Arsenal coach Dan Buck has shared how he was once left extremely surprised after speaking to a Tottenham Hotspur scout about Harry Kane.
It is probably not too dramatic to say that Arsenal’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-final largely hinge on how well they handle Harry Kane when they face Bayern Munich.
Kane has been exceptional for the Bavarian giants, scoring 38 goals across the Bundesliga and Champions League in what has been a miserable season for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Of course, it would particularly painful if Kane proved to be the player to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League given his connection with their North London rivals.
But it will also act as a reminder of the decision Arsenal made back in 2002 to let Kane go.
Arsenal coach shocked after Tottenham decision on Harry Kane
The 30-year-old spent around a year on the books at Hale End. But, as reported by The Athletic, Kane, at that time, was often overshadowed by the likes of Chuks Aneke and Benik Afobe.
Interestingly, it would be another couple of years before Kane joined another top-flight side. After a brief spell at Watford, the striker ended up joining Tottenham in 2004.
Dan Buck worked with Kane at Arsenal. And, speaking to The Athletic, he suggested that he was shocked to learn when he had signed for Spurs.
“Around that time, I went to do some coaching at Spurs,” he said. “When Harry left Arsenal, I never heard of him again. But then one of the scouts at Spurs said, ‘You worked with Harry Kane at Arsenal, didn’t you? We’ve just signed him’. I was really surprised, because when I’d seen him he was really, really struggling.”
Why it’s hard to criticise Gunners staff for releasing striker
It is hard to criticise anyone who did not see Kane’s potential coming. He scored 14 goals in 56 league games during his various loan spells just a couple of years before his real breakthrough at Tottenham.
No-one could have imagined what a monster he would become. Certainly, you would have been laughed at for suggesting that he would even go close to becoming Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer.
But there is no question that there are few better stories to tell those who have been written off by one academy than that of Harry Kane.
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