Alan Shearer will have sleepless nights after hearing what Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, had to say when asked about Harry Kane.
Fabrizio Romano recently shared that Spurs have a buy-back clause for Harry Kane, and the club will welcome him with open arms for what he has done for the club in all these years. The information is not just a rumor as it comes straight from the horse’s mouth, Daniel Levy.
The Spurs chairman said these words at a forum that he attended beside Spurs manager, Ange Postecoglou, men’s club captain, Heung-min Son, women’s head coach, Robert Vilahamn, and women’s club captain, Bethany England.
Harry Kane has had an illustrious career in the Premier League. The England Captain made his for Tottenham in 2009, after spending 5 years at Tottenham’s youth academy. He made 317 appearances for the club, scoring 213 goals in the Premier League, only behind fellow countrymen Alan Shearer’s 260 goals.
The 30-year-old could have broken the record, however, he chose trophies instead of the accolade of the greatest goal-scorer in Premier League history, validating the fact that collective accolade transcends individual honors.
His move to Bayern Munich was seen as his desire to lift some silverware, something that was missing as Spurs failed to win anything substantial. However, as Spurs chairman confirmed a buyback clause that too for a player in his thirties, which puts forth some theories that need to be analyzed.
Firstly, what would be the buy-back clause for a player who was sold for 100 million? And why would Spurs buy him back possibly after 2/3 years, when he would be on the wrong side of his thirties?
The first hypothesis is simple. If Harry Kane stays in Bayern for 2/3 years, he’d probably win 2/3 Bundesliga, coupled with 1 or 2 DFB-Pokals, and a possible shot at the Champions League. This will fulfill his dream of winning some trophies.
After that, if he manages to stay fit and injury-free at 33/34, he can come back to Spurs as a veteran and have a shot at breaking Alan Shearer’s record.
It’s easier said than done, as the Bayern player still needs 48 goals to break his record, which will need at least 2/3 seasons, which demands Harry Kane to play till 36/37. If the striker can have that longevity like his former teammate, Luka Modric, then what’s wrong with trying?
While the first hypothesis deals with Harry Kane’s angle, the second hypothesis focuses on the Spur’s angle. So, the question is how Spurs would benefit and why would they spend money to have him back instead of investing in young talents.
The deal would see Tottenham have their legend back, precisely their greatest-ever player, that too for way less than what Bayern paid for him as he’ll be 33/34 by then, so Spurs won’t need huge financial muscle to have him back. Also, if he breaks the record of the most goals scored, it will be a “Tottenham” player breaking it.
Although it looks great on paper, there are some technicalities attached to the whole situation.
1) Even if Spurs signs him for less money, it still requires roughly 30-40 million pounds to sign him back. So, will it be a practical move to invest a significant amount in a 33-year-old, just because it might help with Tottenham’s branding?
2) The nature of the buyback clause is not known but it is understood that it may be active in the last year of the contract and therefore will be expensive if not overpriced.
3) What if a rival club in the Premier League matches the bid or pays higher? Is there a first option to buy so that Kane doesn’t join another club, as he might still break the record playing for another club in the Premier League.
4) What if Harry Kane rejects the chance to join Spurs? The last point isn’t a matter of serious concern as Kane himself said it’s not a goodbye but a see you again, and if there is a buy-back clause, the 30-year-old will be familiar with it.
To sum it up, it’ll be great for Tottenham’s branding as the highest goal scorer in the Premier League will be lifting the “Golden Boot” wearing a Tottenham shirt. Although still far-fetched, if everything goes, it will be a win-win situation for both the player and the club, however, if Kane fails to deliver in his old age, Daniel Levy and his board will face serious backlash for not investing the same amount on a young talent.