(SPORTS MAX) Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel suggested there could be something of a frenzy among the world’s best football managers for Harry Kane in the coming months, adamant every coach will want the England star.
Media reports this week claimed Kane has informed Tottenham of his desire to leave the club, and Spurs’ response did little to reassure supporters as they urged “everyone” to focus on the end of the season.
The stories have not gone away since, with Kane acknowledging on Thursday in an interview with former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville that he feels he is at a “crossroads” in his career.
Kane spoke of his yearning to challenge for trophies and reach the level of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, before stoking links with Manchester City when naming Kevin De Bruyne as the player who would help him score even more.
While Kane also insisted he would never say he wants to leave Spurs, the rumours combined with the decision to grant a major interview suggest he may well be angling for a move.
Although the rivalry between the two clubs could be a hindrance, Chelsea have also been tentatively linked with the Tottenham star, and Thomas Tuchel was asked about any interest on Friday.
The German was unequivocal in his admiration for Kane.
When asked if Chelsea were interested in Kane, a chuckling Tuchel said: “Good one!
“If you find any coach around the world who would not like to have Harry Kane in his team, call me again.
“I’d like to speak with the guy and hear about his ideas of scoring and attacking. Of course, everybody loves Kane.
“But let’s be very, very clear, he’s a player for Tottenham on a long-term contract, and we will not get involved in any press conference with any disrespectful comments about that.”
One reason behind links between Kane and Chelsea is the fact the Blues’ top-scorer in the Premier League this term is Jorginho with seven, all of which have been penalties.
Tuchel accepts that is not an ideal scenario.
“Is that what we want, Jorginho our top scorer? No. Not because we don’t like Jorgi – he deserves all the fame and all the praise – but, of course, we don’t want him to be our top scorer.
“But turn it around: if we let Timo take all the penalties, he could have seven more. Mason [Mount] scored from a penalty already and Jorgi has also missed. Timo missed [too].
“So, he could have had another 10 more goals and we have a very different discussion with the exact same performance.
“A lot of top scorers in Europe use penalties to improve their numbers to score. That’s not with Timo. He is not that type of player.
“We try – in general we don’t need to hide – we try to improve our statistics offensively. First of all, we do that with the guys who are here.”
