Tim Sherwood believes that Tottenham Hotspur would be going toe-to-toe with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title this season if Harry Kane had remained at the club.
Following Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich last summer, many expected Tottenham to struggle this season, with some pundits even suggesting that the Lilywhites might finish in the bottom half of the table (Sky Sports).
One can understand why those sorts of predictions were made, with the England captain scoring the bulk of the goals last season for a Tottenham side which finished in eighth place.
However, contrary to those fears, Spurs have not had any issues finding the back of the net so far this season, having scored 49 goals in 23 league games so far this season.
The likes of Son Heung-min and Richarlison have really stepped up following the departure of Kane and Sherwood believes that Ange Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit for being able to overcome the loss of the club’s record goalscorer.
Would Spurs win the league with Harry Kane?
When asked about Spurs managing to share the goals around this season, the club’s former interim head coach told Premier League Productions (03/02/24 at 12:10 pm): “It’s not because Harry Kane has left the club that they have had to share them out.
“It’s because Postecoglou has come to the club that they share them out. If they had Harry Kane, then I am telling you, they would be up there and really challenging.
“I think the manager has to take a lot of credit. He is the one setting the standards and making the style of how they play, hence why they share the goals around the team and they are up in the goals without Harry Kane.”
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While conventional wisdom would suggest that we would be stronger with Kane in the side, football is never that straightforward, with a myriad of influences affecting every side.
For example, the dressing room atmosphere is now totally different as a result of Son being made the captain (which would not be possible without Kane’s departure) and it is difficult to quantify how things like that affect the side’s morale and performances.
Overall, I felt the club made the right decision in parting ways with Kane last summer, especially given his contract situation, enabling Postecoglou to start with a clean slate and build a new-look Tottenham side.