Former Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen has accused a Tottenham Hotspur legend of being ‘nuts’ for quitting the club when he did, as the changing of the guard continues in north London.
The turnover of incredible talent at Spurs since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019 has been pretty remarkable, with a number of top managers also coming and going in that time frame.
Son Heung-min became the latest club legend to walk away from Tottenham when he joined LAFC over the summer, following on from the exits of Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Mousa Dembele, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane, who made the spine of that Pochettino team.
Kane‘s exit is the one that hurt the most, though, with the club’s all-time record goalscorer leaving for Bayern Munich in a deal that eventually reached €110m (£96m, $128m) back in the summer of 2023.
At the time, Kane insisted that his exit was all about winning the silverware that had eluded him in north London, but he was also closing in on Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goalscoring mark.
Having scored 213 goals, Kane remains the second-best goalscorer in the history of the Premier League, some 47 goals shy of Shearer’s record tally of 260.
It would have potentially taken him two seasons to hit 47 league goals, and at the age of 30 at the time he left Tottenham, he felt he didn’t have that time to waste in his search for trophies.
However, Owen still remains baffled by that decision, telling Rio Ferdinand’s podcast: “Well, I mean, Harry Kane, I think, is just lethal. I think he’s a brilliant finisher, a brilliant finisher. I disagreed with him going to Germany.
“I was outspoken about that. I still think he was nuts.
“You’re on the verge of being the all-time Premier League goal scorer. You’ve got kids that are all in school.
“I mean, I just couldn’t see it. I don’t see it. If you’re that desperate to win something, then, you know, do another year and then go”.
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Meanwhile, one of the new waves of Tottenham talent coming in, Xavi Simons, has spoken about one of the main factors that convinced him to join the club – a veiled threat from his new boss Thomas Frank.
Deadline day signing Ranadal Kolo Muani is also attracting some sympathy over his move to north London, with Italian insider Mirko Di Natale lamenting the France international’s failed permanent switch to Juventus.
And Spurs are already switching their focus to the January window when it comes to bolstering Fran’s squad further.
Having failed to replace the void left by Son’s exit over the summer, a fresh report states they are ready to renew their interest in a £43m Lyon star in the new year.