Football
ESPN staff 9y

Harry Kane, Tottenham Premier League Rank, No. 9

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ESPN FC is counting down the top 50 players in the Premier League right now, as voted for by various columnists, editors and analysts. Who makes the cut? Disagree with our list? Tell us on Twitter using the hashtag #PremRank.

Why Harry Kane makes the list

The Young Player of the Season, and one of the stories of the season. There were so many moments when Harry Kane's remarkable breakthrough campaign felt like it was conforming to the type of dreams and ambitions he himself might have hopefully imagined as a child, from the match-winning late double against Arsenal in the North London derby to his debut goal for England within seconds of coming on.

It was often so innocently uplifting in the way the modern game rarely is, but did raise some deeper debates about player development, opportunity and the player himself. Is this Kane's true level, at the age of 21, or just a run of extremely good form? It is hard to say, and John Terry and Sam Allardyce were just two of the experienced figures to argue that proper evaluation can only arrive when defenders have had a full season to better prepare to stop him. The problem they will face, though, is that he looks at least fundamentally good at all the basics a striker requires: finishing, opportunism, heading, movement, sharpness, touch. There is certainly more there than a one-season story.
-- Miguel Delaney

The stats that tell the story

- His 31 goals in all competitions were the most by a Tottenham player in a season since Gary Lineker had 35 in 1991-92.
- His 21 league goals tied the Tottenham record for a Premier League season, shared by Gareth Bale (2012-13) and Teddy Sheringham (1992-93).

What the experts say

"The numbers are highly impressive: 30 goals in all competitions, 21 in the Premier League, and one for England on his debut against Lithuania in March. A new five-and-a-half-year contract and widespread praise -- crystallised in his PFA Young Player of the Year award -- have followed. He looks capable of being the long-term fulcrum of the Spurs attack." -- Nick Dorrington, June 2015.

"A scorer who scores. No team can ask for more than that and Kane was back on target after, what for him, had been a comparatively lean spell. He's definitely one of Tottenham's own. Let's hope it stays that way." -- John Crace, May 2015.

"No one seems sure how seriously to take Harry Kane. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly why, considering the Tottenham youngster now leads the way in the Premier League's Golden Boot race (having been available at 1,000-1 at the start of the campaign), almost single-handedly won the north London derby against Arsenal, and registered his first career hat trick against Leicester last weekend." -- Michael Cox, March 2015.



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