Harry Kane has ended a 20-year association with Tottenham Hotspur and the Lilywhites have identified Folarin Balogun from their rivals Arsenal as his replacement.
Kane joined Spurs as a pre-teen in 2004 after spending a year at Arsenal and at a number of other academies.
He sealed a move to Bayern Munich for £86.4 million the day before the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, ending his 14-year affiliation with the club’s senior team. In that time, he scored 280 goals in 436 appearances, with 213 of those coming in the Premier League. That made him one of only three players to have crossed the 200-goal mark in English football’s top flight.
Now, he is ready to begin a new chapter at Bayern Munich after being handpicked to replace Robert Lewandowski and becoming the German Bundesliga club’s most expensive signing in history.
Spurs are now left with the burden of replacing the player who has given them so much. They went into the new season with Heung-Min Son as their captain and Richarlison as their new centre-forward. However, they are looking for another long-term investment who they hope Ange Postecoglu will be able to mould into the next Harry Kane.
Spurs have signed highly-rated striker, Argentine starlet Alejo Véliz from Rosario Central in Argentina for £13 million. However, the player is seen as one for the future and not expected to make an immediate impact. In the meantime, they need someone to keep Richarlison on his toes and become Kane’s possible and immediate replacement.
They have been linked to Nigerian striker Gift Orban and a few orders, but the most recent links see them looking to Arsenal once again.
Folarin Balogun, who spent the 2022/23 season on loan in France and impressed greatly, is looking for a way out of Arsenal. The American believes that he is ripe for a first-team place but at Arsenal, he is below Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah in the pecking order.
He has been linked to a number of clubs including Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, but he has made it to the first gameweek of the new Premier League season without a move. Spurs have now emerged as an option for the 22-year-old in a shocking turn of events.
He could join the likes of Sol Campbell, Rohan Ricketts, David Bentley, William Gallas and Emmanuel Adebayor in making the switch from Arsenal to Spurs if the Lilywhites pay the £50 million fee that Arsenal want for the striker.
Spurs will also have to battle AS Monaco, who are currently believed to be leading the race for Balogun at the moment.
Balogun is believed to be more inclined towards a Premier League stay, which also gives West Ham United a glimmer of hope as the Hammers are also reportedly interested in acquiring the player.
It remains to be seen if the player will risk the ire of ARsenal fans by moving to their rivals after spending years in the Arsenal youth system.
