Mauricio Pochettino appears relaxed over speculation linking Harry Kane with Real Madrid, safe in the knowledge the player is happy at White Hart Lane.
Kane has emerged as one of the best strikers not only in the Premier League, but the whole of Europe since breaking into the Tottenham Hotspur side on a regular basis last season. Now capped by England eight times – with three goals to his name – the 22-year-old has racked up 101 appearances for his club in all competitions, during which he has scored 49 times.
He has long been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, but in recent days it has also been reported that Real Madrid are keen on signing the youngster. Zinedine Zidane, the new head coach at the Bernabeu, is thought to be a big fan of the Spurs star, but Pochettino has shrugged off the possibility of his number 10 swapping the English capital for its Spanish equivalent.
“Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in Europe or in the world. It would not surprise me if big clubs are interested in him,” he said. “The good thing is Harry wants to stay with us. Sometimes a manager can say a player is not for sale but if he wants to leave there are a lot of examples when it happens. In this case the good thing is we do not want to sell him and Harry Kane wants to stay.”
Despite Pochettino’s words, the report of Real’s interest – which first appeared in the Daily Telegraph on Friday – is likely to cause at least a little concern for the Tottenham fans who have in the past seen Luka Modric and Gareth Bale move to Los Blancos for big fees. Kane is under contract at White Hart Lane until the summer of 2020, having agreed a new deal some 12 months ago.
Spurs, meanwhile, begin their quest for a ninth FA Cup this weekend when they take on Leicester City. The last time they lifted the famous trophy was back in 1991 under the reign of Terry Venables, but it was the successful side of a decade previous which is often celebrated the most. Pochettino met members of this victorious squad on Thursday, which led to him making a promise he may go on to regret.
“It was a pleasure to meet them all, a fantastic idea from Daniel (Levy, chairman) and the club,” he said. “I promised Daniel last night to sing together if we win a title. “What song? I don’t know, maybe after we decide. It is true I promised I would sing in front of, I don’t know who, but he needs to sing with me. Maybe in the stadium, yes OK why not? In front of our supporters.”
