Tottenham Hotspur remain on route to secure another top four finish in the Premier League this season despite the ongoing negativity surrounding the club at the moment.
Antonio Conte's expected departure on Sunday followed his explosive rant in his post-match press conference after the 3-3 draw with Southampton. The collapse at St Mary’s came after Champions League and FA Cup exits.
Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason will temporarily take over from Conte for the remainder of the season, with ten games left for them to secure a spot Champions League next campaign.
READ MORE: Daniel Levy, Paratici, Danjuma, Son and the winners and losers of Antonio Conte's Tottenham exit
Spurs are currently two points ahead of Newcastle United, though Eddie Howe's side have two games in hand. With Brighton, Newcastle, Man United and Liverpool still to come, Spurs must have a successful final two months of the season.
One player who will be heavily influential in Tottenham's end-of-season form is Harry Kane. The England international has scored 21 of Spurs' 52 goals (40%), with Son Heung-Min (6) in second and Rodrigo Bentancur (5) in third. Without Kane, Spurs attackers Son, Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Arnaut Danjuma and Lucas Moura, have scored a combined eight goals in the Premier League - with Richarlison, Danjuma and Moura failing to score at all.
Throughout his career, Kane has largely avoided serious injury. However, should the Spurs legend suffer one that would rule him out for an extended period his side would be bereft of quality in his absence. There have been constant fears that Spurs are over-reliant on Kane and that has shown this season.
When looking at data produced by Buzz Casino which produces a Premier League table without each team's top goal scorers, Kane's influence is exactly what you'd expect. Without the 29-year-old's 21 league goals, Spurs would drop down to eighth place.
In contrast with the league's top sides, if you removed the top scorers from Arsenal and Manchester City they would remain in their current position. In fact, City would be 14 points worse off without Erling Haaland's 28 goals.
The over-reliance of Kane is something that has to be looked at in the summer. The arrivals of Richarlison and Danjuma this season have not had the desired impact and Son's goals have dried-up compared to his 23 last season and 17 the year prior. The South Korean has scored ten goals in all competitions this campaign but the 30-year-old must rediscover his form next season.
Possibly the most worrying factor in Spurs' lack of goals this season is the uncertain future of Kane. His contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium expires in 2024 and is yet to commit his future to the club, accelerating speculation linking him with Manchester United.
Should the striker eventually leave the club, a major overhaul of attacking talent will be required.
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