Thierry Henry urges Harry Kane to leave after Tottenham's UCL elimination as Jamie Carragher names his 'only realistic' option
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has urged Tottenham Hotspur superstar Harry Kane to leave his current club.
Henry's comments came in the aftermath of Tottenham's UEFA Champions League exit. Spurs played out a 0-0 draw at home against AC Milan in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie, failing to overturn a 1-0 deficit from last month's first leg in Italy.
Earlier this month, Antonio Conte's side also fell out of the FA Cup in the Round of 16 stage, losing 1-0 to EFL Championship side Sheffield United. They are 18 points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League as well, effectively ending their chances of silverware this season.
This has inevitably led to questions about Harry Kane's future at Tottenham. The Englishman, who is their all-time top-scorer with 268 goals, has often reaffirmed his commitment to the club. However, he has also stated that he wishes to win team trophies.
Henry believes Kane needs to leave Spurs if he wants to win major honors. The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward said on CBS Sports Golazo (as quoted by Metro):
‘‘If I was him, I would go. It’s up for him to choose where but I would go, he has to know where he wants to go. A player like that, a player of his calibre, should not talk about just his goals at the end of his career. If I was him, I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if all I could talk about is my goals.
‘‘Listen, it’s a great achievement and I have massive respect for him – I think he’s outstanding. But if that’s the only thing you can bring to the table at the end of your career, that’s tough for me.’’
Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher was present alongside Henry on the panel. The 2005 UEFA Champions League winner believes Manchester United could be the only realistic destination for Harry Kane if he leaves Spurs. Carragher said:
‘‘The big question now is about Harry Kane. If he doesn’t leave this summer, he will stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career. I think it’s now or never for him.
‘‘Tottenham will always be there or thereabouts in terms of qualifying for the Champions League but will he win trophies? No. He’s never won a trophy in his life.’’
He went on to add:
‘‘Where does he go? That’s the big question. There’s not too many clubs there right now for him. In terms of what’s happened at Tottenham, I think it’s pretty negative.
‘‘I think the only place he can go realistically is Manchester United. I don’t want to see him there for obvious reasons but Man City have [Erling] Haaland, Liverpool have [Darwin] Nunez, he can’t go to Arsenal or Chelsea.
‘‘He could go abroad but he will want that Premier League goal. He will be the top goalscorer if he stays in the Premier League and that is a pretty special achievement. So if he stays in England, the only big team he can go to is Man United. But will they spend £100m for a guy who is nearly 30?’’
Thierry Henry: "I think he has to leave..."
@Carra23: "The only place he can go is Manchester United"
@MichRichards: "Bayern"
What is next for Harry Kane? 🤔 https://t.co/1YweCRZrl6
Kane is currently third on the Premier League's all-time scoring list with 201 goals. He is seven behind Wayne Rooney in second place and 59 adrift of first-placed Alan Shearer.
Harry Kane has enjoyed a good season for Tottenham, but was far from his best against AC Milan
Harry Kane has been one of the lone bright spots in Tottenham Hotspur's difficult campaign so far. The Englishman has scored 20 goals in 37 matches across all competitions, while also laying out four assists.
However, Kane had netted just once in seven UEFA Champions League matches this term heading into his side's clash against AC Milan on Wednesday. The forward failed to add to his tally in a below-par display as his team were held to a 0-0 draw.
Full-time. https://t.co/rIE9dEIbcr
Kane played the entire 90 minutes of the contest, but had just one shot on target from four attempts. He failed to record a single key pass, lost 10 of his 14 total duels and didn't complete a single dribble.
Tottenham as a whole endured a poor outing against the Rossoneri across both legs. However, they definitely needed more than they got from Harry Kane.