Who Are Harry Kane's Potential Replacements as Spurs' Talisman?

For some time now, Harry Kane has been considered one of Europe’s best strikers, scoring an incredible 136 Premier League goals in 201 appearances.

The Tottenham man has become a crucial element to the Spurs' rise over the years and he has been a talisman for the last six seasons, which now puts him amongst club legends like Dave Mackay, Glenn Hoddle and Jimmy Greaves.

However, in a recent interview with Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Redknapp, Kane hinted at a possible move away from north London by stating he would not stay at Spurs "for the sake of it" should they fail to progress and continue without winning trophies.

The England international has now been linked with a number of clubs, including Real Madrid and Manchester United. The deal is set to be worth around the almighty figure of £150 million for Kane’s signature, making it one of the biggest ever transfers should it happen.

The transfer will leave a massive gap in Jose Mourinho’s side, perhaps prompting Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, to invest in a replacement for the irreplaceable fan favourite.

Here, we take a look at potential replacements for Tottenham’s prolific centre forward should he follow through with his desire to win silverware away from the London club.

Raul Jimenez has proved himself to be a crucial element of Nuno Espírito Santo’s side the season so far, scoring 22 goals in 44 appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers across all competitions.
Despite being 28 years old, the former Benfica and Athletico Madrid man is now becoming a proven and recognised striker in Europe under Santo, after seeming to struggle for first-team football at his previous clubs.

The Mexican has earned himself a reputation among the Premier League’s most elite clubs, being linked with possible moves to Spurs, Chelsea and United.

If Jimenez is to replace Kane with the Lilywhites, Mourinho would not have to change much tactically as the Wolves number nine has a similar playing style to Kane, not only having an eye for goal but also being a very creative forward, linking play and assisting 10 goals over the season.

It cost the Wanderers around £34 million to bring the Mexican international to Molineux and with his recent form and goals it is unlikely his departure will be cheap. However, with the sale of Kane being worth around £150 million, Spurs would have the finances to make this move possible.

Spurs will have a lot of competition for the Mexican striker. Although, when speaking to Spanish newspaper, Marca, Jimenez explained that his desire to play at “the highest level” is being fulfilled playing at Wolves, as he believes they have proved they are able to compete with teams in the top six.

Not all replacements must be a striker, of course, especially when Kane is all but irreplaceable in this regard. Plus, down the years, options up top have been slim for Spurs. If it's not been Kane leading the attack, it's was only due to a rare appearance from Fernando Llorente or Son Heung-min deployed down the middle, instead of his usual role as a winger.

So, with this in mind, Jose Mourinho may well look towards deploying the South Korean here more often to allow for the mega signing of Philippe Coutinho.

Coutinho has been heavily linked to Spurs recently, and he would certainly be a replacement for Kane in terms of the ability he brings to help transform a club.

The Barcelona man is used more as a left winger, a position currently occupied by different Spurs players, such as Son. However, Son has been used as centre forward before and impressed in the position, also. This could suggest Mourinho is looking to move Son permanently into a central striking role, with Coutinho to his left.

The ex-Liverpool star was sensational in the Premier League last time, scoring a total of 41 goals for the Reds and assisting 35 during his 152 league appearances, which is ultimately why Barcelona splashed £142m on him.

Coutinho also has the ability to win games and unlock defences by himself, as he had shown so often at Liverpool. Truthfully, although he won't bring as many goals as Kane, he may just be a good enough replacement on the pitch to ensure they stay in the Champions League spots.

According to Spanish football expert, Guillem Balague, the Brazilian almost joined Spurs from Barcelona last summer, but the deal never materialised, forcing a loan move to Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich instead.

Munich are seemingly not interested in acting on Coutinho’s buyout clause when his loan expires at the end of the season, and with Barcelona interested in offloading the ex-Prem star, Spurs may be in with a chance of signing the 27-year-old to replace Kane.

Of course, the price tag will still be close to, or even more than, £100m. With this said, Mourinho may turn away, but his budget will surely be stronger than ever if Kane is sold.

Luka Jovic has failed to make an impression for Real Madrid in his debut season at the Bernabeu, playing just 24 games under Zinedine Zidane and scoring just twice.

The Serbian was brought to Los Blancos for a figure in the range of £54 million from German side, Eintracht Frankfurt. However, his relationship with the fans and his manager is yet to exist seemingly, featuring as a bench player for most of the season and only playing 391 minutes in La Liga.

Kane has long been linked with Real Madrid, as the Spanish giants are still in the search of an elite goalscorer to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. Madrid could possibly offer Jovic as part of the deal to bring Kane to the Bernabeu as a way of diluting the Englishman’s heavy price tag.

At his previous club, the then 21-year-old was involved in 32 goals in the Bundesliga – scoring 25 in 54 appearances for Frankfurt. Perhaps the young Serb could seek to revive his career at Spurs and under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho, and most likely getting more game time at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium than he is seeing in Spain.

The problem for Spurs fans, however, is the young Madrid man is nowhere near as accomplished as their current goalscorer and a swap with Madrid could be a massive risk for Mourinho's side.

The transfer for the out of favour forward would most likely be a last resort for Levy and the Lilywhites, but should they fail to replace Kane with Coutinho or Jimenez, the Serbian may be a necessary risk to take.

By Bradley Beecham