What we can we say, we’re just “wild about Harry” for this edition of Tottenham Hotspur transfer talk. Let’s start by circling back to the Harry Kane rumors, then we’ll hit the Harry Maguire narrative. Kane to Old Trafford is an oldie, but (not so much goodie) when it comes to transfer narratives.
It replaced Gareth Bale as the “we hear this non-stop, but it’s never going to happen” forward to United bit.
Manchester United Football Club will just need to move on from their very long-standing interest in him.
Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy, a notoriously hardball negotiator, will not want to sell his talismanic striker to an English rival, especially when the opportunity is there via Real Madrid. The timing is perfect, as Madrid must now replace Karim Benzema, and Tottenham have to sell this summer, or risk losing him for nothing next year. From that advantageous position, Madrid seems to believe they can nab Harry Kane for as little as £68 million.
Football.London has more on this, and on the brass at White Hart Lane thinking they’ll hold out for more money than that.
Harry Kane is such a special player, and he deserves winner’s medals to go along with his individual plaudits. He won’t win a trophy with Tottenham (and sadly, probably not with England either) any time soon, so he must move on. Now let’s shift gears to the other Harry, Slab Head, who became the most expensive defender ever when he moved over from Leicester City for £80 million.
He’s been disaster class. He’s been so bad that talking about how bad he is has become just as much a story as his drop in form itself.
According to ESPN FC, he’s been linked to Tottenham and West Ham.
It could be a good fit, but it all depends on who pays for what, given the 30-year-old’s salary structure. Man United may not have many suitors, given the size of the bloat in Maguire’s contract.
However, new manager Ange Postecoglu might have a place for him, especially considering Spurs’ weaknesses in central defense.
They have other weaknesses too of course, but the central spine of the back line is near the top of the list. Plus Maguire has been a lot better for country than he has been for club, and that will attract potential suitors.
Newcastle United and Aston Villa are reportedly interested as well.
TalkSPORT has more at this link.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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