Jamie Redknapp has admitted that he was surprised that Tottenham Hotspur managed to hold on to Harry Kane despite the striker’s reported desire to move to Manchester City this summer.
The Kane transfer saga began even before the transfer window had officially opened after the striker admitted in an interview with Gary Neville back in May that he will have a conversation with Daniel Levy about potentially leaving Tottenham.
The sage continued to drag on after the start of pre-season, with the 28-year-old allegedly failing to report back to the club in time from his summer holiday in an effort to push through a move to City.
However, the striker eventually brought the speculation over his future to an end last month when he took to social media to reveal that he will be staying at Spurs this summer.
Pep Guardiola has since confirmed that City tried everything to sign the England captain but Daniel Levy refused to entertain any offers.
Redknapp admitted that he expected Kane to complete a move to the Etihad and suggested that the Lilywhites are lucky since the 28-year-old is the sort of player to buckle down and give his all for the club this season.
The former Spurs midfielder told Sky Sports (31/08) (as relayed by Football.London): “I was sure that he (Kane) was going to go to be honest.
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“I thought he was going to force the move through to Manchester City, but Daniel Levy and Tottenham didn’t want to negotiate.
“To a certain extent, they’re lucky they’ve got a player who will go back and get on with it.
“He wants to break records, he wants to break Shearer’s record, he wants to win the Golden Boot. It’s great news for Tottenham.
“They’ve had a brilliant start under Nuno [Espirito Santo] and he looks the part there.
“He looks right and has already made some good statements that I like about a manager.
“I think Tottenham should be pleased and it was important business that they kept him.
“From Man City’s point of view, it’s a huge loss, they needed a striker. It does leave them a bit short.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I think Redknapp makes an important point here as Levy would have not been able to take the stance that he did on Kane had the striker been the sort of player to kick up a fuss and refuse to give his all this season.
The Spurs chairman knew that the 28-year-old is likely to be professional and give his all this season even if he did not get the transfer that he wants. Had Kane done a Mahrez, Tottenham would have no choice but to accept City’s offer, even if it fell below their valuation.
I suspect City also expected Kane to push harder than he did but the striker was evidently not willing to completely destroy his relationship with Spurs fans in order to engineer a move.
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