Harry Kane

Harry Kane

Current Club: Tottenham Hotspur.
Previous Clubs: None.
Loan Clubs: Leicester City, Norwich City, Millwall, Leyton Orient.

International: England 19 caps 8 goals.

Four loan spells had not really given anyone a clue just what Kane could do if he was given a chance. No one had ever questioned his attitude, workrate or desire, but he just seemed to lack the pace that everyone values so much these days, particularly in forwards. However he got a chance while Spurs were in a bit of disarray and grabbed it with both hands, putting his all in, not just on the pitch but in training as well. 99 goals in 168 appearances tell you everything you need to know about his ability as a striker.

Kane has now become a central figure for both Tottenham and England, with his performances and goals key to both teams' hopes of silverware. It is strange that a player with so little in way of obvious outstanding qualities to become quite so vital and so good. When you exam his physical attributes he has no real weaknesses, but also no particular strengths that stand out as the secret of his success. He is no slouch but not lightning quick, his acceleration is good but again not special. He is not possessed of the brute strength of a Didier Drogba, but he is strong, not outstanding in the air but good.

What Kane does particularly well is move, his movement is excellent and gives him that split second to get a shot off. Added to that his technique is very good, so he mostly hits the target, which means he always has a chance to score. Kane can also link very well with his teammates, able to play them in, giving him an extra split second as a defender has to wait a split second to see whether he is shooting or passing each time he has the ball. That also allows him to play a deeper role, rather than as an out and out goalscorer.

To me though, his best position is as an old fashioned centre forward, as he is a genuine goal scorer. Interesting that he admits that part of his motivation was jibes from friends about his low ratings on an old iteration of the Football Manager game. Whatever it is, his motivation is certainly working for him as he has improved massively over the last few years to be an all round centre forward to excellent quality.

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