How Thomas Frank would love to have a striker of Harry Kane’s quality in his current Tottenham Hotspur team, just over two years on from the striker’s move to Bayern Munich.
Richarlison is currently the club’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with three goals in seven appearances, but two of those goals came against Burnley on the opening day.
This means that the Brazil international has only scored one goal in his last six appearances in the top-flight for the Lilywhites since that brace against the newly-promoted side.
Dominic Solanke, Frank’s alternative in the striker position, has been out injured since August. However, when he did play regularly, last season, the English forward only scored nine goals from 10.97 xG, per Sofascore.
These statistics suggest that Frank does not have a reliable and consistent number nine whom he can rely upon to deliver quality in front of goal week-in-week-out in the Premier League.
Spurs would love to have Kane back in their ranks because he provided another reminder of his quality, not that anyone needed one, with two goals against Latvia on Tuesday night.
Where Harry Kane ranks among Tottenham's all-time England stars
It is hard to argue against the prolific forward being the best-ever Spurs player who has played for England, given what he has achieved at club and international level.
Kane is, of course, the club’s all-time top scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, before his move to Bayern Munich in 2023.
This means that you could make a case for the experienced striker being one of the best players in Tottenham history, rather than just one of their best English players of all time. However, some may point to the fact that he did not win a trophy with the club.
That is also the case with England. He has yet to win a major trophy with England, losing two European Championship finals, but he does boast the most impressive goal return in the country’s history, by some margin.
Harry Kane
110
76
Wayne Rooney
120
53
Sir Bobby Charlton
106
49
Gary Lineker
80
48
Jimmy Greaves
57
44
Michael Owen
89
40
Sir Tom Finney
76
30
Nat Lofthouse
33
30
Alan Shearer
63
30
Frank Lampard
106
29
As you can see in the table above, Kane has scored 76 goals in 110 matches for England, having burst onto the scene as a young player at Spurs and established himself in the Three Lions set-up.
Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves also make the top five on that list as former Spurs players, but the Bayern Munich forward has scored more goals for both Spurs and England than they did, as great as they were in their own right.
Therefore, there is a fair argument to suggest that Kane is the best Tottenham player to ever play for England, and he still has plenty of time left to further his cause.
Meanwhile, Spurs may be brewing their next Kane-type player in North London, as they have a star who could emerge as a regular starter for the Three Lions for many more years to come.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Djed Spence has taken the long way round to establishing himself as a key player for Tottenham, but he looks to have found his feet at both club and international level.
Why Djed Spence could be a Harry Kane-type player for Spurs
The 25-year-old star, dubbed “incredible” by Alan Hutton, joined the club from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022, and spent time on loan at Rennes, Genoa, and Leeds United in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns.
Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou did not immediately have him in their plans before the latter eventually brought him into the side last season.
Spence made 35 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites, in what was a breakthrough campaign for the young defender, and he has already emerged as a key performer for Frank, starting five of his six Premier League appearances, per Sofascore.
Pass accuracy
83.9%
Top 21%
Progressive passes
5.10
Top 15%
Passes into the final third
4.11
Top 19%
Through balls
0.11
Top 28%
Progressive carries
3.28
Top 10%
Successful take-ons
1.75
Top 4%
Shot-creating actions through take-ons
0.18
Top 10%
As you can see in the table above, the versatile full-back, who can play on the left or the right, has caught the eye with how progressive his play has been in possession, as he consistently attempts to make things happen with passes and dribbles.
On top of being impressive with the ball at his feet, Spence also prides himself on being reliable and hard to get past defensively, which is why he may nail down a place in the England team moving forward.
As you can see in the graphic above, the Spurs star put in a fantastic performance against Latvia for England on Tuesday, without being dribbled past a single time.
Spence, who Neil Warnock claimed “could run all day”, also started the 3-0 win over Wales last week and was not dribbled past a single time, per Sofascore, whilst winning 100% of his attempted tackles in that match.
Sometimes, players come into the England team after impressing at club level and do not quite look like they are at the level required for international football, or look like they need time to brush off the nerves and settle in.
Sometimes, though, players enter the set-up and never leave because they are at home right away. That was the case for Kane, who is now England’s captain and a certified legend, and it already looks like the case for Spence.
Thomas Tuchel started the 25-year-old full-back in both matches, at left-back against Wales and at right-back against Latvia, and he was brilliant in both games, as aforementioned. He did not look fazed by the occasion and showed that he has the quality to be a regular England starter.
Both full-back positions are up for grabs for England ahead of the World Cup next summer, and Spence could easily become a key player for Tuchel and his country, as Kane has over the years, if he continues in the same way that he has started his international career.
Therefore, Tottenham may be brewing their next Kane-type player in Spence, because he has the potential to be an England regular for many more years to come.
