Harry Kane could be last of a dying breed after he stayed at Tottenham and all but secured them Champions League

IT MIGHT not have been what he wanted, but Harry Kane is still one of their own.

And in the week that football paid tribute to one-club legend Mark Noble at West Ham, it is becoming increasingly likely that Kane could become the last of that dying breed.

Because Erling Haaland’s imminent arrival at Manchester City has effectively closed Kane’s last escape route from Tottenham.

And the way things are going for him, that’s not quite the disaster it might have seemed last summer.

It was exactly a year ago today that Kane told Sky’s Gary Neville that he was ready to leave Spurs.

But that move never materialised after chairman Daniel Levy priced him out of the market with a demand for £150million.

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And now that City are out of the running, only Manchester United, Chelsea and maybe Newcastle are rich enough to match Levy’s valuation.

Yet with Spurs just one point away from a Champions League return, why would Kane want to leave Antonio Conte’s upwardly mobile side for any of those three?

United are a complete basket case at the start of a massive rebuilding process — and could yet be playing in the Europa Conference League next season.

Maybe if they had appointed Mauricio Pochettino they might have stood a chance.

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But now? Forget it.

Kane made it abundantly clear that he would never sign for Chelsea when they came in for him last summer… and that was before it all fell apart at Stamford Bridge for sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich.

And all the oil in Saudi Arabia isn’t going to turn Newcastle into top-four contenders during Kane’s remaining few football years.

Yet barring a dodgy lasagne against rock-bottom Norwich on Sunday, Spurs are all set to secure qualification for the competition which Kane yearns to be competing in again.

They have the best stadium in Europe, magnificent training facilities and a world-class manager in Conte.

And while they might not be about to topple City and Liverpool any time soon, they are shaping up to become a third major English power next season.

If that is going to happen they will need to strengthen their squad with the quality signings demanded by Conte.

But they also need to keep the volatile Italian on board after his threats to walk away if he doesn’t get his own way.

That is something which Levy absolutely cannot allow to happen after the disastrous decision to appoint Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo last summer.

Many people attributed Kane’s slow start to the campaign to him sulking about the breakdown of his dream move to City.

But don’t forget he had just been hit for six by England’s heartbreaking penalty defeat at the European Championship final at Wembley.

So returning to work with the charisma-free Nuno was never going to inspire a player who had dared to dream.

And it was only when Conte pitched up in North London in November that Kane properly sparked into life.

Up to that point he had scored just one Premier League goal all season.

Now he has 16, as well as eight assists, ten FA Cup, League Cup and European goals and another 11 for England.

His partnership with Son Heung-Min is bordering on the telepathic, with the duo responsible for 60 per cent of all Tottenham’s goals this season.

They are the reason they are about to beat Arsenal to fourth place, because no striker at the Emirates has managed more than four Premier League goals so far.

The noise generated during last week’s North London derby was like nothing I have heard at a football stadium without a rock band playing there.

Those Spurs fans can sense that something special is stirring along the Seven Sisters Road.

And Kane might want to think twice about leaving them just when they are shaping up for some long overdue glory, glory.

Stop, Klopp

JURGEN KLOPP has complained that the 40 medals which Liverpool received for winning the FA Cup final are not enough to go around everyone involved in their success.

But when you take away the 31 players who were involved in their six Cup ties, that still leaves nine for Klopp and his backroom team.

And if you are going to reward absolutely everyone who contributed, you’d need a medal for the Anfield box office manager, the press officer, social media team, kit manager and the assistant to the assistant masseur.

They have to draw the line somewhere — so can I suggest James Norris, who played one minute of the third-round win against Shrewsbury?

Or maybe Melkamu Frauendorf, who had nine minutes in the same game.

Bale-ing out

NO s*** Sherlock moment of the week arrived with the announcement Gareth Bale will not be renewing his £650,000-a-week deal with Real Madrid.

It is pretty difficult to be out in the cold in the Spanish capital — but that’s what the injury-prone Welshman has managed these past four years.

And as Real boss Carlo Ancelotti puts the finishing touches to his preparations for next week’s Champions League final, it’s a fair bet Bale does not figure in his plans to beat Liverpool.

For the Madridistas can’t wait to see the back of the £86million winger, 32, and he can’t wait to see the back of them.

But if Wales win their World Cup play-off against Scotland or Ukraine in June, Bale must shelve thoughts of retirement and find another team to keep him in shape for Qatar in November.

Let’s hope they have a decent golf course nearby.

No Christ redeemer

CHELSEA boss Thomas Tuchel threw Andreas Christensen under the bus when he revealed that the defender asked not to play in the FA Cup final.

Then he twisted the knife by admitting it was by no means the first time that the Danish international had pulled out of a game at the last minute.

But Chelsea feel no loyalty to Christensen after the way he negotiated to leave them for Barcelona as a free agent.

So perhaps Tuchel’s questioning of the player’s mental toughness is his way of saying he won’t be that much of a miss next season.

Film Vard to believe

BACK in 2016 reports first surfaced of plans to make a Hollywood film of Jamie Vardy’s life.

Even more incredible were rumours that Zac Efron was approached to portray the Leicester striker . . . with Meghan Markle as his wife!

But now it seems that it’s the Vardys who could be heading for La La Land after their car-crash libel action against Coleen Rooney.

Because there was no whodunnit involved in this Wagatha Christie case . . . it was Rebekah Vardy’s account.

And if the Rooneys haven’t had their fill of legal drama, Wayne might now like to consider suing the court artist who has drawn him looking like an extra from Lord of the Rings. 

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NEWCASTLE took to social media this week to declare the club’s pride in supporting the international day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

Let’s hope someone told their Saudi owners.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk