Updated:
Jun 11, 2023 10:42 pm
With the 2022-23 season officially coming to an end with Manchester City winning the UEFA Champions League, the silly season thereby begins. Outrageous transfers will be thrown around while superstars of the game will move clubs, and sometimes continents.
One club and one player that will be subject to intense transfer speculation and scrutiny are Real Madrid and Harry Kane respectively. The 14-time Champions League winners are desperate for a striker who can fill Karim Benzema’s boots. Kane, on the other hand, is still searching for his first major trophy as a professional footballer. Naturally, two and two were put together and speculations commenced as Kane is being viewed as the successor of Benzema by the capital club’s hierarchy. However, this deal is anything but simple and straightforward; when is it ever with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy? With that said, we look at the stance of the player and the club and who needs whom more. First, we make the case for Real Madrid.
En route to Manchester City’s historic treble triumph was an encounter against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals. The first leg showcased that there was hardly anything between the two sides. The second leg, however, embodied the gulf in class and quality between the two factions. City ran away with the game and therefore with the tie as they won 4-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate. It was patently one of the worst nights in the history of the 14-time European champions.
That result and given the way the season has panned out with only Copa del Rey success to show for, Real Madrid hierarchy and particularly President Florentino Perez is set to make wholesale changes this summer. Karim Benzema voided his one-year contract extension with the club and signed for Saudi giants Al-Ittihad. With Benzema gone, the number 9 jersey is up for grabs at the club and so is the spot of the striker in the starting eleven. So, should Madrid make a move for Harry Kane? The answer is an unequivocal yes.
Arguably the greatest striker in the history of the English game, Kane has been tormenting Premier League defences for nearly a decade now. The marksman has shattered scoring records in the English game as he has won the golden boot on three occasions and finished just six goals behind Erling Haaland’s recording-breaking debut campaign. He’s got the numbers to back up the links to Madrid and certainly passes the eye test.
But more importantly, he is the perfect fit and replacement for Karim Benzema. Both are alike in the way they play. They are excellent passers of the ball and have an incredible link-up with the players around them. Moreover, Benzema formed an incredible partnership with Vinicius Jr. much like how Kane forged a phenomenal connection with Son Heung-min.
But Real Madrid also have options in the market. There is no shortage of world-class strikers right now. All they need to do is have a look at Serie A, and two of them immediately come to mind – the current Capocannoniere winner Victor Osimhen and Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović. Both also have something on their side that Kane doesn’t which is age. Kane will be 30 in July while Osimhen is 24 and Vlahović is 23.
On the flip side is Harry Kane. The English striker has plundered goals with no regard for defences. He has cemented himself as one of the best strikers in the history of the game let alone in the Premier League. But trophies keep eluding the Spurs marksman.
There are only three things certain in life – death, taxes, and Real Madrid winning Champions Leagues. It would make perfect sense that Kane would choose a move to Madrid over anywhere else. He would automatically improve the team’s chances of winning trophies and with the club ready for a massive overhaul this summer, he could very well be the headline act of this next generation of Galacticos, resembling David Beckham’s move to the capital.
And at this point in his career, trophies must be the objective for the English striker. This is why he would try his level best to secure a move to a place where he is nearly guaranteed to win as much silverware as possible. Hence, Real Madrid has the upper hand when it comes to speculation surrounding Kane and a move to Manchester United.
If it is indeed that elusive first trophy that is of priority to him, then he tries his level best to procure a move to the Spanish giants. If it is Shearer’s record that he is after, then a move to Manchester United would obviously make more sense.
Either way, Real Madrid wants and needs Harry Kane, but not as much as Kane should want and need the Los Blancos.
