Editor’s Column: Harry Kane can save football from players like Alexis Sanchez
It’s an annual pastime for football fans around the world to pick holes in UEFA’s Team of the Year but I don’t think there has ever been such a glaring omission in what is known as Europe’s best XI players – where on earth was Harry Kane?
Kane ended 2017 as Europe’s highest scoring player with 56 goals, but his name was nowhere to be seen as UEFA continued to champion Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the continent’s best attackers.
What UEFA are ignoring in Tottenham’s Harry Kane isn’t just his outstanding ability to do his job, but the fact that he is one of the last remaining footballers out there who can genuinely help change the sport for the better.
As football clubs benefit from mega TV deals and lucrative multi-year sponsorship contracts, the elite have been able to spend hundreds of millions on new players without even thinking twice. That means, as the biggest clubs in Europe go in search of world domination, youth are being ignored and their potential is being stunted.
It’s narrow-minded and unfair to ignore the future of a very talented teenager eager for his chance to impress and instead spend over £100m on someone else’s youngster. Where’s the value in that? Where’s the pride?
Harry Kane’s rise from unknown striker with a number of underwhelming loan spells at Millwall and Norwich to Europe’s top marksman has been a breath of fresh air and sets a precedent for other clubs to follow.
He’s proof that if you’re willing to hand young players opportunities and stick by them as they learn from their mistakes and continue to develop, there is much more value to be had than just going out and spending your way to success.
Of course, not every young striker in the world will go on to achieve what Kane has by the time he’s 24 years old, but there’s a real chance we’d be hailing many more of his ilk if clubs took a step back and turned to those closer to home. If that happens then the game would return to a more level playing field as football’s elite clubs think twice before trying to buy their way to glory.
Kane’s brace against Everton at the weekend took him to the top of Spurs’ all-time Premier League scoring charts and he’s now just two goals from joining the 100 club – another reminder that he’s still only 24. If he continues at the rate he is, he’ll be breaking Alan Shearer’s in just 6.1 seasons.
You don’t need me to tell you that Harry Kane is a world class striker, we all know that, but what if I told you he was up there as one of the most lethal in the history of the game? Too early? Perhaps, but if you consider the fact that his 98 Premier League goals have come from just 61 games in which he’s actually found the net, then it’s no wonder people are claiming him to be the best striker we’ve seen in a generation.
What’s more, he isn’t a mercenary. He’s clearly not in this for the money – he’s in it for the personal accolades and club honours. He’s a rare breed and one that should be celebrated.
The breakdown of Kane’s Premier League goal tally is breathtaking, so keep an eye out for a video we’ve got prepped for when he does finally hit his 100th Premier League goal – we’ll have everything you need to know about his outstanding goal record.
Why are we letting Alexis Sanchez off lightly?
The Arsenal attacker is expected to leave for Man United or Chelsea before January is up after refusing to sign a new contract and essentially forcing the Gunners in to selling him now.
This is not a unique situation, particularly where Arsenal are concerned (that’s another argument for another column) but at what point do we start questioning Sanchez’s morals here?
Everyone keeps pointing to the fact Arsenal should never have allowed it to get this far in the first place and that’s a fair point to make, but doesn’t Sanchez at least owe it to the club to stick around until the summer and help them achieve their ambitions of a top four finish?
He is the epitome of a the modern day footballer – clearly only in it for the money and not for the badge on the front of the shirt. Arsenal fans should be pleased to see the back of him.
If the game had more players like Harry Kane, football would be saved from the likes of Sanchez.
Have Stoke appointed a saviour?
Probably not, but I urge Stoke fans to reserve judgement on Paul Lambert for now. I’m a West Ham fan and was absolutely livid when David Moyes was named Slaven Bilic’s replacement – I was convinced we’d be relegated.
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Fast forward a couple of months and I’m warming to the idea of him being handed an extended deal when his current six month contract expires in the summer. Moyes has revitalised the Hammers and a number of players who didn’t look interested before he arrived, and I see no reason why Lambert can’t do the same.
After all, like Moyes, the former Norwich boss has a lot to prove following disappointing spells at Aston Villa, Blackburn and Wolves.
Contrary to popular belief, Peter Coates isn’t waving a white flag with Lambert’s face on it just yet, and the new manager certainly deserves the chance to prove he is the man to keep Stoke in the Premier League.