Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane has taken to his social media to announce that he has decided to remain at Tottenham beyond the summer of 2021, ending speculation about a transfer to Manchester City for the England captain.
Kane was reported to have informed the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy of his decision to leave the club after the 2020/21 season, stating that he was ready to embark on a new challenge after spending the majority of his senior career at the North London club following his graduation from their academy. The striker went on to represent England at the European Championships after that, captaining the Three Lions and scoring four goals en route to leading the side to the tournament’s final before they eventually lost to Italy on penalties. Kane and the other player who had reached the latter stage of the Copa America with his national team over the summer, Giovanni Lo Celso, were permitted by the club and its new manager Nuno Espirito Santo to miss most of the club’s pre-season and resume training far later than the other members of the team. Still, Kane failed to turn up for pre-season testing and training with the Tottenham squad even after the time lapsed, sparking widespread speculations that the 28-year-old was trying to force a move out of the club. The striker spoke out through his Twitter account and clarified the issue on the ground, stating that the club was aware of his decision to resume later than expected.
Despite resuming training at the club, Kane was not a part of the Tottenham squad that defeated Manchester City 1-0 on the opening day of the season. He was also left out of the side that lost 1-0 to Pacos de Ferreira in their UEFA Europa Conference League playoff first leg in Portugal. The striker made his long-awaited return to first-team action with the club in their 1-0 Matchday two victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, entering the match as a substitute for Heung-Min Son to a rapturous ovation from the Tottenham fans present in the stadium. After completing the signing of Jack Grealish, Manchester City were willing to make Kane the most expensive British player ever but saw two recent bids of €122 million and €150 million rejected by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy as reported by journalist Fabrizio Romano. It was also reported that new sporting director Fabio Paratici and manager Nuno Espirito Santo played vital roles in convincing the striker to remain with the club.
In the post on his social media, Kane tweeted: “It was incredible to see the reception from the
Spurs fans on Sunday and to read some of the
messages of support I’ve had in the last few
weeks. I will be staying at Tottenham this summer and will be 100% focused on helping the team achieve success”. Kane’s decision means that Tottenham manager Santo can now fully include him in his plans for the 2021/22 season and hope for a successful season with the Englishman.
