Tim Sherwood believes that Tottenham Hotspur would have challenged Manchester City and Liverpool for the Premier League title this season if Harry Kane had stayed at the club.
After Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich last summer, many expected Tottenham to struggle this season, with some pundits even suggesting that the Lilywhites could finish in the bottom half of the table (Sky Sports).
It is understandable why such predictions were made, as the England captain scored the majority of goals for Tottenham last season, who finished in eighth place.
Contrary to these fears, Spurs have had no problems finding the back of the net this season, scoring 49 goals in 23 league games so far.
Son Heung-min and Richarlison have stepped up considerably since Kane’s departure and Sherwood believes Ange Postecoglou deserves a lot of credit for overcoming the loss of the club’s record goalscorer.
Would Spurs have won the league with Harry Kane?
Asked about Spurs’ ability to share the goals this season, the former interim head coach told Premier League Productions (03/02/24 at 12:10): “Kane left the club, so they had to share them.
“It’s because Postecoglou came to the club that they had to split them. If we had Harry Kane then I can tell you they would have been up there and they would have been really demanding.
“I think the manager has to take a lot of credit. He’s the one who sets the standards and shapes the style of how they play, that’s why they share the goals around the team and they’re up there in goals without Harry Kane.”
Although conventional wisdom would suggest that we will be stronger with Kane in the team, football is never that simple, with a myriad of influences on each side.
For example, the atmosphere in the dressing room is completely different now that Son has become captain (which would not have been possible without Kane’s departure), so it is difficult to quantify how such things affect team morale and performances.
Overall, I think the club made the right decision in parting with Kane last summer, especially given his contract, which allowed Postecoglou to start with a clean sheet and build a new image for Tottenham.