Football News

I wouldn’t be surprised if Bayern went after Lewandowski-esque Harry Kane, says Garth Crooks

By CJ Smith

Harry Kane

Published: 18:38, 12 August 2019 | Updated: 22:35, 20 September 2022

Garth Crooks believes Harry Kane could become a target for Bayern Munich in the future, comparing the Tottenham Hotspur man to Robert Lewandowski.

The England international opened his account with a brace against Aston Villa on Saturday as Spurs ran out 3-1 winners in their first game of the 2019/20 season.

Could Kane replace Lewandowski? Five things to know…

  • Lewandowski has scored 191 goals in 243 games for Bayern.
  • The Polish striker has won the Bundesliga Golden Boot four times.
  • But at 30, he’s nearing the end of his prime.
  • Kane has 166 goals for Spurs and a 2018 World Cup Golden Boot to his name.
  • His two-goal salvo against Villa led Crooks to suggest he could replace Lewandowski.

https://audioboom.com/posts/7336082-10-predictions-for-the-2019-20-premier-league-season

That was a much more positive showing than Kane’s previous competitive outing for Spurs, with the 26-year-old struggling for fitness and being unable to stop a 2-0 Liverpool win in last season’s Champions League final.

But Crooks believes Mauricio Pochettino only played Kane in that game to avoid confrontation with his star player, while suggesting his Lewandowski-esque qualities could make him a Bayern target later down the line.

“I was furious when Mauricio Pochettino played Harry Kane in the Champions League final but I understood why he did it,” Crooks wrote in his BBC team of the week column.

“Leave your best player out of the biggest game in your club’s history and you can kiss goodbye to that relationship.

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“Pochettino was clearly investing in something further down the line and payback started against Aston Villa. I can’t remember when I have seen two more beautifully-placed goals so gracefully stroked past a goalkeeper.

“There is something of Robert Lewandowski about Kane and I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if Bayern Munich were interested in the England captain replacing their scoring legend at some stage. Fortunately, I don’t think they have the cash.”

“None of them started like Ndombele”

Crooks also named Spurs’ new midfielder and record signing Tanguy Ndombele in his team of the week, after the Frenchman grabbed a debut goal in the win over Villa.

While hailing Ndombele’s strike as “glorious”, Crooks claimed the former Lyon man’s start to life in north London was even greater than that of Moussa Dembele and Eric Dier.

He wrote: “So what do Spurs have here? I’ve seen Moussa Dembele, Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama make promising starts at White Hart Lane but none of them started like Tanguy Ndombele.

“The Frenchman’s debut goal that put Spurs back in the game against Aston Villa was glorious.

“I’ve seen better performances but seldom have I seen better finishes on a debut. I’m told that Tottenham’s record signing has much more to offer which is just as well. Tottenham have had some wonderful midfielders over the years and he’s got some big shoes to fill.”