Tottenham have been told not to underestimate the importance of the North London Derby on the future of Harry Kane. The striker is closing in on the club's all-time top-scorer record but could be tempted away from the club if Antonio Conte's men don't show progress when it matters.
The Italian goes into the side with his men 11 points behind their fierce rivals with the possibility of ending Sunday 14 behind with Mikel Arteta's side also having a game in hand at the top of the table. Few would have seen this sort of transformation coming when Tottenham beat Arsenal 3-0 in this fixture at the end of last season.
The win on that day at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium set the Lillywhites up to finish fourth last season but they haven't performed as positively as many expected after a strong summer window. Conte has continued to pick wins up throughout the season though and enters the having won the last two matches.
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Although drawing to Brentford and losing to Aston Villa saw his men get off to a bad start after the World Cup they have only lost once in seven matches in all competitions and still remain well in contention for the top four despite their performative struggles.
Paul Merson wonders if this will be enough to keep hold of Harry Kane though. The 29-year-old has a contract until 2024 and will enter the final year of his deal in the summer which could see Spurs' bargaining position weaken with interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Writing in The Daily Star the ex-Arsenal man said, “Despite all the talk about Arsenal and the Premier League title, this feels like a decisive game for Tottenham and Harry Kane. If Arsenal go and beat Spurs, Kane will be slumped there wondering ‘do I really sit here for the rest of my career and risk winning nothing?’
“This is a huge game for him because he could equal or surpass Jimmy Greaves’ goalscoring record and if Tottenham win this, everything feels rosy again having dented Arsenal’s title hopes. A defeat would leave Kane scratching his head, thinking ‘even our arch-rivals have gone clear of us – what am I doing here?’
“Everyone is looking for a centre-forward and the only buyable striker right now is Kane. Both sides have to win.”
Kane is already the top scorer in North London Derby matches and knows that a 15th goal in the fixture would bring him level with the 266 goals Jimmy Greaves scored for the club too. He is already a club legend but is consistently tasked with deciding if his career goals can be achieved at Tottenham.
Sunday's game may well act as a starting point that they can.
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