With Tottenham Hotspur now out of chances to win a trophy yet again this season, pundits and football fans are once again discussing what this could mean for the future of Harry Kane.
The Spurs and England star has been one of the best players in Europe, let alone the Premier League for some time now and while he has beyond shined at his boyhood club, he is still yet to win a trophy in his competitive career and the worry is that he is now running out of time to do so.
Following his team’s exit from the Champions League earlier this week, the question of ‘what’s next for Harry Kane?’ is once again being asked and although he could very well stay at Spurs and go down as a one-club man, recording goalscorer and legend, he wants to win trophies.
That being said, it seems as though many feel he now has only one destination left to turn to if he did choose to depart and the consensus seems to be, almost resoundingly, that it’s Manchester United.
🚨 Jamie Carragher and Thierry Henry have their say on the future of Harry Kane at Tottenham.
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 9, 2023
Speaking after the loss to AC Milan on Wednesday night, CBS Sports’ Kate Abdo asked the punditry panel whether they think Kane will finally leave this summer and, as you can see, the answer was not only quick but definitive.
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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said that is a “now or never” moment for Kane, insisting that he believes if the England captain “doesn’t leave this summer, he will then stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career”.
While he conceded he does still stand a chance of a domestic cup at Spurs, he believes that he’s far too good to settle for that and went on to say that he thinks “the only place he can go realistically is Manchester United” simply because of the strikers already in place at his team and Manchester City.
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Moreover, Carra and his fellow panellists also seemed to agree that any potential move has to be this summer, with Kane now 29 and soon leaving the ‘prime years’ and moving towards the latter stages of his career. United legend Rio Ferdinand and former Spurs striker Peter Crouch seemed to agree.
Ferdinand said that given Spurs don’t look to be anywhere near “touching distance” of winning anything, Kane should be “looking to pastures new” and after everything that he’s achieved at the club, recently breaking legend Jimmy Greaves’ goal record, fans couldn’t begrudge him leaving.
Rio also noted that part of the frustration for supporters is that after multiple speculative transfer windows, Kane hasn’t necessarily gone out of his way to make it crystal clear that he will be staying or going and could make it clear that he is “Mr. Spurs” or, indeed, that the time has come to go.
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As Crouch sees it, like Carragher, although he doesn’t want to see Kane join United for obvious reasons, it seems as though it may be the best fit for him. “I personally see him at United”, said Crouch, even comparing him to Teddy Sheringham and already envisioning the impact he could have there.
Gary Neville is another figure who has long made it clear that Kane needs to move on if he is to stand a chance of winning silverware, reiterating last week even before the Milan game that “the time is right” for him to leave, especially given the fact that “United are desperate for a centre-forward.”
Another thing all the ex-players involved in the discussions above also seemed to agree on is that if he finally decides to leave, wherever he goes he will want to stay in the Premier League so he can go on to break Alan Shearer‘s all-time record (260), which he is currently 60 goals short of.
Keeping that and the fact that City have Haaland, Liverpool have brought in multiple new forwards and he simply cannot join current league leaders and fierce rivals in Arsenal, it really does feel like there’s only one other option left: United.
Having picked up their first trophy in six years with the EFL Cup win and still in two other competitions, not to mention back up near the top of the league table and in need of an elite, out-and-out striker to properly challenge for titles, this might be both the perfect time and the only time for him to join United.
Featured Image — Harry Kane (via Instagram)/BT Sport (via Twitter)
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Andy Cole makes the case for Ivan Toney as a January transfer target for Manchester United
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend Andy Cole has suggested that Manchester United should consider making sidelined striker Ivan Toney their next transfer target in the January window as they look to strengthen their side.
The Brentford striker is currently serving an eight-month ban following a total of 232 breaches of FA rules for gambling offences and hasn’t played since May but is, nevertheless, still considered one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League and earned his first England call-up back in March.
Following an Athletic report which claimed an unnamed football agent has now confirmed Toney is “destined” to leave the West London club once he returns to the fold, the former Man United player and prolific number nine has said he believes Toney would be a good addition.
In an interview with Betfred, the 51-year-old said of Toney, “I like him. If Manchester United did move to sign Ivan, then he’s only going to make them a little bit better than they find themselves at this exact moment.”
“He’s been a key player for Brentford and he’s scored plenty of goals for them in the Premier League”, says Cole; “if the opportunity came up, then why shouldn’t Manchester United consider signing him?”
While he did go on to say that the prospect depends on what the club’s recruitment plan is going forward, he insisted that given Toney’s experience at the top level now and that he’s commonly considered in his ‘prime’ years now, he could add more goal threat.
Cole even went on to suggest that Toney could form a partnership up top for United, adding, “he could even help Rasmus Højlund come through.” Højlund scored his first goal on his Champions League debut for the club in their 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Although he acknowledged that it might be a step up for the forward, it goes without saying that Erik ten Hag‘s team are in a difficult period right so far this season, not to mention with absences and injuries piling up, and he also compared the potential challenge to his own move up the football pyramid.
“When I moved from Bristol City to Newcastle, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think they did, but I was able to. When I moved from Newcastle to Man United, did people believe I could make the step up? I don’t think so but I proved that I could, so it’s all about giving players the opportunity…”
“You’re never going to know whether they’re capable or not until they’re given the opportunity to show that they can do it.” Cole also argued that regardless of his well-publicised off-field issues with betting, like with United’s other ongoing dramas at present, they “shouldn’t have an impact on the players”.
Citing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson as another “really good player” that many clubs will be interested in come January and next summer, he said that the likelihood of him signing him is less favourable, noting that “if [he’s] scoring hat-tricks in the Premier League, then he’s already worth around £100 million now by that comparison.”
When speaking in his tell-all podcast interview back in August, Toney did reveal that he’s been a Liverpool fan all his life but that he “like[s] watching Arsenal and how they play and kind of how passionate the fans are”.
The Gunners have already been linked with a possible £50 million sweep for his signature but we’ve seen plenty of targets snapped up by rival clubs already this season. Would you take Ivan Toney at Old Trafford, United fans?
Featured Image — Ivan Toney/Andy Cole (via Instagram)
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Sale Sharks Academy raise over £17,000 for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon
Danny Jones
Sale Sharks’ Academy team have managed to raise over £17,000 for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after completing the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon earlier this year.
The inaugural Leeds Marathon, named after former rugby league icon and motor neurone disease campaigner Rob Burrow, took place back in May with more than 12,000 people taking part and over £4 million raised in charitable donations for various worthy causes. Immense.
While MND was obviously a key focus of the event after Burrow was diagnosed with the condition in December 2019, those joining in could choose to fundraise for any organisation and, in the instance of the Sale Sharks, they chose something close to home and their hearts.
Running the 26.2 miles in aid of the RMCH, the largest children’s hospital in the UK, Sharks Academy manager Fergus Mulchrone and six members of his backroom staff raised a whopping total of £17,048.
Congratulations to the @SaleSharksAcad team who raised a huge £17,048 for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital after completing the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon! 🙌
The Sale Sharks Academy team have done wonders for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital funding.
With help from Peninsula, who committed to matching the amount raised by Mulchrone and his coaches, the team saw their total of £7,303 raised through their JustGiving page alone, along with further donations amassed in the build-up and after the event, doubled by the organisation.
Teaming up with the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Peninsula agreed to double the total donations figure provided the Sharks hit their target; that’s exactly what they did and then some.
Following their impressive feat, the hospital tweeted: “Congratulations to Sale Sharks who ran the Leeds Marathon AND hit their £5,000 fundraising target. They’re the first to raise the £5K eligible for match-funding by Peninsula in our ‘Making a Difference…Together’ scheme.”
The initiative, which is set to run throughout the entirety of 2023, saw the HR, health and safety firm set aside £100,000 to encourage businesses to do their bit and help raise money for the hospital.
Danny Jones -
10th March 2023 
