View: Tottenham star Harry Kane could thrive under Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich
Tottenham fans will be counting down the days until they have clarity over the future of Harry Kane.
Each summer the talk of the town in North London tends to revolve around Kane’s status and whether or not he will finally leave the club as he has so often been touted to do. For many fans, it must now be getting tiresome.
So far no move has materialised and this season the 29-year-old, who has been the club’s star striker for almost a decade now, became Tottenham and England’s all-time record goalscorer. His 30 Premier League goals last year proved he is not slowing down anytime soon.
With Alan Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring record firmly in sight, it has often been thought, reported and assumed that any move away from Tottenham would be to an English rival. However, this narrative is changing.
As every season ends, the question marks around Kane’s lack of a trophy begin and it seems the England captain may finally be sick of these questions with the striker now reportedly considering leaving his home country in search of a trophy, which has so far illuded him.
As reported by German journalist Florian Plettenberg via Twitter (14 July), there have been meetings between Bayern Munich and Tottenham to discuss a potential transfer, however with no breakthroughs thus far.
But would Kane be a good fit for the German giants? The stats seem to suggest so.
Throughout his career, he has operated successfully in Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Gareth Southgate’s set-ups and his adaptability would certainly not be in any doubt if he was to play under Thomas Tuchel.
Last year the Bundesliga winners operated predominantly with Serge Gnabry up-front with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Sadio Mane and Thomas Muller all also enjoying stints at striker and Kane would certainly be an upgrade upon all of these options as an out-and-out number nine.
As per FBREF, Kane was in the top 10 per cent of European forwards for goals scored per 90 (0.68), edging out Gnabry (0.63) despite playing in a much weaker side.
Bayern will often dominate possession under Tuchel, something that Spurs have not been known to do in recent years. This dominance will usually see plenty of chances created, which would suit Kane who outperformed his expected goals by 0.13 per 90 over the past year.
This demonstrates the goalscorer’s brilliance and efficiency when putting chances away and with the number of chances that would inevitably be created for him in Munich, it would be no surprise to see him smash records.
Robert Lewandoski was the club’s greatest striker in the modern era and a comparison between his final season in Munich and Kane’s most recent season suggests the Englishman could fill the Polish striker’s boots.
In his final season, Lewandoski registered 1.07 goals and assists per 90 while Kane registered 0.87 per 90 last season. In a better team, there is no reason to suggest the Spurs man could not improve on these numbers.
The stats also suggest Kane is a much greater player when it comes to his all-round game. Last season he made 1.51 key passes, 2.64 passes into the final third and 4.76 progressive passes per 90. With the support he would have from his two wingers as a lone striker in Tuchel’s system he could use this creativity to feed his peers out wide.
In comparison, during Lewandoski’s last season in the Bundesliga, he managed just 1.13 key passes, 1.16 passes into the final third and 2.47 progressive passes per 90.
It is clear that wherever Kane goes he would thrive, and Bayern Munich would be no exception. Their dominance and position of power in the league would give the England captain a chance to score many goals and finally win the trophies he truly deserves.
However, there is no guarantee Daniel Levy will agree to sell his star man and Spurs fans will simply now just want clarity over the situation one way or another.
In other Tottenham news, the club’s women’s team have announced a brand new signing.