They say history repeats itself, but Erik ten Hag is hoping it won’t. He’s had enough of fruitless drawn-out transfer chases after the Frenkie de Jong debacle last summer.
Daniel Levy left it until the final day of the 2008 window to allow Dimitar Berbatov to swap White Hart Lane for Old Trafford - the last Spurs player to make such a move. United have made it clear that they are not going to dance to the Tottenham chairman’s tune this time.
Back in 2021, clearly torn, Harry Kane ummed and ahed about leaving his beloved club for Manchester City before ultimately staying put. The England captain won’t be able to wait around this time if he decides he prefers the red side of Manchester instead.
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United are in desperate need of a prolific goal scorer and their declaration about reluctance to deal with Levy underlines that they are not going to dawdle. The idea of missing out on a goal-getter ahead of next season is too dangerous to contemplate, especially with Anthony Martial under the 'for sale' tab.
And so the Reds are currently exploring other targets under the presumption Levy’s stubbornness will prevail. Luke Shaw said he is expecting big signings from Ten Hag this summer and that they would hopefully be purchased before the start of pre-season.
His manager will concur although the cloud shrouding the conclusion of the takeover process will impact his pursuits, despite insisting to the contrary. He is, after all, still in the dark over what budget he will be given this summer.
But reports suggest that Ten Hag is ‘obsessed’ with Kane and who can blame him. 30 Premier League goals in the current Tottenham side would be the goal-scoring story of the season but for Erling Haaland.
For all his records and loyalty to Tottenham, Levy has somewhat backed Kane into a corner and it’s up to the player to make it known he wants an escape route. Poor investments on players and failed managerial appointments are not papered over by a brand new state-of-the-art stadium, unfortunately.
Levy has allowed Spurs to get into such a state that Kane is being forced to choose between his head and his heart - a lust for trophies or another pledge of loyalty to the club he supported as a boy.
It shouldn’t have been like this. Tottenham’s 21st Century pièce-de-résistance is being a runner-up in a Champions League final to Liverpool, a phase that was supposed to mark the start of a new dawn.
Instead, Mauricio Pochettino will be taking his seat in the away dugout next season. Chelsea are hardly a model of excellence given the past season but that appointment is contrasted by Tottenham’s inability to find a new boss. Nobody wants the job after the (probably restrictive) role specifications are laid bare.
Trophy-less Kane would ultimately want to be pushing for the top trophies at Spurs but he faces the prospect of no European football next season and will be at least 31 by the time he next plays in the Champions League should he stay.
And so given the situation he finds himself in, Kane must do something against his nature if he wants to move to United - voice his preference and force an exit. And he must do it quickly.
You can be sure Ten Hag will not be kicking up his feet as his scouts draft up their final reports on other striker options this summer, with the likes of Victor Osimhen and Goncalo Ramos on the fall-back list.
It isn’t Kane’s doing, but if he wants an exit this summer he must balance the risk of tarnishing his spotless Tottenham sticker book or instead likely wave by another 12 months of no silverware. It’s an ultimatum he doesn't want, but one he has been given - and he must choose.
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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