Jamie Redknapp believes the continued Harry Kane to Man City transfer talk hindered the striker at the start of the season. The Tottenham star began the season slowly, but has begun to find form as his future was once again put into question this week.
Kane to Man City was the talk of last summer but the Premier League champions' inability to meet the steep asking price put on the back of Tottenham's talismanic figure meant that the club decided to splash a British record £100million on Jack Grealish instead. The former Aston Villa captain has similarly struggled to hit the ground running in his first season donning the light blue shirt.
Tottenham and their fans will be thankful that Kane did decide to stay despite the constant speculation, with speculation surrounding the Lilywhites' No.10 at the start of the season under Nuno Espirito Santo. However, once Antonio Conte came in to replace the Portuguese manager, there was almost no looking back as he got back to his best, having registered 28 goal contributions for his club so far.
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But as we start to approach the summer, talk about a potential exit for the Spurs hero has started to surface once again with Man City still looking for a new No.9, while Man United could also potentially make an ambitious move if Mauricio Pochettino was to be appointed as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's heir. "Obviously my main focus is just finishing this season first and foremost," Kane said in a press conference ahead of the Switzerland clash.
"We're still in competition for the top four. I can't control what will happen in the future. It's a big year for everyone, not just me. It's about controlling what I can control and doing what I can on the pitch. It's important over the summer to stay focused on that and look forward to a fantastic tournament."
Asked a follow up around whether he has spoken to Conte about his future, Kane added: "I'm not going to get into personal discussion between me and the manager. My main focus is to finish the season as well as possible. We have a big race to finish top four. The next 10 games is all I'm focused on. He's a fantastic coach.
"We get on really well. He brings ideas to the game, how he wants me and the strikers to play. I've learnt different aspects of the game under him. I feel physically better knowing we train and work hard every day.
"I feel the benefit of that in how I feel physically and mentally with that sharpness. I'm in a really good place. I'm in good form but I feel like I can keep improving and Antonio will definitely keep pushing me to my limits. I enjoy having someone like that as a manager." With all focus for Kane on the season for club and country ahead of a big summer, the new transfer talk didn't affect him much for England as he scored from the spot in the 2-1 Switzerland win - going level with Sir Bobby Charlton in the England scoring records, just four behind current leader Wayne Rooney.
Back off the pitch though, both Redknapp and fellow commentator Karen Carney had spoken about Kane pre-match and the differences seen early in the season compared to now. "Harry's had a tough Euros, but the Man City element didn't help, coming into it with that on the back of his mind, once the season started that affected him," Redknapp admitted on Sky Sports. "I think now he's in the form of his life, everything about his game is spot on."
Carney then added: "He looks fresh, I think people underestimate how long it takes to recover from tournaments. For us it always took six months. It's the mental side of the game that people don't realise. He's bounced back, he looks lean, sharp, everything is low. He's Mr Reliable. Mr Consistent. That's exactly what England want."
