a replacement not being available, the stars just did not align for him to move on.

There have been reports of a possible new contract at Spurs, but he will know deep down that if he signs a new deal he will never leave.

That's not a bad thing because he could turn around and say 'you have not accepted £130m for me so that means I am worth at least £300,000 a week' but the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is in such a good position because of Kane's age and his length of contract.

If I was Harry Kane, I would sit tight, try to do my best this year, work things out with the chairman and make sure I am in a position to get the move I want next year.

Daniel Levy will want the money at some point. What would Kane be worth with one year left on his contract? It all depends on how he is performing, obviously, but you are probably still talking around £80m.

Of course the club will still try to get top money for him next summer but there does need to be another discussion to set a transfer fee that works for both parties.

I cannot see the chairman sitting there rubbing his hands saying "you have three years left and you're not going anywhere" because I would hope they have a better relationship than that.

Spurs bounce back after turbulent summer

Three wins from three games is a good start but it is still hard to gauge where Tottenham are at this stage of the season.

In their first match they won on the counter-attack against Manchester City and by all accounts their victory at Wolves was similar.

But the thing that has stood out for me so far has been the togetherness, team spirit and determination off the back of a turbulent summer, with managerial uncertainty and the Kane situation, almost making them a laughing stock.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all going to be competing at the top of the table. So it depends what the likes of Tottenham, Everton, West Ham and all the other clubs looking to elevate themselves can do.

Tottenham have got a very good squad but they had a great start to the season last term and completely fell away.

There is nothing to say it is not going to be the same this year. It is going to be interesting to see what Nuno Espirito Santo does to keep everyone happy and if he can push his chairman further - to actually challenge rather than fall away again.

Jermaine Jenas was speaking to BBC Sport's Steve Sutcliffe

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