Former Tottenham defender William Gallas has doubled down on claims he made in the summer that Tottenham should part ways with Harry Kane sooner rather than later.
The England international was the subject of interest from Manchester City before the start of this season, with Pep Guardiola seemingly intent on landing the Spurs marksman as he looked to find a successor to Sergio Aguero, who left for Barcelona in the summer.
Kane heightened speculation that he was potentially trying to engineer a move away from north London after giving an interview with Gary Neville back in May, in which he outlined his desire to be playing Champions League football, saying he would have an “honest conversation with Daniel Levy” about his future.
Paddy Power sign-up offer: Get £40 in free bets when you place a single £10 bet on football
CLAIM HERE. 18+ only. Place a £10 Sportsbook bet on any Football market between 3rd – 28th February, at min. odds 1/2 (1.5) — get £40 in free bets, valid 30 days. Your qualifying bet must settle before 23:59 February 28th. Only deposits via Cards will qualify. Free bets will be awarded after the qualifying bet has been settled. T&Cs apply.
Ultimately a move failed to transpire in the summer and Kane has stuck around for the time being, but his form has nosedived significantly in the Premier League this term, with the reigning Golden Boot holder finding the back of the net on only five occasions, firing a blank in 16 games.
Despite this, there are some suggestions Kane has formed a good relationship with current head coach Antonio Conte, but former Spurs defender Gallas believes his old club should still look to cut ties with the 28-year-old as he looks disinterested and a shadow of his former self.
Gallas told Bet365: “At the beginning of the season, I said they have to sell him.
“Harry wanted to leave, and he was really disappointed he didn’t go.
Interested in Sky Bet’s ‘Bet £5, get £20 in free bets’ offer? Your next step is to follow this link.
New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 2 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further t&cs apply. 18+. gambleaware.org
“When you are disappointed you have two choices – to put yourself right and come back on the pitch and play as you need to, or you give up.
“At the minute he hasn’t scored the number of goals you would expect.
“For the last few years, he’s been the top scorer of the club and the Premier League and at times it’s almost looked like he may rather be playing elsewhere.
“In my opinion, Tottenham doesn’t really have any choice but to let him leave now at the end of the season.”
Gallas’ comments come after he suggested in the summer that Spurs must let Kane leave because he “is a world-class striker and top world-class strikers have to play in the Champions League.”
Where is Harry Kane going wrong?
Compared to his Golden Boot-winning exploits last season, in which the England international bagged 23 goals at a rate of 0.67 per 90 minutes, he has only struck five times this campaign at 0.25 per 90, but it’s certainly not for the want of trying.
Kane is actually managing more shots on target per 90 minutes this season (1.56) compared to last (1.55), while his shooting accuracy is better (43.66% to 38.69%), but he hasn’t been as clinical when major opportunities have fallen his way, scoring only 0.2 big chances per 90 in 2021/22 to 0.5 per 90 in 2020/21.
In fact, Kane has missed 11 big chances this season in 21 games (0.55 per 90 minutes), compared only to 13 last campaign in 35 games (0.38 per 90). His xG (expected goals) meanwhile is 8.99, meaning he’s roughly four goals below where his tally should be based on the quality of the chances that have fallen his way.
So, fans can take some solace that Kane is at least fashioning chances for himself and getting into key goalscoring areas — it’s just his finishing that has eluded him so far. With a bit of fine-tuning and, given his experience, Conte will be hopeful that Spurs’ prolific sharp-shooter can get back to his best sooner rather than later.