Premier League champions Manchester City are running out of time if they are to seal their interest in Harry Kane. The Tottenham Hotspur striker made an overdue return to action against Wolves but his future remains uncertain.
City has a week left to move and, despite a comfortable 5-0 win over Norwich City, there are signs that they need a top striker to maintain a solid defence of their trophy.
Hesitant Start
Manchester City were odds on favorites to win the Premier League in 2021/22 before a ball had even been kicked. After two matches of the new campaign, Pep Guardiola’s men remain at the top of the market but those odds have lengthened.
City, according to odds supplied by SBO.Net is now just ahead of Chelsea in second place with Liverpool, Manchester United, and Spurs following on. The change in the pricing shows just how fluid the markets can be and that’s why sbo.net will continue to publish updates from their panel of recommended sportsbooks.
Along with the market prices, the website will also allow readers to take in news and opinion articles on the Premier League and football in general. That panel of sportsbooks is also open for sign-ups and many of them have some generous welcome offers in place.
Funding options and strong customer service are other benefits that can be found here. It’s a solid website for Premier League bettors but will Manchester City be the logical choice as Champions this season?
Goodbye to a Record Breaker
At the end of their successful 2020/21 season, Manchester City parted company with the club’s leading scorer of all time. Sergio Aguero found the net on 260 occasions in 390 matches. The Argentine international went to Barcelona as a free agent at the end of the campaign and he’s yet to be replaced.
While it may be true that Aguero struggled with injuries at times and was restricted to just 12 league games last season, his departure leaves a big hole in the squad. City has a vacancy for the main striker and Harry Kane is the man who remains in the frame right now.
While it’s true that Pep’s men breezed past Norwich City with that 5-0 scoreline, the goals were shared around their midfielders. The only center-forward in that starting XI – Gabriel Jesus – drew a blank.
Brazilian international Jesus was originally acquired as back up to Aguero when he signed from Palmeiras in 2017. As the main striker last season, he scored 14 times in 42 matches and that’s a record that needs to improve.
The Perfect Fit
In contrast to City’s current strikeforce, Harry Kane is simply prolific. Since making his debut for Tottenham hotspur in 2009, he’s scored no fewer than 221 goals in 337 matches. At the age of 28, he should break Spurs’ all-time leading scoring record if he stays at the club. Meanwhile, he’s almost certain to break the scoring record for the English national team.
Kane would guarantee goals at Manchester City and he’d fill the void left by Sergio Aguero. The issue is that players of this quality come at a premium and even a side with City’s wealth are unwilling to match a reported transfer fee of £150 million GBP.
Rumors claim that Manchester City has offered cash plus a player exchange. The problem seems to be that none of the City squad are keen to feature in a Spurs side that isn’t challenging for silverware and isn’t involved in the Champions League.
So what happens next? There is time left in the summer transfer window to do a deal and no one would rule out the possibility of Harry Kane playing for Manchester City after the 31st of August.
City could alternatively switch their attentions to another striker – Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund. Norwegian international Haaland is much younger than Kane and is unproven to an extent but he is even more prolific in front of goal. Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich is another possibility.
Manchester City may not need Harry Kane but they should be looking for a new striker before the summer transfer window ends. A successful defence of their Premier League title could very well depend on it.
