Graham Ruthven: It’s never been clearer that Harry Kane needs to leave Spurs for the sake of his career

EVEN as Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a series of damaging defeats this season, Harry Kane has managed to keep his goal-scoring numbers ticking over. He did this in the 6-1 thumping at the hands of Newcastle United and the heart-breaking 4-3 loss to Liverpool. This encapsulates the situation Kane finds himself in right now.

There is no denying his standing as one of the finest goalscorers of his generation. If he stays in the Premier League long enough, Kane will likely surpass Alan Shearer as the division’s all-time top scorer. But Kane’s 208 goals as a Spurs player have counted for nothing in terms of titles and trophies.

Kane will enter the final year of his contract at Tottenham this summer, presenting him with a career crossroads. Now 29 years old, this might be the final opportunity for Kane, who has publicly expressed a desire for a new challenge in the past, to make the leap to a club that can help him lift some silverware.

Spurs are a long way from the standard required to challenge at the elite level. Their squad is in desperate need of reconstruction, meaning Kane might need to wait numerous seasons for some sort of recovery. He could be well into his 30s by then. If Kane’s decision is purely down to sporting factors, it’s obvious he must leave Tottenham for the sake of his career.

Harry Kane goes level with Wayne Rooney on the all-time Premier League goalscorer 💪

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— Stats24 (@_Stats24) May 1, 2023

Manchester United been strongly linked with the England captain. The Old Trafford outfit have made significant strides under Erik Ten Hag this season, but lack the world-class centre forward needed to elevate their attacking play. Kane would certainly fit the bill in a number of different ways for United.

Bayern Munich are expected to be in the market for a new number nine this summer after failing to replace Robert Lewandowski last year. A move to the Allianz Arena would come with a near guarantee of silverware such is the Bavarians’ stranglehold on the Bundesliga and German football as a whole.

Links with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid persist in the media while Chelsea could also be an option for Kane if Mauricio Pochettino is appointed the Blues’ new manager – Pochettino got the best out of Kane during his time as Spurs boss. Whether or not Daniel Levy would entertain an offer from Chelsea is unknown, but Pochettino and Todd Boehly could ask the question.

The idea of this Tottenham Hotspur team without Kane to at least keep them competitive might be frightful enough for Levy to reject all offers for the club’s best player this summer, but it could be logical to let the 29-year-old leave. It might be better to sell Kane for a high fee now, at the start of a rebuild, than see him leave for free a year from now when any squad reconstruction would be disrupted.

Tottenham have wasted all that Kane has given them. They have boasted one of the best centre-forwards in Europe for a number of seasons yet Spurs have struggled to reach a consistently high level under a series of different managers. Kane should have made this a golden era for the North London club. Goal-scorers of his ilk are incredibly difficult to find.