Harry Kane’s big Tottenham decision that could change legacy amid Chelsea and Manchester United interest

What next for Harry Kane? The Tottenham legend is at a crossroads at Spurs, with the club without a permanent manager following the exit of Antonio Conte and without a director of football after Fabio Paratici resigned due to his Italian football ban being extended globally by FIFA.

The latter has been particularly tricky for chairman Daniel Levy because Paratici was restructuring the club’s scouting and coaching departments - and losing him when Conte had left has been a bitter pill to swallow.

However, as the search for a new manager continues, at the back of Levy’s mind is the situation regarding the contract of star man and club record goalscorer Kane.

The striker has so far given little away about his future plans, but seeing how well Erling Haaland is doing at Manchester City, surrounded by top-class players and with a chance of winning trophies in his first season at Etihad, will catch his attention - especially as Kane was the first choice for the Pep Guardiola back in 2021.

The numbers that keep Kane going despite the chaos

Tottenham’s campaign promised a lot but has disappointed, with the club losing all the ground gained by qualifying for the Champions League ahead of Arsenal last season.

And they have not invested well, despite owner ENIC’s £150 million investment in the summer, with glaring deficiencies in defence and midfield.

However, Kane still turns up for work and continues to deliver the goods. Earlier in the season, he scored the winner against Manchester City - his 267th goal in all competitions, making him the club’s record goalscorer.

Against Newcastle United where they were thrashed 6-1, it was Kane again who got the only goal for his side, and he grabbed an assist as Tottenham came from behind to draw with Manchester United at home last week.

He then moved level with Wayne Rooney on 208 Premier League goals and is now hunting down Alan Shearer’s 260 all-time Premier League goalscoring benchmark. His record is an incredible feat and a show of enviable focus with all the changes going on around Tottenham.

Chelsea and Manchester United's interest

Kane leaving Tottenham would undoubtedly break the hearts of Tottenham fans, but there is a hint of Teddy Sheringham in Kane’s situation.

The former England striker was a cult hero of Spurs in the 1990s but left his darling club for Manchester United to win trophies and only returned after he filled that trophy void with Alex Ferguson.

He recently urged Kane to take a similar path, telling FourFourTwo: “I joined United because I felt that Tottenham were not going to allow me to compete for trophies – I didn’t think the club were going to bring in the players that would have enabled us to challenge for the biggest prizes.”

“Harry has got to look at the situation at the club and ask himself the same questions that I did. If he doesn’t think that the club are going to be able to bring in players that would see them competing, then I don’t think there’s a single Tottenham fan that would begrudge him the opportunity to win trophies with another club.”

There has also recently been talks of interest from Chelsea, who have splashed almost £600 million in the last two transfer windows but are without a top natural striker and are stuck in 12th on the league table.

Leaving Tottenham for Manchester United is one thing, but Chelsea is one of those transfers that have the ability to tarnish one's hard-earned standing within a fanbase.

However, there are talks that former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino who got on well with Kane during his five-year stay in north London will immediately put a phone call through to try to lure Kane - if the manager’s deal to Stamford Bridge is completed as expected.

Daniel Levy turned down a £100 million bid from Manchester City in 2021 for Kane but with just one year left on the six-year deal he signed in 2018, the Spurs chairman does not hold the same kings he did two years ago - and it will be interesting to see how he navigates the muddy waters of finding the right coach to motivate the team and keep his prized asset from his sworn rivals.