THE PREM ERA 67HARRY KANE
“Itis the same with Harry. I call him
a nine-and-a-half because he can play
up front or he can drop off, play deeper
and make things happen. When I worked
with him on the training ground, I would
use Teddy as an example of how he could
operate. I’d say: ‘It’s not just about
scoring but creating goals too.’”
Kane’s emergence has been a
triumph for youth over experience,
as well for homegrown talent over
expensive overseas signings.
A local lad, born in nearby
Walthamstow, Kane was brought up
in a family of Spurs fans – even if he
did spend a year in the youth section
of north London rivals Arsenal.Tottenham’s fans have been quick
to adopt him, having seen a succession
of failures by the imports signed with
the proceeds of Gareth Bale’s sale to
Real Madrid in 2013. Disillusioned with
Adebayor and Soldado, they loved Kane
for being homegrown. “He’s one of our
own” went the chant, and Kane
admitted it was strange to hear.
“It’s great to hear the fans sing
my name, but it’s strange,” he said.
“It doesn’t seem so long ago that
I was one of them, standing in thecrowd singing the names of Teddy
Sheringham and Robbie Keane.”
With most managers reluctant to
risk throwing young players into the
deep end of the Premier League,
Kane’s rapid rise has also offered proof
of the value of young players spending
time on loan in the lower divisions.
Harry Redknapp was Tottenham’s
manager when Kane emerged from
the club’s academy teams. In typical
hyperbole, Redknapp claimed recently
that the English loan system was the
“best in the world”.
Redknapp added: “We had him
as a youngster and let him go out on
loan a few times because we thought
that was what he needed. He has
turned out really well. He’s not a
‘big-time Charlie’, he wants to work
at his game, wants to practise and
he wants to be a proper player.”
Leyton Orient, in England’s third
tier and a club close to his home in
East London, was the first port of call
for the17-year-old. He scored five goals
in18 appearances, earning positivereviews for performances as a second
striker before returning to Spurs where
he appeared in the Europa League.
He was off to second-tier side
Millwall inJanuary 2012 and impressed
in his short time there, winning the club’s
Young Player of the Year award. “He has
fitted in very well despite only being here
half a season,” said the club’s manager
KennyJackett. “I felt he came here as
a boy and is a man now – and plays
like a man on the pitch.”
Kane made his first Premier Leagueappearance as a substitute on the
final day of the 2012-13 season against
Newcastle United. But any hopes that he
might be among the plans of new Spurs
manager Andre Villas-Boas were dashed
whenhe was sent on loan toNorwich
City, where he suffered a metatarsal
injury that restricted his impact. A further
loan at Championship side Leicester in
the second half of the campaign was
also less than satisfactory, with Kane
used from the bench as the Foxes
reached the play-offs only to fall
in the semi-finals to Watford.
Back at Spurs for 2013-14, Kane
was used as a substitute in Europa
League and other cup games, when
regular strikers Adebayor or Soldado
were rested. He looked a little slow and
cumbersome, and there were plenty
of Tottenham supporters who thought
he would be the latest youth product
who would find success elsewhere.
But Tim Sherwood, who had
observed Kane’s progress as head
of the Tottenham youth set-up, gave
him a chance when he took over from
Villas-Boas. And when he finally began
to start league games, he started to
score. His full Premier League debut
came against Sunderland in April 2014,
and he scored in a 5-1 victory. Kane then
scored in the following two games to
make it three goals in his first three
Premier League starts.
Sherwood, never short of an
opinion, was quick to take credit for
giving Kane his head and blocking
another loan move at the start of his
brief tenure as Tottenham manager. “The
club wanted to loan him out again, but I
resisted and if I hadn’t done, he wouldn’t
be the player he is now. You have to
believe in the kids. If they are good
enough, put them in the team.”
But Kane had to start all over again
the following season in order to convince
Sherwood’s successor Pochettino that
he could be trusted in the top flight. His
progress over the past six months has
been extraordinary. Kane has to pinch
himself sometimes that he has made
such great strides in less than a year.
“2014 was a great year for me, you
could say it was my breakthrough year.
I got my chance at Spurs and was able
to take it. It is certainly a year I won’t
forget. This season has been going
well for me and hopefully I can
continue in that vein of form.”
A new five-and-a-half-year contract
has also strengthened his commitment
to Spurs. Talk of him being scouted by
Real Madrid may sound fanciful, for now.
But playing in the Europa League may be
the least of Harry Kane’s future worries
if his rapid career rise continues.“IwouldcomparehisfootballintelligencewithTeddy
SheringhamandhisfinishingwithAlan Shearer”
Les Ferdinand