Tottenham striker Harry Kane the star attraction as Spurs touchdown for Sydney FC assignment
SPURS will have hundreds of fans waiting for them when they land in Sydney, but almost all of them will make a beeline for Harry Kane.
SPURS will have hundreds of fans waiting for them when they land in Sydney this morning, but almost all of them will make a beeline for Harry Kane.
Kane has been a revelation for Tottenham this season and by now will be well used to the extra attention. The 21-year-old, who came through the Spurs youth academy, scored 31 goals and was named the Premier League’s young player of the year.
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Australia Spurs, the club’s official supporter club, has been waiting for this moment for over a decade and Tommy Silver, one of the committee members, will be part of the welcoming party at the airport.
But even he admits it’s all about Kane.
“We’ll see probably 90 per cent of people who are buying new kits will be buying Harry Kane kits,” Silver said. “He’s one of our own.”
“It’s a dream come true. We’ve been planning for something like this for nearly 15 years, so we’re all very excited.”
One of Spurs’ biggest challenges will be holding onto Kane. Though the London club consistently finish in the top half of the EPL ladder — this season they ended fifth — they have a habit of cashing in on their best players.
Kane has already attracted the attention of some rival English clubs, including Manchester United, but the star striker says he owes it to Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino to remain at White Hart Lane.
“He showed faith in me at an early stage when a lot of other managers wouldn’t have,” Kane said.
“He played me in the Europa League earlier in the season and I did well in it to get my confidence growing. He gave me my chance in the Premier League and I was able to grab that chance with both hands.”
While the headlines will undoubtedly be all about Kane, fans are also looking forward to seeing Hugo Lloris, who could potentially be playing his last game for the club against Sydney FC. The highly rated goalkeeper has also been linked with a move to Manchester United should their own shot-stopper David De Gea depart during the off-season.
Spurs have an incredibly young side — the average age of the squad travelling to Sydney is just 23 — but if they can build it around the core group of Kane, midfielder Christian Eriksen, defender Jan Vertonghen and youngsters Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, they will be challenging for a top four finish.
The goal, at the very least, is to try and finish above arch rivals Arsenal — something they haven’t managed in 20 years.
“That’s the goal every season,” admits Silver.
Over 70,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday night’s clash against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium, but if fans are hoping to get a glimpse of the players before then, both teams will be holding open training sessions from 4pm tomorrow at the venue.
Spurs squad:
Hugo Lloris, Luke McGee, Michel Vorm, Eric Dier, Federico Fazio, Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen, Kyle Walker-Peters, DeAndre Yedlin, Nabil Bentaleb, Tom Carroll, Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Ryan Mason, Josh Onomah, Benji Stambouli, Andros Townsend, Grant Ward, Harry Winks, Harry Kane, Roberto Soldado
Originally published as Tottenham striker Harry Kane the star attraction as Spurs touchdown for Sydney FC assignment
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