Team of the Season – Harry Kane

It’s fair to say that Harry Kane’s rapid and unforeseen rise to prominence was a sight to behold for Fantasy managers. Initially pitched at a 5.0 price point in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, the youngster evolved into a lethal marksman under Mauricio Pochettino, affording us extraordinary value in a quite remarkable breakthrough campaign.

The Statistics

Kane had to settle for cameo roles in the first 10 Gameweeks of the season, with manager Mauricio Pochettino preferring Emmanuel Adebayor in the lone striker berth. After netting seven goals in six Europa League ties, Kane emerged from the bench to fire a late winner in Spurs’ 2-1 win over Aston Villa in early November, establishing himself as a permanent fixture in Pochettino’s first-team from that point onwards.

The Walthamstow lad took time to generate momentum, though- having dropped to 4.8 in FPL, he notched just one goal and an assist in his first five starts as he slowly found his feet in the top-flight. Then the fireworks begun, sparking a run of 15 starts in which Kane recorded just three blanks and tallied 17 goals and 14 assists. This astonishing burst of form brought about a meteoric rise in value to 6.4 by Gameweek 31, with the greatest volume of new owners (nearly 550,000) hitching a ride on the bandwagon in the wake of his 18-point haul against Chelsea on New Years’ Day – a match which, ironically, many owners benched him for.

Kane’s only real downturn in form arrived in the final quarter of the campaign, in which he mustered just two goals and one assist in the final eight Gameweeks as the hectic schedule started to take its toll. Despite shedding over 200,000 owners in the final five rounds of fixtures, Kane still ended the season with the highest ownership (45%) of any player in the FPL game, by virtue of his unparalleled output per unit investment.

In his first Premier League campaign as a starter, Kane finished second in the scoring charts (21 goals), behind Sergio Aguero’s 26. In addition, a total of 191 points saw him end up joint-fourth alongside David Silva, with only Aguero bettering his score amongst forwards. In the Spurs camp, Christian Eriksen (162) came closest to the English international’s tally, with Nacer Chadli (160) pushing the Dane in bronze medal position.

Averaging 5.6 points per appearance, Kane led the league with regards to appearances in the FPL Dream Team (seven) – a feat no doubt aided by his five braces and hat-trick, giving rise to seven 10+ points hauls. Moreover, only Hazard (42) was awarded more bonus points than Kane (32) throughout the season –again, all the more impressive given he failed to start a match until Gameweek 11.

The Prospects

Although the curtains have been drawn on the domestic campaign, Kane can’t afford to reflect on his recent successes just yet. Following Spurs’ pair of post-season friendlies against Malaysia XI and Sydney FC, the burgeoning star is set to participate in the European Under 21 Championship, which takes place in the Czech Republic. The tournament is scheduled between June 17–30, which could disrupt Kane’s pre-season preparations if the Three Lions progress to the latter stages. Pochettino recently suggested his first-choice frontman could miss the start of next term if such an event transpires, given that he’ll need to be afforded ample rest after featuring in 51 league and cup matches in 2014/15.

In light of last season’s exploits, it goes without saying that Kane’s value is set to rise substantially across the Fantasy games. Certainly, it seems debatable as to whether he’ll be elevated into the premium bracket after less than a year as a starter for Spurs, though there’d be no surprise if he comes in around 8.5 to 9.5 in FPL when the Player Price Lists are issued next month.

Nonetheless, bearing in mind that Kane averaged 6.3 points per start last season, Fantasy managers will remain confident he can still represent strong value. Even with a price hike on the horizon, Kane’s fixture-proof appeal, allied with spot-kick duties and consistency of returns (producing points in 16 of his 28 starts) will still make him a must-have for many, providing he doesn’t succumb to burn-out after such a hectic breakout season.

Certainly, with the inconsistent Eriksen managing a goal and two assists in the final 15 Gameweeks and Chadli still seemingly prone to his manager’s rotational whims, Kane will surely remain the most popular option at White Hart Lane for the campaign ahead.