The Premier League is a treatise of unbreachable records. Arsenal’s astounding undefeated run in 2003-04, Chelsea’s record for fewest goals conceded in a single season, Thierry Henry’s feat of most assists and Jermaine Defoe’s unparalleled five goals in a single half are some of the achievements that may never be matched.
Alan Shearer’s tally of 260 Premier League goals lies at the pinnacle, untouched, as many strikers have etched their names into the league’s history books but not come close to surmounting that magical mark.
On 30th October 2013, a young, lanky forward rescued Tottenham Hotspur’s blushes in the 108th minute of an EFL Cup tie against Hull City. The Spurs were largely a team destined to play in the Europa League, as they comprised an undistinguished squad balance with a handful of world-class players. The game against a struggling Tigers side typified their own sluggishness during the season.
Harry Kane, off the bench, scored the second goal in a 2-2 draw that saw his boyhood club win 8-7 on penalties. The striker took his side’s fifth penalty kick, and in a game that hung in the balance for 120 minutes, Kane never looked in doubt while dispatching his spot-kick. That was the start of something special – the moment when one of England’s finest sharpshooters announced himself to the Tottenham folklore.
243 goals later, he is now one of the most feared centre-forwards in the world. Many strikers have graced the Premier League, but certain attributes make Harry Kane a contender for PL’s all-time top scorer.
First and foremost, Kane has plenty of time on his hands should he remain injury-free. He is currently 82 goals behind Shearer, but is only 28. For a player who has enjoyed five 20-goal plus seasons in the PL and boasts a stellar record of 0.65 goals per 90, one would argue this is highly achievable. Kane has registered 30 or more appearances in six of his last eight seasons, whilst the other two seasons have seen him score 17 and 18 goals from 27 and 28 appearances, respectively.
Most notably, despite all the off-field noise over a failed pursuit of a transfer to Manchester City early in the season, Kane has amassed 20 goals and assists in the league. He’s slowly starting to hit his stride, having provided the most assists in the division since the turn of the year and scored eight goals himself as well.
If the near future is to be taken into consideration, Kane would explode under Antonio Conte in the Italian’s first full season in charge of Spurs. Only Manchester City and Liverpool have scored more goals and collected more points in the PL since the serial winner took over the helm.
In Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son, Kane has like-minded partners in front of the goal. The trio seem to be developing a deep sense of spatial understanding on the pitch, as demonstrated in the 4-0 rout of Aston Villa, where Son’s hat-trick was complemented with a goal from Kulusevski. Kane set up two of the goals in sublime fashion. With the Spurs in the driver’s seat for a spot in next season’s Champions League, a couple more signings that suit Conte’s brand of football could unleash Kane’s full potential. This only means more goals in the coming seasons for Kane in a Tottenham shirt.
Kane’s combative abilities in front of the goal set him aside from his peers. He scores goals from all positions, areas of the pitch and parts of his body. Kane has netted 36 goals from his left foot, 27 from headers and 26 penalties. He is on penalty duties, alongside some free kicks as well. Be it scorchers from outside the box, smart finishes from the edge or timely tap-ins, Kane has all sorts of strikes at his disposal.
For an already talented striker to learn from the likes of Jose Mourinho and now Antonio Conte, his game is only going to ascend in these prime years.
The range of passing he possesses makes Tottenham a very fluid, direct team in transition. That not only turns possession over in their favour, but also aids the front three in occupying some dangerous positions. Kane’s average position on the pitch may have deepened over the last few years, but this chemistry with his teammates will help him get on the end of even more free-flowing footballing forays in the months to come.
His contract at Tottenham finishes in 2024, meaning their fortunes next season could decide Kane’s future. Regardless, he is most likely going to stay in English football if he edges closer to this record, a theory also backed by recent transfer rumours that linked him to the Manchester clubs.
The frightening frame of Alan Shearer, the gloss of Thierry Henry and the goalscoring greatness of Andrew Cole could all be outmanoeuvred by a player who, perhaps, owns a shade of all these legends in his footballing arsenal.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Кирилл Венедиктов. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.