After emerging from nowhere to break through as a star of the Premier League during the 2014/15 season, Harry Kane cemented his standing as one of the top strikers in England with another outstanding campaign which saw him earn the Golden Boot accolade. The England international scored 25 goals, one better than both Sergio Aguero and Jamie Vardy, and was also named alongside Vardy in the PFA Team of the Year. Kane proved a popular Fantasy pick after a slow start to the season, and took 30% of the vote to take one of the three forward spots in our Team of the Season.
The Statistics
As already mentioned, Kane struggled during the early weeks of the season, possibly as a result of his involvement with England in the European Under 21 Championship last summer. Failing to register any attacking returns in the first six matches, his goal in the 4-1 victory over Man City in Gameweek 7 proved to be something of a turning point, with Kane then scoring seven times in just four appearances between Gameweeks 10 and 13, firmly putting himself back on the radars of Fantasy managers.
By the time the England international registered a hat-trick against Bournemouth in Gameweek 10, his price in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) had dropped to a season low of 9.2, having originally been valued at 9.5 at the start of the campaign. There were to be no more glaring dry spells for the Tottenham forward, with double-digit scores against Norwich (twice) and Sunderland during the winter months rewarding the many FPL bosses who entrusted him with the captain’s armband in such favourable match-ups.
As Spurs looked to push leaders Leicester at the top of the table, Kane remained deadly in front of goal, registering 10 strikes and an assist in his final 13 matches of the campaign, ending the season with 211 points in FPL – level with Vardy among forwards, and second to only Riyad Mahrez (240) across all positions. Kane’s price peaked at 10.4 during the final weeks following his 13-point haul in the 4-0 win at Stoke in Gameweek 34.
No forward amassed more bonus points than Kane (33), while the Tottenham man also led all forwards for both shots inside the box (105) and shots on target (74). In terms of points per game (ppg), Kane averaged 5.6, lagging slightly behind both Aguero (6.1) and Vardy (5.9), largely due to his slow start to the season. His total score of 211 points was the best among Tottenham players, with Christian Eriksen next on 178, while Dele Alli and Toby Alderweireld finished with 168 points apiece.
THE PROSPECTS
Having broken the 20-goal barrier in each of his last two seasons, Kane’s status as one of the leading strikers in the Premier League is in little doubt. In that respect, we should expect to see the England international be subject to a further price hike next time around, perhaps to around 11.0 or even 12.0 in FPL, the price tag that Chelsea’s Diego Costa was handed at the start of this season as a proven striker for a title-contending team.
While both Eriksen and Alli provided strong options from the Tottenham midfield this season, it’s likely that Kane will remain the primary attacking option on show at White Hart Lane. The difference in price between Kane and the two midfielders will certainly play a part in shaping our thoughts, though, and should Eriksen and Alli come in at least 2.0 cheaper, they could well prove viable alternatives to the striker. Kane will certainly be among the stand-out captaincy options on a weekly basis next season, however, with the benefit of penalty duties making the extra outlay perhaps worthwhile.
Worth noting is how Kane struggled to find the back of the net when Mousa Dembele wasn’t in the side. Indeed, Tottenham’s top scorer netted just one goal in the 11 league matches that Dembele failed to start in 2015/16, compared to 24 strikes in 27 outings with the Belgian on board. This is something to perhaps consider when building our pre-season squads, bearing in mind that Dembele will be suspended for the first four matches of the new campaign.
Although Mauricio Pochettino is expected to add to his squad over the summer ahead of next season’s Champions League campaign, Kane’s record as the only forward to start every league fixture last season underlines his importance to the Tottenham cause. At a time when fellow big-hitters Aguero and Daniel Sturridge remain susceptible to injury and the disciplinary record of Chelsea’s Costa continues to cause consternation, Kane’s consistency of both output and pitch time should ensure he remains a hugely popular option for our three-man frontlines in 2016/17.
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