Throwback Thursday: Kane's breakout Tottenham season on the way to superstardom

 

In this week’s edition of Throwback Thursday, we look at Harry Kane’s breakthrough Premier League season following his record breaking goal against Italy last week, which saw him become England's all-time top scorer. 

 

Before that superb first full season in the Premier League, Kane endured a number of loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich and Leicester, not making his first start in England’s top tier until the age of 20 towards the end of the 2013/14 season, scoring in a 5-1 win over Sunderland. He then followed that up by scoring in the next two games against West Brom and Fulham, fully announcing himself to the Spurs faithful. 

 

Nevertheless, it was Emmanuel Adebayor who was the main striker come the start of the 2014/15 season with Kane having to settle for minutes mainly in the cups, which included a hat-trick against Asteras Tripoli in the Europa League. 

 

But it was to be an appearance from the bench that set the springboard for Kane's career. 

 

At the start of November, Spurs faced a trip to Villa Park on the back of only one league win in their last seven and sitting 14th in the table after nine games played. Another game without a win was on the cards after Andi Weimann struck within the first 20 minutes to give the home side the lead. The visitors were able to pull one back through Nacer Chadli, but it took until the dying embers of the game when substitute Kane, who had come on with little over half an hour to play, struck a deflected free-kick past Brad Guzan.  

 

Mauricio Pochettino’s side were under real pressure to record a win, and so for many reasons that victory lifted the atmosphere at Spurs, namely an early indication of the never say die attitude that would soon be attached to the group of players, and also the introduction of their new young star. Pochettino has even admitted that goal saved him from the sack after a questionable start to his managerial career in N17. 

 

From then on it was Kane who would be the starting number nine for the rest of the season, with Adebayor, who had only scored twice up until that point, falling out of favour. 

 

For Kane, that goal against Villa was his first Premier League goal of the season in early November, but with a starting berth in the, he had the resources to unleash his full potential. 

 

 

He went onto start in every league game for Spurs for the remainder of 2014/15, even captaining the side in two games, scoring 21 goals in total, five off Golden Boot winner for Sergio Aguero (26). Alongside Teddy Sheringham, Jurgen Klinsmann and Gareth Bale, Kane's 21 goals was also a joint-record best for Spurs in a Premier League campaign. 

 

Conviction wise he was the front runner with a conversion rate of 18.8% from a total of 112 shots, the latter ranking fifth in the division, and was the best conversion rate among the 16 players to muster 80+ shots across the course of the campaign. Among those same 16 players, Kane (42%) was second only to Saido Berahino (43%) when it came to shot accuracy, though the then West Brom forward had recorded 26 fewer shots (86) than the Spurs man. 

 

His goals included two against Chelsea, a goal against Liverpool, a first Premier League hat-trick, that coming against Leicester, but the moment that secured his cult status at Spurs came against rivals Arsenal as two goals from Kane helped them to come from behind to secure a win at White Hart Lane. 

 

Away from the league, he did claim a runners-up medal that season, as Tottenham lost to Chelsea in the League Cup final. But for Kane personally, he earned two Premier League Player of the Month awards, a place in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year, the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Tottenham’s Player of the Season award and an international debut for the England senior team. 

 

His WhoScored rating for the season was 7.28, which may have only been the 26th highest in the Premier League, but aided Spurs to a fifth-placed finish. 

 

It was New Year’s Day 2015 when he put in his best display of that league season, as Tottenham won a dramatic London derby against eventual champions Chelsea. Kane contributed to three of his side’s goals, with an assist from two key passes and two goals of his own, including the equaliser at 1-0, from just two shots. Additionally, he completed two dribbles, won an aerial duel, made one tackle and an interception as well, earning a WhoScored rating of 9.60. This was one of five WhoScored man of the match awards he earned during the 2014/15 league season, with only three players earning more. 

 

Kane was in some ways a late bloomer to first team football in the Premier League, especially when with the sheer number of teenagers playing regularly. However, in one way this goes to show how impressive that maiden season was for England’s now-record goalscorer, helping a team that needed saving and going on to break numerous records for club and country in under 10 years. 

 

Many exclaimed at the time that the 2014/15 campaign was a one season wonder from Kane, but eight years later, and he's more a one career wonder.

Throwback Thursday: Kane's breakout Tottenham season on the way to superstardom