Spurs must rue selling “legend” who just finished above Kane in Ballon d’Or

Tottenham Hotspur’s start to the 2023/24 campaign tantalises new heights, with new manager Ange Postecoglou’s summer transfer activity paving the foundation for some blistering form that has thrown the club into title-chasing contention.

In fact, Spurs top the Premier League table after ten matches, having won eight matches – with wins over Manchester United and Liverpool – and completed two draws, with one such result coming against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

It’s a remarkable revival and in such a short time, with Tottenham moored in deep, dark waters last season, finishing eighth in the English top-flight and losing both esteemed manager Antonio Conte and Harry Kane – with the latter joining Bayern Munich after becoming the club’s record scorer months before.

Harry Kane’s statistics at Tottenham Hotspur

Having completed a number of decent loan spells among the lower divisions, Tottenham youngster Kane was just another striker looking to earn a place in the Premier League.

It’s fair to say that he has achieved his goals, having posted 278 goals and 64 assists from 430 appearances for Spurs, earning praise as a “legend of the game” by Statman Dave, a sentiment that is surely echoed by many who know their salt.

The distinguished striker never managed to get his hands on some silverware with Tottenham, though he became England’s record goalscorer last season too.

But now aged 30, he seeks a silver-laden chapter to confirm his stature as one of the best, and, as such, he joined German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in a £100m deal in August.

Harry Kane is thriving at Bayern Munich

Tottenham might be thriving and some might claim that the 30-year-old will be watching the success with a sense of poignancy, but having scored 14 goals and supplied seven assists from just 13 matches for Bayern, he’s probably contented with his decision to jump ship.

Kane served the Lilywhites with stalwart devotion, and without his incredible talismanic leadership, many of the good times over the past decade would not have been realised.

As per FBref, the £419k-per-week machine ranks among the top 9% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals and assists, the top 17% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90 – dynamic and destructive, a real box of tricks.

His sale will sting the Lilywhites support despite the feats at the moment under Postecoglou’s wing, though whether he is the greatest modern Spurs player to have left the fold is debatable, with Luka Modric still plying his trade at the highest level, and earning acclaim while doing so.

Luka Modric’s Tottenham career

Tottenham signed talented midfielder Modric from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee believed to be around £15m in 2008, warding off competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

It proved to be one of the most resounding transfer successes of chairman Daniel Levy’s reign, with the 5 foot 8 ace making 160 showings and leading iconic Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to claim that he “could play in any team.”

Alas, the good times never last and Modric eyed a move to Stamford Bridge in 2011, even handing in a transfer request, but Levy’s unbudgeable transfer negotiating closed the door on that particular avenue.

Instead, Real Madrid secured his signature for £30m one year on, where a long and illustrious partnership would commence – a partnership that persists to this day, over a decade later.

Now aged 38, the 170-cap Croatia captain has just finished tenth in the Ballon d’Or rankings, meaning that he has actually finished comfortably above Kane, despite the England captain’s remarkable individual season, scoring 30 goals for Spurs.

What Luka Modric is doing now

Dubbed a “legend of the game” by the likes of writer Usher Komugisha – like Kane – Modric has enjoyed quite the career since leaving English shores, and he has no doubt proved his worth as one of the greatest midfielders to have ever worn the boots.

While the Santiago Bernabeu has been his primary stomping ground, Modric has enjoyed a central role in the most prosperous period in his nation’s history, earning the 2018 World Cup Player of the Tournament, with journalist Liam Canning describing him as “world-class” for his exploits on the international stage.

The £366k-per-week phenom has now completed a momentous 500 appearances with Los Blancos, scoring 37 goals and supplying 78 assists, leading pundit Darren Bent to remark that he has “three eyes”, so stunning is his vision on the pitch.

As the table portrays, Modric’s trophy cabinet is rather impressive, and the sheer volume of illustrious success that he has had throughout his career underscores his standing as one of the finest midfielders of his generation.

A leader like no other; calm, composed and elegant on the ball, ingenious in guiding the ball through the lines – Modric has it all, and despite his twilight years, he is still among the foremost midfielders across Europe.

Indeed, as per FBref, the Croatian icon ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 4% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes and the top 12% for progressive carries per 90.

Such metrics underscore his value as one of the finest ball-players around, a creative force still capable of pumping life through Real Madrid’s veins.

In truth, Modric forced his way out of White Hart Lane and it would have been foolish to prevent him from doing so; the chances of a fresh deal were pretty unlikely.

But, that does not mean that Spurs supporters cannot dream of what might have been, and of the rewards that could have been reaped had Modric remained at the club to serve as the fulcrum of Mauricio Pochettino’s era.

Kane left Tottenham as one of the best players in the club’s history, and he has etched his name into the books for his contribution, but Modric remains the greatest former star yet to have hung up the boots.