The optimistic case for life after Harry Kane

[Joshua]

It would be obviously crap to see him go, and we should’ve put a team around him years ago, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A club with a clear strategy and vision will always be more effective than just having one great player. At Napoli for example, they lost Insigne, Mertens, Koulibaly and Ruiz in the summer, 4 players who’d been linchpins for them, and through smart recruitment have actually ended up getting better. We can thrive after Kane, we just need the club to have a crystallised picture of what it wants to be on the pitch, and not the confusion we have now.

 

[Bablu37]

I'm just excited to see us score from a direct free kick again

 

[Gb160]

The replacement is already on board. Richarlison will be moved to a more central position.

Yeah, while everyone was cheering 'finally some backup for Kane!' the cynic in me thought this is just getting the replacement in early before everyone knows we're desperate for one.

 

[Gb160]

Every trophy in the history of professional football (except the 2019 Audi Cup) has been won without Kane...so I'm guessing we'll be fine.

 

[TennesseeYid]

I'm not convinced he goes personally. Depends how things pan out over the next month or so imo.

He doesn’t have many options here. Personally I don’t see Man U taking him with their own boy Rashford playing at his current form.

 

[felmani26]

I'm not convinced he goes personally. Depends how things pan out over the next month or so imo.

There would surely need a massive about turn in our outlook for that to seem plausible because on the face of it currently, it's not a club alligned to be competing/winning silverware.

Smacks heavily of Sir Jim Ratcliffe targeting Kane as the marquee signing for Utd in the summer to herald a new era.

 

[synththfc]

I’m probably going to get disagreed with by many, but i’m certain that while Kane is by far and away our best player, he’s also one of our biggest problems.

When we’re pinned in our own half, im watching players like Kulusevski sprinting like mad men trying to contain the opposition, I see Harry loafing around or barely getting into a half jog. The opposition know that they can play the ball back to their CBs and there will be no pressure. It’s an easy release of any pressure.

When we lose the ball, we can’t sustain a press because, well, Harry isn’t pressing. There was a specific moment about 15 or so minutes into the arsenal game where Kulusevski was pressing his man, he passes to a CB, and kulusevski actually sprints to the CB (i’m assuming because he knows Harry isn’t going to press). Harry, meanwhile, is walking back to his “starting position”, no intensity.

I’m not accusing Harry of phoning it in. I don’t know if he CAN’T run or WON’T run, but i’m going to assume that his legs are mostly gone from all the running he’s done in his career so far and that he CAN’T press because I’m trying to be fair. But whatever the reason, he’s a massive reason we don’t win the ball high up the pitch and also a massive reason we get pinned in so easily.

Sure, we may score less goals through individuals without him, but I can almost guarantee that, with a manager who prefers to get up the pitch, we’d see an increase in our pressing successes without him and someone like Richy in the team.

Very similar to how City are struggling to win the ball high because Haaland doesn’t really like to do the dirty work and how United are showing a resurgence with Rashford at CF instead of the great Cristiano.

 

[the yid]

He was only good for 1 season anyway

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

I’m probably going to get disagreed with by many, but i’m certain that while Kane is by far and away our best player, he’s also one of our biggest problems.

One of our biggest problems. haha

I won't give the (deserved) rating because i'm a nice guy

 

[WorcesterTHFC]

It would be obviously crap to see him go, and we should’ve put a team around him years ago, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A club with a clear strategy and vision will always be more effective than just having one great player. At Napoli for example, they lost Insigne, Mertens, Koulibaly and Ruiz in the summer, 4 players who’d been linchpins for them, and through smart recruitment have actually ended up getting better. We can thrive after Kane, we just need the club to have a crystallised picture of what it wants to be on the pitch, and not the confusion we have now.

It's all very well having a manager/coach and a DOF/GM who have a clear strategy, but as long as ENIC owns the club, the football side of the club's business will never get the attention and money it needs. Just think if they invested enough to bring in the players Conte (or whoever) needs, the club might win a trophy or two, thus bringing in more money and making the club more attractive to potential buyers, but that would mean more initial outlay, which would go against the short-term thinking of the accountant side of Levy's nature.

 

[Stuart Leathercock]

I’m probably going to get disagreed with by many, but i’m certain that while Kane is by far and away our best player, he’s also one of our biggest problems.

When we’re pinned in our own half, im watching players like Kulusevski sprinting like mad men trying to contain the opposition, I see Harry loafing around or barely getting into a half jog. The opposition know that they can play the ball back to their CBs and there will be no pressure. It’s an easy release of any pressure.

When we lose the ball, we can’t sustain a press because, well, Harry isn’t pressing. There was a specific moment about 15 or so minutes into the arsenal game where Kulusevski was pressing his man, he passes to a CB, and kulusevski actually sprints to the CB (i’m assuming because he knows Harry isn’t going to press). Harry, meanwhile, is walking back to his “starting position”, no intensity.

I’m not accusing Harry of phoning it in. I don’t know if he CAN’T run or WON’T run, but i’m going to assume that his legs are mostly gone from all the running he’s done in his career so far and that he CAN’T press because I’m trying to be fair. But whatever the reason, he’s a massive reason we don’t win the ball high up the pitch and also a massive reason we get pinned in so easily.

Sure, we may score less goals through individuals without him, but I can almost guarantee that, with a manager who prefers to get up the pitch, we’d see an increase in our pressing successes without him and someone like Richy in the team.

Very similar to how City are struggling to win the ball high because Haaland doesn’t really like to do the dirty work and how United are showing a resurgence with Rashford at CF instead of the great Cristiano.

From what I can tell Conte would rather Harry was in space seeing as he is about the only player who can successfully launch a counter attack from us if we happen to turnover the ball. Secondly Conte doesn't really play any sort of orchestrated pressing game anyway.

 

[kent brockman]

Relying on Richarlison to replace Kane would be a huge risk imo.

He's never scored more than 13 league goals in a season and hasn't looked particularly convincing for us, particularly technically.

I'm fine with him being a good squad option capable of playing up top or wider but if he becomes our main PL striker I'm very worried. Appreciate some will point to him being Brazil's number 1 but I've not see him show that kind of form in the PL. I also don't see him as a long term starter in Son's position. He lacks the pace and dribbling/link up ability to play in that position for me.

If Kane goes for say £80-100m, we need to spend that money on a quality forward and then we need to spend money on a quality player to be a long term successor to Son too.

Agreed. I like Rich. But he has only scored two goals (both against Marseille) in 16 games for us this season. And whilst many of those appearances have been off the bench, those stats are not great. At least not to fill Kane’s shoes.

 

[arunspurs]

Osimhen

No chance unless we willing to spend 150m.

 

[arunspurs]

IF Kane leaves, then I hope we go for 2 strikers:

My choice :

i) Jonathan David
ii) Kaulo Muani

Evan Ferguson also looks made for PL. He reminds me of Kane in the way he plays.

 

[the yid]

IF Kane leaves, then I hope we go for 2 strikers:

My choice :

i) Jonathan David
ii) Kaulo Muani

Evan Ferguson also looks made for PL. He reminds me of Kane in the way he plays.

Elye Wahi is a cracking player on FIFA and FM!!

 

[mil1lion]

Kane is married to us now, he flirted with another girl for a bit but said fuck it I'll stuck with this old cow and be miserable for the rest of my life

 

[King of the Lane]

If he goes then I would test Juve's grip on Vlahovic. We know we liked him previously and he like the rest of the Juve squad arent setting the world alight. Osimhen would be my number 1 target but would cost too much.

 

[Harrier]

I'm not convinced he goes personally. Depends how things pan out over the next month or so imo.

Wouldn’t surprise me either, especially considering he has a young family that are probably all settled in London with an established family support structure as well.

Anyone with young kids will know how important it is to the other half to have her family local.

This could very well give Chelsea the advantage if he does want to move.

 

[yido_number1]

It would be obviously crap to see him go, and we should’ve put a team around him years ago, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. A club with a clear strategy and vision will always be more effective than just having one great player. At Napoli for example, they lost Insigne, Mertens, Koulibaly and Ruiz in the summer, 4 players who’d been linchpins for them, and through smart recruitment have actually ended up getting better. We can thrive after Kane, we just need the club to have a crystallised picture of what it wants to be on the pitch, and not the confusion we have now.

Have you been watching us mess about in the market over the last 15 or 20 years. We have a history of going from berbatov to Pavlyuchenko, Carrick to Zokora and Walker to Aurier

 

[TEESSIDE1]

Promote Richarlison, bring in Joao Pedro (Watford) subject to recovering from his injury as an understudy for Richarlison and throw our budget at Diaby (Leverkusen) as competition/long term replacement for Son.