Cartilage Free Captain is again reviewing the Tottenham Hotspur first team players after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. Up next: Golden Boot winner Harry Kane.

Harry Kane

Appearances: 37 (29 Premier League, 3 Champions League, 3 FA Cup, 2 Europa League)

Goals: 35 (29 Premier League, 2 Champions League, 4 FA Cup)

Assists: 7 (All Premier League)

What went right?

“He’s just a one season wonder.”

“Nothing but a penalty merchant.”

“Good at tap-ins and nothing else.”

“He doesn’t do it against the big clubs.”

The above comments are pulled directly from forums in the past couple of years trying to downplay the emergence of Harry Kane. These comments have quickly turned into a mocking battle cry for Spurs supporters on larger forums, specifically places like Reddit’s /r/soccer where every Kane goal will see Tottenham supporters post this as a reminder to all the doubters and haters that, yes, Harry Kane is that damn good and is only getting better.

Our Talisman wearing the #10 actually started off the season a bit slow. He didn’t nab his first goal of the season until Match Day #5 against Stoke City, a 4-0 hammering of the Potters. From that point on, Kane had about all the motivation he needed and racked up goals in bunches. Despite what his detractors will say, Kane showed up when he was needed for the most part. He continued to find ways to torture local rivals Arsenal, West Ham, and Chelsea, scoring five goals across all competitions against them. Throw Fulham into the mix for London derbies and you have to include that hat trick in the FA Cup.

That’s another thing that Kane seems to be good at: Scoring hat tricks. He had a whopping five of them this season, four of which came in the Premier League including that four goal destruction of Leicester when the season was winding down and Spurs could do no better or worse than second place. It also bears mentioning that Kane missed nine matches in league play, still scored 29 goals, and took the Golden Boot by sheer force away from Romelu Lukaku.

Credit to YouTube channel Football Forever

What Went Wrong?

Injuries and bad timing.

Harry’s first injury came September 18 against Sunderland, knocking him out of a total of 12 matches including a key run in the Champions League that saw Spurs’ attack sputtering and unable to get anything going. While Spurs form in the league was good enough to at least pull off draws and wins, Spurs bowed out of the biggest club competition in the world with a whimper. By the time Kane was healthy and returned for the Monaco match, the UCL Knockout Stage was all but out of reach. Kane’s second injury was far less catastrophic and Spurs managed to win every match during his absence.

That about sums it up. Even with these injuries, Kane still managed to bag 35 goals. It’s scary to think of what he could have tallied had he not missed any time at all.

What Now?

Much like our other younger attackers, Kane’s growth continues at an exponential rate and there’s no telling where his ceiling is. He’s Tottenham’s top earner and is committed to the club through the 2022 season and has continued to say all the right things about becoming a one club player and wanting to be Tottenham’s next legend. He has his ultimate sights set on breaking Alan Shearer’s record, and if he continues to grow and play the way he has the past few seasons, he may do just that.

Yes, Harry Kane is that damn good.

Rating: 5 Chirpies