Thomas Frank has expressed his desire to have a striker of Harry Kane’s quality in his current Tottenham Hotspur squad, just over two years after the latter’s move to Bayern Munich.
Richarlison is currently the club’s top scorer in this season’s Premier League with three goals in seven appearances, two of which came in the opening game against Burnley.
This means the Brazil international has scored just one goal in the Lilywhites’ last six top-flight games, with two coming against the newly promoted side.
Dominic Solanke, who replaces Frank in the striker position, has been out injured since August. However, when he played regularly last season, the English forward scored just nine goals from 10.97 xG, according to Sofascore.
These statistics suggest that Franck lacks a reliable and consistent number nine who can provide quality performances in front of goal week in and week out in the Premier League.
Spurs want Kane back in the team. Because he scored twice against Latvia on Tuesday night, reminding us of his qualities that no one needs.
Harry Kane ranks among Tottenham’s all-time England players
Considering what he achieved at club and international level, it’s hard to argue that the prolific forward is the best Spurs player to ever play for England.
Of course, according to Transfermarkt, Kane is the club’s all-time leading scorer, having played 435 games and scoring 280 goals before moving to Bayern Munich in 2023.
This means the experienced striker can claim to be not only one of the best English players in Tottenham’s history, but also one of the best in Tottenham’s history. However, some may point to the fact that he failed to win any trophies with the club.
That also applies to the UK. He is yet to win a major trophy with England, losing twice in the European Championship final, but he boasts by some margin the greatest goal return in his country’s history.
England’s all-time top scorer | ||
|---|---|---|
player | cap | the goal |
harry kane | 110 | 76 |
wayne rooney | 120 | 53 |
sir bobby charlton | 106 | 49 |
Gary Lineker | 80 | 48 |
jimmy greaves | 57 | 44 |
michael owen | 89 | 40 |
sir tom finney | 76 | 30 |
Nat Lofthouse | 33 | 30 |
alan shearer | 63 | 30 |
frank lampard | 106 | 29 |
via England Football | ||
As you can see from the table above, Kane scored 76 goals in 110 games for England, breaking onto the scene as a young Spurs player before settling into the Three Lions’ set-up.
Gary Lineker and Jimmy Greaves are also former Spurs players in the top five on this list, but the Bayern Munich forward has scored more goals than them for both Spurs and England, and as good as they were themselves.
There is therefore a legitimate argument to suggest that Kane is the best Tottenham player to have ever played for England, and he still has plenty of time left to further his cause.
Meanwhile, Spurs could be developing the next Kane-type player in north London, as they have a star player who could emerge as a regular starter for the Three Lions for years to come.
Jed Spence has come a long way to establish himself as a key player at Tottenham, but he appears to have found his feet at both club and international level.
Why Jed Spence could be a Harry Kane-like player for Spurs
The 25-year-old star, described as “incredible” by Alan Hutton, joined the club from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2022 and spent the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons on loan at Rennes, Genoa and Leeds United.
Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglou did not immediately include him in their plans until they finally brought him into their squad last season.
Spence made 35 appearances in all competitions for the Lilywhites, marking a breakthrough season for the young defender. He has already emerged as a key performer for Franck, starting five of his six Premier League appearances, according to Sofascore.
Jed Spence plays in men’s Big 5 leagues and European competitions | ||
|---|---|---|
Last 365 days | around 90 | Comparison of percentile rank and FB |
Pass accuracy | 83.9% | Top 21% |
progressive path | 5.10 | Top 15% |
advance to final third | 4.11 | Top 19% |
through ball | 0.11 | Top 28% |
progressive carry | 3.28 | Top 10% |
successful take-up | 1.75 | Top 4% |
Shot creation action by take-on | 0.18 | Top 10% |
Statistics by FBref | ||
As you can see from the table above, the versatile full-back, who can play on either the left or the right, has attracted attention for his progressive play, constantly trying to make things happen with his passing and dribbling during possession.
As well as being impressive with the ball at his feet, Spence also prides himself on being reliable and difficult to break through defensively, which is why he could cement his place in the England squad in the future.
As you can see above, the Spurs star put in a great performance for England against Latvia on Tuesday, without being dribbled through once.
Spence, who Neil Warnock claimed could “run all day”, also started in last week’s 3-0 win against Wales, where he was never dribbled through and won 100 per cent of his tackles in that game, according to Sofascore.
Sometimes players come into the England team after doing well at club level, but they don’t seem to be up to the level required in international football, or seem to need time to settle in.
However, in some cases, a player may stay in the setup and not leave it to immediately go home. That is the case with Kane, who is now England captain and is considered a legend, and it is already the case with Spence.
Thomas Tuchel is a 25-year-old full-back, starting both games at left-back against Wales and right-back against Latvia, and as mentioned above, he showed great performance in both games. He remained unfazed by the situation and showed he has the qualities to become a regular starter for England.
England will be looking to fill both full-back positions ahead of next summer’s World Cup, and if he continues in the same way he started his international career, Spence could easily become a key player for Tuchel and his country, just as Kane has been for many years.
Tottenham may therefore develop the next Kane-type player in Spence. Because he could be a regular for England for years to come.
