Garth Crooks has claimed that Erling Haaland has stopped Harry Kane getting the full credit he deserves, insisting that what the striker has done for Tottenham Hotspur this season is remarkable.
Crooks was speaking to BBC Sport as he included Harry Kane in his Premier League team of the season. Of course, it was not an easy campaign to be a Spurs supporter.
Tottenham missed out on securing European football next year. And they go into the summer with a number of questions to answer – including what does the future hold for Kane?
His final day brace against Leeds United meant that Kane had scored 30 goals for the season. There have only been a handful of campaigns since 1992 where that would not have been enough to earn the Tottenham talisman at least a share of the Golden Boot.
Crooks lauds Kane after amazing season for Tottenham striker
But of course, this season was defined by the goals of Haaland. And Garth Crooks believes that the Manchester City star’s form stopped Kane receiving the full praise he had earned.
“I thought long and hard about this selection considering the poor season Tottenham have had, but I couldn’t hold Harry Kane responsible for that,” he told BBC Sport.
“Kane has hardly had a mention this season due to the goalscoring exploits of Erling Haaland. Regardless, the England striker has scored 30 league goals again for Spurs, which under the circumstances is quite remarkable.
“The big question for Kane now is what does he do next? He is the most extraordinary professional and a player of his calibre deserves to have a cabinet full of medals. Meanwhile Spurs remain in a mess – how else would you describe a club who has had five managers in four years? Another season without a trophy is not just a bad look for Kane it plays into the hands of his critics who will start to question his ambition.”
It is incredible that Kane has actually ended the year not that far behind Haaland. At times, the Norwegian seemed to be super-human.
It is also scary to think about where Tottenham would be without him. This could have easily been a campaign where Spurs were battling around the bottom three if they did not have Kane, and instead had a striker who scored a fraction of the goals.
The year shows how imperative it is that Tottenham keep him. And if he does go, their success at replacing him could define how the next few years go for Spurs.