By David Emery
I have been a Spurs fan since Danny Blanchflower told me it was The Glory Game, and he and Dave Mackay then proved it.
That’s quite a while… through Jimmy Greaves, Ossie Ardiles, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker.
But if Daniel Levy sells Harry Kane I will hand in my badge forever.
Yes, I will look for their results, I will feel pleasure when they do well. But the love will have died.
We’ve seen chairman Levy sell our best before, of course: Dimitar Berbatov, Luca Modric, Gareth Bale.
But Berbatov was a mercenary. A mercurial ball wizard with the balance of Nijinsky, he was always going to be looking for something other than, at the time, the second best club in north London and £30.75m from Manchester United was fair return for his two seasons at Spurs.
Modric’s defection to Real Madrid came as little surprise after his flirtation with Chelsea some nine months earlier. He had even refused to play in Tottenham’s opening match of the 2011-12 season against Manchester United, stating that his “head was not in the right place” as he continued to force a move to Chelsea.
On the final day of the transfer window, Chelsea made an offer of £40m which was rejected. The following summer Modric signed for the Spanish giants for £30m..
Bale was an offer I knew Levy could not resist: £90m!
The Welshman had paid his dues to Spurs. From a player who began his Tottenham career with 24 matches without a victory, to the turbo-charged winger who terrified Inter Milan with a hat-trick in the Champions League.
I didn’t begrudge his onwards success.
Harry, though, is different. As the Tottenham boys sing, “He’s one of our own” and embodies, for me, what the club must seek to become in the years ahead: the leaders of the pack with a home-grown essence.
Kane, tall, blond, English, talented and passionate about his team, should be the figurehead as the club attempt to restore their glorious past in the surroundings of their new 61,000 stadium.
Take Kane away and even if you replace him with Ronaldo or Messi, you will tear out the heart of this Tottenham revival.
Levy also needs to give himself a stern lecture over his behaviour with managers. Least said about Juande Ramos the better. Then to sack Harry – twice a top four finisher – for AVB was inexcusable.
Levy has had the good sense to appoint Mauricio Pochettino. Now he must ensure that he is well looked after and content, even should the big fish start swimming.
With Pochettino in charge and a squad containing such exciting English players as Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Tom Carroll, Dele Alli and Kane, the future is bright and thrilling for patriotic Spurs fans.
Take Kane away, though, and the image will shatter. Another mirage down White Hart Lane.
