EPL

Kane playing with 'freer mind' for England after strong end to Tottenham season

By Sports Desk June 04, 2022

Harry Kane is playing with a "freer mind" for England following a strong end to his club campaign with Tottenham.

The 28-year-old helped Spurs to topple fierce rivals Arsenal for fourth place in the Premier League, meaning the return of Champions League football next season.

He scored five goals in Tottenham's final five league games to take his tally to 17 for the campaign in the top flight.

That is Kane's joint-lowest tally in the competition in his eight seasons as a regular, alongside 2018-19, and is down on the 23 goals registered in 2020-21.

Kane's lower-than-usual goals return can be put down to a slow start to the campaign when failing to score in his first eight Premier League games of the season.

That came amid a backdrop of uncertainty regarding his future after expressing a desire to leave Spurs, only for the club to block a move to Manchester City.

With Tottenham now thriving under Antonio Conte and Kane seemingly settled once again, the England captain hopes that will be reflected in his performances.

"Whenever you finish strongly with your club there is always a freer mind going into the international stage," he said.

"It was a fantastic summer last year in terms of [Euro 2020]. It ended obviously very disappointingly, but going into these games I feel confident, I feel free.

"We had a good finish as a team towards the end of the season and I had a good season personally, which is always great.

"So I am looking forward to carrying that on into these games. Then, as I touched on earlier, getting a nice break over the summer."

England have four Nations League games in the space of 10 days to round off the 2021-22 campaign, beginning with Saturday's meeting against Hungary in Budapest.

It will be the 25th meeting between the sides in all competitions, with England unbeaten in the past 15 of those in a run stretching back to the 1962 World Cup.

Kane has scored eight goals in his past four international appearances and is now just four short of equalling Wayne Rooney (53) as England's all-time leading goalscorer.

While team honours remain the top priority for Kane, the 2018 World Cup Golden Boot winner admits overtaking former team-mate Rooney would mean a lot to him.

"Of course I think it would be an incredible achievement," he said. "I was lucky enough to be playing on the pitch and actually scored when Wayne broke the record himself.

"I saw how much it meant to him and his family. I did not really think that far ahead at that stage. 

"But to be where I am now – four goals behind Wayne with plenty of games coming up this year – it would be an incredible achievement.

"Whenever you are in among the names of Rooney and [Gary] Lineker and [Bobby] Charlton and players like that you are doing something worthwhile.

"But I am focused on trying to help the team. I always feel if I am doing my best for the team then the goals will come."

Related items

  • Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure

    Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.

    The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.

    In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.

    He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.

    "It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.

    "It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."

    Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.

  • Postecoglou urges Tottenham fans to be patient amid transfer 'misinformation' Postecoglou urges Tottenham fans to be patient amid transfer 'misinformation'

    Ange Postecoglou has urged Tottenham fans to have patience when it comes to bringing new players in during the transfer window.

    Spurs have signed just two new faces so far, with Archie Gray joining from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to £40million, and Lucas Bergvall signing from Djurgardens.

    Alongside the two 18-year-olds, Timo Werner has also been resigned on loan for the upcoming season. He enjoyed an impressive start after initially joining in January, as he contributed two goals and three assists, but his season was ended prematurely by injury. 

    While the Spurs faithful are keen for their club to bring more reinforcements, Postecoglou asked for their trust as the club works towards adding to the squad.

    "At this time of year, it's pretty hard for supporters because they don't have all the information, and it's fair to say there's plenty of misinformation out there," he said in a press conference.

    "We're working hard to bring players in, and it's a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that's still the plan, and you have to stay disciplined with that.

    "Sometimes the timings don’t work out, and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want, and you don't get them [players] in at the right time, but I think it's really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.

    "So, what we started with at the start of summer is still there, and I wouldn't want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control, and we just need to be patient.

    "From where I sit, at the moment, we're still in that phase where what we identified is still what we're after."

    Spurs will face Japanese side Vissel Kobe in their next pre-season match on Saturday.

  • Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli

    Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday. 

    Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.

    The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison. 

    Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side. 

    The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season. 

    “I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club. 

    "This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.

    “I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.

    “I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."

    The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.

    Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third. 

    "Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche. 

    "He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.