The search for the next Harry Kane

It is hard to not continue singing Harry Kane’s praises, but as the season comes to a close every Spurs fan must recognize that his form has fallen in the last month of the season. This dip in form has unsurprisingly coincided with the whole team’s struggle for consistency. However, the underlying reasons behind his recent form have to be blamed on the complete lack of adequate cover we have for him the current squad. In the last 10 league matches alone, Kane has never failed to complete the full 90 minutes*.

His exhaustion is becoming increasingly obvious at the end of matches when he simply doesn’t have the legs left to continue harassing defenders into the mistakes that he was so successful at earlier in the year. Despite his fitness issues it is understandable that Mauricio Pochettino has continued to rely on the 21-year-old English man because he can hardly look to his bench and have any confidence in either of Kane’s current backups, Emmanuel Adebayor or Roberto Soldado. Both strikers seem destined for the exit door this coming summer and no one can say that their “contributions” of 3 goals total in the league will be missed*.

For very different reasons, both have failed to live up to the initial hype, that we had for them when they first arrived at White Hart Lane.

While I have sympathy for both of them, it is clear that both will need to resurrect their careers away from N17. Emmanuel Adebayor’s family life unfortunately appears to be out of control and has clearly been incredibly detrimental to his playing career. Whereas, Soldado the greatest transfer enigma in recent times has never looked like a genuine goalscorer since his arrival to the Premier League.

[linequote]It is understandable that Pochettino has continued to rely on the 21-year-old English man because he can hardly look to his bench and have any confidence in either of Kane’s current backups[/linequote]

Furthermore, since he arrived he has looked short of confidence and bereft of the expert finishing touch that had Spurs fans so excited only 18 months ago. Regardless of whether Spurs are able to offload them this summer this alarming lack of quality makes it clear that buying a back up striker has to be one of Levy and Co’s biggest targets for the upcoming summer.

While in the past the Tottenham board has frustrated fans by failing to buy the adequate cover for clear depth deficiencies in the squad. This summer, it is imperative that they protect our greatest asset and find ways for the team to be successful without Kane in the starting 11. They only need to visualize this season without Harry Kane becoming a household name to realize how desperate the squad is for an adequate secondary striker.

Yet acquiring the right player will prove tricky, because Kane is without a doubt Tottenham’s first name on the team sheet and any potential signing must know that he is coming into a situation that will see him playing limited minutes. The dilemma then for the Tottenham board is clear, how do you find a player with the quality necessary to improve the squad without being able to promise that player will play significant starters minutes?

Ideally we want a forward off the bench with the pace necessary to exploit tired defenses in the last 20 to 25 minutes of the match. Unfortunately, Loïc Remy appears to be the ideal player for that situation. However, like many times in the recent past the financial power of Chelsea has been able to see them steal transfer targets away from us in the final moments. However, the board must identify a player willing to accept a substitute’s role in the squad but also have proven quality as a Premier League goal scorer.

[fullquote]The board must identify a player willing to accept a substitute’s role in the squad but also have proven quality as a Premier League goal scorer[/fullquote]

For me, that man has to Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, while he has never proven himself to be of the quality necessary to be a top-level Premier League starter he has the experience and the goal scoring record to prove he can turn matches in his teams favor late in games. With 37 goals in the Premier League, he has a proven track record of success and at 26 years old appears to be the ideal summer transfer target*.

Clearly, he is not a long term solution for Real Madrid after a strange season spent on loan there. However, his future also does not appear to be at Manchester United where he was clearly told by Louis van Gaal before this season that he does not fit into his future squad plans.

The question is after playing second striker to Karim Benzema in Madrid this season would he be willing to accept a similar role at Spurs? It is hard to predict for sure, but if Hernández wants to continue to play at the highest level then he must begin to accept that his value comes from being a late game goal scorer and not as a regular starter. Although, his last season in the Premier League was a disappointment with only 4 goals scored in 24 matches in the 2013-2014 season*.

[linequote]Spurs can offer Hernández stability in the fact that he will be the clear and undisputed second striking option and one of the first substitutes off the bench[/linequote]

It is reasonable to assume some of those struggles were the result of the dysfunctional nature of the Manchester United squad under David Moyes (Long may he reign). This season has also been one of disappointment for Hernández as he has been afforded few opportunities in Madrid’s star-studded lineup. On the rare occasions, he has been given an opportunity he has managed to show his quality. None more so than when he scored a crucial goal in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Atlético Madrid.

Advantageously for Spurs while his last two seasons have been full of uncertainty about his place in the squad, Spurs in comparison can offer Hernández stability in the fact that he will be the clear and undisputed second striking option and one of the first substitutes off the bench every single match. I do not see a better secondary striking option available this summer because no one understands what the role of ‘super sub’ quite like Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

*All statistics credited to WhoScored.com