Kane at Bayern: Blazing start for England captain

Harry Kane made a much-speculated big-money transfer this past summer. Long linked with Manchester City and Manchester United, England captain Kane has instead moved abroad. The former Tottenham striker has joined the German champions Bayern Munich. Early indications are that the move has been a success, with Kane making a fast start to life at Bayern.

Harry Kane: A Brief History

Harry Kane has become a household name in the past several years. Kane broke into the Tottenham team back in 2013/14. He really took off the following season, scoring 21 Premier League goals. He hasn’t looked back, consistently scoring double-digit goals every season since. Kane even became the record goalscorer at Spurs, surpassing Jimmy Greaves.

Whilst admired for his goalscoring ability, however, Kane wasn’t able to back that up with trophies at Tottenham. Spurs were outpaced by Leicester in the memorable 2014/15 title race. They also lost the Champions League Final to Liverpool in 2019. This only added to speculation that eventually the England captain would need to move elsewhere in pursuit of titles and a bigger legacy.

Kane at Bayern

This summer saw that long-speculated departure arrive as Kane joined Bayern for £86m. The England captain has wasted no time in getting down to business, scoring at a remarkable rate since his arrival. It’s made for a favourable comparisons with recent Bayern striking legends:

Harry Kane vs Robert Lewandowski in their first season for Bayern.

Kane took 20 games less to score the same amount of goals as Lewandowski.
— Bayern & Football (@MunichFanpage) Nov 14, 2023

Kane also scored a memorable goal from his own half in an 8-0 demolition of Darmstadt. This has contributed even further to the sense this is a historically great start. Lots of goals, great goals, and all in all already a big impact for Kane at Bayern.

Of course, the success of Kane’s transfer will ultimately be measured in trophies, not goals. But all the signs are there that Kane will be able to do his bit to ensure that the club is successful.

Good for Spurs too?

Clubs can often struggle to replace a player of Kane’s significance. Tottenham would have to go through this eventually, whether when Kane retired or when he left.

However, the early signs are that Tottenham are prospering even in Harry’s absence. Under former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglu they have won 8 of their opening 12 league matches. Although recent defeats have suggested that they may not quite be ready for a title challenge, the team overall looks stronger than last year. They seem competitive for a top 5 place this season: likely enough for qualification for the Champions League under next season’s new format.

Kane will always be remembered as a Spurs legend. He’s their all-time top goalscorer, and this record will be different to break. I’m sure he wants for his move to be a success but also for Spurs to be successful without him.

Good for England?

Kane is already a big player for England who has put in great performances at major tournaments. His international performances are likely part of the reason why Bayern Munich were keen to sign him.

However, I still feel that Kane starring in Germany could feed back positively into the England setup. This is because I’ve seen the trend among World Cup and European Championship winners in the 21st Century:

With the notable exception of Italy at the 2006 World Cup, successful international teams at the Euros and the World Cup have players playing in multiple leagues. Compared to players of other nations, English players play in other leagues more rarely. With Kane starring for Bayern and Jude Bellingham for Real Madrid, England have a chance to change this. The extra knowledge in the squad from playing with and against opponents they also meet at international level can add an edge. So can exposure to different cultures and playing styles.

Kane is also likely to be looked after well at Bayern. Like Lewandowski before him, he could play into his mid to late 30s. Bayern have a stronger squad and are less individually reliant on him than Spurs were. This could extend his career – both for his club and for his country.

A Good Transfer

The current indications are that this seems a good transfer all around: it’s working for Kane and for Bayern especially. Spurs seem to have timed it well too with a change in their leadership with Postecoglu coming in. It could bring benefits to England too.

With several high-profile and much-discussed transfers recently seeming to not have worked for any party, this is refreshingly positive and Kane in particular will be hoping that continues into the foreseeable future.