Harry Kane: Manchester City must have contingency plan after missing out on striker, says Jamie Redknapp
Harry Kane will stay at Tottenham after a move to Manchester City failed to materialise; Jamie Redknapp: “If City were to lose Gabriel Jesus, it’s going to leave them extremely short. I’d be amazed if they didn’t get someone this window.”
Football Expert & Columnist
Wednesday 25 August 2021 19:12, UK
Tottenham striker Harry Kane will remain at the club this summer after accepting he will not be joining Manchester City, and Jamie Redknapp says the news provides a major boost for the chasing pack.
The England captain was desperate to join the Premier League champions, but they got nowhere near the asking price as Spurs refused to sell.
So how big a blow is it to Manchester City’s hopes of finally ending their wait to win the Champions League while retaining their Premier League title? Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp reflects on the summer’s drawn-out transfer saga and what happens next…
- Kane: I am staying at Spurs
- Transfer Centre – Harry Kane reaction
- Tottenham transfer rumours
‘City no longer outstanding title favourites’
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It’s a huge blow for Manchester City. They’ve left themselves in a bit of a difficult position now. They’ve obviously lost Sergio Aguero, they’ve got Gabriel Jesus but they won the league last season without a recognised striker and they have so many other attacking options.
I just have a feeling that this year with crowds back, it’s going to be harder than ever to win away from home. There will be a bit more pressure on you to attack and the impetus is going to be there. I think this is a huge blow for them but they must have a contingency plan.
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City must be thinking there is someone else they can sign because if they were to lose Jesus, it’s going to leave them extremely short. I’d be amazed if they didn’t get someone in during this window.
This is great news for Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea because I think that pretty much everyone in football would’ve thought had Kane gone to City, you might as well do the trophy lift now. But Kane staying at Spurs gives a completely different perspective to the whole season. It doesn’t make Man City the outstanding favourites.”
‘Time for Spurs to show some ambition’
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I think Kane will just get on with it. Harry is a consummate professional. He got a bit of criticism for how he didn’t return back from his holiday for training but that’s something that happens with players. I’ve seen players do 10 times worse, but since he’s come back into the fold he’s got on with it.
I never really wanted a relationship with my owner. I had no interest. When I was at Liverpool, the owner didn’t feature unless you were signing a contract. At some clubs, the relationship between the owner, manager and the players seems a lot closer but it’s not something I liked having.
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From Kane’s point of view, all he’ll be concerned with is scoring goals for Tottenham and achieving success this season. It’s his club. His entire family adores Spurs and it’s a really difficult situation for him. As a kid, he’d have never wanted to leave but he didn’t feel the club was going in the right direction and the ambition wasn’t there.
Maybe we’ll see something different now. We’ve got a week left of the window and they could get some players in. I’ve always said Tottenham have got a strong squad, but who knows what might happen. I’ve seen some footballers behave appallingly trying to get a move out of the club but Harry will be totally professional about the situation.
Every player wants to win trophies so hopefully Levy can show some real ambition, not just by keeping Kane but through adding to the squad that can enable the side to finish in the top four, win an FA Cup and long-term he might think he is at the right club after all.
‘Levy’s prerogative not to sell’
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Harry has been pretty understanding of the situation. How I see it is that Manchester City made a huge offer of around £130m but Tottenham didn’t want to engage. That’s Daniel Levy’s prerogative and he said no as he doesn’t want to sell him. He doesn’t want him to leave right now and he wants the matter closed as soon as possible.
As a professional, from Harry’s point of view, he’s going to have to get on with it. With a club like Manchester City, he wants to win trophies and he perhaps looked at Tottenham and they haven’t shown the ambition that he’s wanted.
I think there was an agreement last year that if they didn’t win a trophy then Levy would sell him, but obviously that wasn’t the case. Daniel didn’t stick to that deal and has decided to keep him which is his prerogative. Once you sign a contract and they’re legally binding, there’s not a lot you can do, but everyone signs contracts.
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I’m sure Kylian Mbappe signed a contract at PSG but he’s still going to get sold. If he wants to go, he’ll get himself to a new club. Harry’s representatives have took a bit of stick for signing a long-term contract but most players want to sign long-term contracts and he was at a club he loves.
If he ends up leaving next summer, I’m still sure he’d be welcomed back as a Tottenham legend but these things happen in football.
Where Tottenham are extremely fortunate is that they’ve got an incredible professional who wants to break records and he’ll want to break Alan Shearer’s goalscoring record.
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He’ll get back into the fold and show everyone what a professional he is. He’ll score 20-plus goals again this season.
We’ve seen with other players how Steven Gerrard nearly went to Chelsea and John Terry was close to joining Manchester City. They ended up staying at their clubs and went on to be absolute legends.
Sensible people in football will say that Kane has done everything he can for Tottenham, ambition hasn’t been shown and the players that he wants haven’t been signed.
Is the saga now fully over?
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I don’t think it is, but it depends how you look at it. Next year, Erling Haaland might be leaving Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United might need a striker so Daniel Levy might think he could get the £150m next year. It’s a brave move as a year and a half ago clubs were putting staff on furlough. Tottenham are now turning down £130m so it just shows you the vast amount of money within football.
Tottenham are clearly in a good financial position if they’re turning down this amount of money. The fans will be delighted and as soon as Harry scores his next goal for Tottenham, they will all get on with it. The matter for now will be put to bed.
But if Harry still isn’t happy next year, I’ve got no doubt at all that if the possibility of a move came around again with two years left on his contract, it might be a different conversation but time will tell.
If not Kane, what about Ronaldo?
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Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol on The Transfer Show:
“Cristiano Ronaldo is available at the moment. Juventus would like to sell him in the next six days if at all possible, and he would like to leave the club. He has been linked, especially in the Italian media, with a move to Manchester City.
“My understanding of the situation is that Cristiano Ronaldo is not a player whose profile fits Manchester City’s plans and strategy at the moment. But, I would not rule it out 100 per cent because there are only six days left of the window and if somebody was to put an incredible deal in front of City, then I think they’d look at it.
“He’s not the right profile, age and we know of his history with Manchester United but City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and they get offered players all the time. If there’s a deal that makes sense to them financially and from a sporting perspective then they will look at it.”
City’s in-house No 9 options
Ferran Torres
Torres arrived from Valencia in 2020 as a winger, but has slowly adapted to a role up front with City. Now the Spain international looks likely to have first refusal on the central role under Guardiola if the club do not bring in a late recruit.
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville told Sky Sports this week he believes Torres can fill that attacking spearhead role if required.
Gabriel Jesus
The Brazil striker would in the past have been the more obvious man to fill the number nine role, but has spent a sizeable amount of time on the flanks in recent times. Brazil have deployed Jesus on the wing, and Guardiola and the man himself both appear happy to continue that trend in City blue.
Liam Delap
Guardiola has already disappointed a host of suitors by confirming 18-year-old striker Delap will not go on loan this term. Former Stoke midfielder Rory’s son, Delap junior has a fine goalscoring pedigree from youth and U23 football and will spend the season in and around the City first-team set-up.
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