‘I don’t know how they convinced him’; Poyet ‘disappointed’ by Tottenham stance holding star man back

Former Tottenham star Gus Poyet admits he was disappointed Harry Kane did not join Manchester City last summer as it would have improved him as a player.

The Kane to City saga dominated the back pages for most of the summer window. The Citizens managed to lure Jack Grealish to the Etihad from Aston Villa. But they made no secret of their desire to get the England captain on board as well.

Kane made it clear he was up for the move by going public on his desire for a “new challenge”. But, after much posturing and brinkmanship, the clubs were unable to agree on a price.

The striker remained with Spurs and has clearly been affected by the situation. He has struggled to hit the heights of previous seasons, with just eight league goals to date.

He has bagged 18 in all competitions and looked back to somewhere near his best under Antonio Conte in recent weeks. There is still speculation that the 28-year-old will be on his way in the summer.

And Poyet, who made 82 top-flight appearances for Spurs, expressed regret that things did not turn out differently in 2021.

“I thought Harry Kane was leaving last summer, I was convinced,” he told Betting Expert, per The Express. “When he didn’t, from a football side, I was a little bit disappointed because he made a strong call and then he stayed.

“I don’t know how they convinced him, but we’ll see in the summer again.”

It seems inevitable that the rumour mill regarding the prolific hitman will begin to turn when the dust settles on the current campaign.

His value is likely to have dropped and other clubs will enter the picture. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy drives a hard bargain and is not a man to be messed with.

But a below-par showing this term is sure to lower the £150m price tag of seven