Page 71 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

“THE PROTRACTED TRANSFER SAGA OF BAYERN MUNICH’S PURSUIT OF HARRY KANE FINALLY ENDED IN AUGUST”
Harry Kane has joined Bayern Munich with the aim of winning silverware
opening-day win at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao in La Liga. Already a hugely important figure for England as he proved with a number of starring performances at the 2022 World Cup, it simply continued a remarkable career trajectory for Bellingham, who will look to add his name to the roll of honour at the Bernabeu and continue the trophy-winning tradition.
As a mark of his impact, the number 22 shirt at Birmingham City was retired after he left to join Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17, and now after three years playing in North Rhine-Westphalia, he
is poised to enchant the ever demanding fanbase
in Madrid. The youngster scored eight times and provided five assists for Die Schwarzgelben in the Bundesliga last season, and few would bet against him improving on those stats this term under coach Carlo Ancelotti.
BUNDESLIGA - HARRY KANE
The protracted transfer saga of Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Harry Kane finally ended in August when pen was put to paper to finalise a €100m plus bonuses move from Tottenham Hotspur, with the 30-year-old becoming the German champions’ record signing after the €80m they spent on
Lucas Hernandez in 2019. Coach Thomas Tuchel highlighted the need for a new striker to replace the goals that Robert Lewandowski used to provide as the Bayern juggernaut occasionally spluttered on the domestic front in 2022-23. The lack of a world class ‘number nine’ affected the team during a league campaign that saw them suffer five defeats and eight draws, and meant it took until almost the final minute on the final day of the season to pip
Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title.
The Bavarian giants will hope that normal service will resume this term, that the machine is well-oiled, and any title race is over by the spring as usual. For that to happen and for them to have an extended run in the Champions League they will hope that Kane quickly settles into his new surroundings and delivers in front of goal. In theory, for a player who offers such a deadly presence in front of goal, that should be almost a guarantee.
For Kane, it was a huge decision to leave England and head to Germany but one that was no doubt based on the prospect of finally lifting some silverware. Kane, who is Tottenham’s record goalscorer and has 213 goals in in 320 Premier League appearances, may be closing in on breaking Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League record,
but the lure of trophies outweighed the desire for personal accolades.
It is widely acknowledged that Kane could hardly have done any more for Tottenham, combining his sensational scoring feats with an ability to create for his teammates. He’s consistently achieved the same very high numbers despite the increasingly diminishing returns at Tottenham in recent seasons, and with the chances of lifting his first career trophy become more remote each year, he had
little choice but to seek the silverware his quality deserves by moving to the Bundesliga.
Elsewhere, Bayern have also strengthened their defence by bringing in South Korean defender Kim Min-Jae in an eye-catching signing from Serie A winners Napoli, and the hope is to build a team that is much better equipped to compete on the biggest stage with the likes of Manchester City, who easily dispatched them 4-1 on aggregate in last season’s Champions League quarter-final.
SOCCER360 MAGAZINE 71