Paul Merson says Tottenham cannot reject Bayern Munich’s imminent £94.6m bid for Harry Kane – but warns Spurs they are not a top-10 side if the England captain leaves the club.
Tottenham can’t turn this money down with one year left on his contract when they think he is going to walk for free at the end of it.
Yes, he’s 30 years of age but I don’t really pay attention to any of that. The way he plays, I think he can play until 35, 36 easily. He doesn’t rely on pace, his brain is as good as anybody’s.
I’m still shocked here today and I don’t know why Manchester United didn’t buy him. If they had, they would have got a good four or five years out of him and they would have won the Premier League.
You have got no choice – surely they can’t let him go for nothing next season. Whoever you are and in this day and age – and I know there’s a lot of money in the Premier League – but you’d be mad to reject this.
Will this Tottenham team get in the top four next season? I’d be shocked. So it’s not like you’re keeping him and definitely getting in the top four, so whatever we lose by selling him, you’re making it back in the Champions League. That isn’t going to be the case.
Why couldn’t he go to Chelsea? He can go wherever he wants next summer. It all depends on what is going on now. Is he sitting there and Levy is bidding him out of going to these other clubs? So could Kane go: I’ll sit quietly and do you [a disservice] and leave to sign for Chelsea? Mauricio Pochettino is there too.
Manchester United have just paid £72m for Rasmus Hojlund, so they can’t go and buy Harry Kane. If this lad doesn’t produce, he will be under enough pressure as it is. The only way he joins Man City is if Spurs say: can we get Julian Alvarez in return? Because he will score goals.
Kane scored 30 goals last season and Spurs finished nowhere near. You feel sorry for Ange Postecoglou, but you’re talking about a team who might, might, get in the top four if he stays, then a team who doesn’t get in the top half if he leaves.
They’re 100 per cent a bottom half team if he leaves. Who is going to get the goals? They finished eighth last season. I like James Maddison, he’s a good player. But Leicester got relegated.
Wolves playing dangerous game, I don’t see them staying up
A lot of the owners in the bottom half of the Premier League table are taking a chance.
They’re looking at Luton and Sheffield United coming up and thinking: “We’re going to be better than them, if we’re better than one more team, why do we have to spend £100m wage and give £100,000 a week wages?”
That’s the problem with Wolves, they’re getting rid of all these players and not getting anyone in. My only thinking is they’re saying: “we need to be better than Luton and Sheffield United”. And it’s a dangerous game.
Looking at the current picture, I don’t think Wolves stay up. If Gary O’Neil comes in, he will do a good job. If they do bring someone in, they would need the advantage of someone managing in the Premier League as good as yesterday. So he would come in and know the teams.
You wouldn’t want to bring someone in from abroad who would just have to get used to it. Gary would know all those players, he wouldn’t have worked with them but played against them. But someone else would ask for six months and then they’re relegated by Christmas.
Watch Brentford vs Tottenham and Manchester United vs Wolves live on Sky Sports this weekend on the opening round of the 2023/24 Premier League season.