Harry Kane is the penultimate player in our 2017/18 Team of the Season after winning the recent forwards poll.
The Spurs frontman earned over 33% of the votes to claim first spot, mirroring his place as the top-scoring striker in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
A total of 217 points was 34 clear of Jamie Vardy, his nearest rival up top, though trailed Mohamed Salah (303 points) and Raheem Sterling (229) overall.
That place at the summit was in spite of another dry August – Kane has now played 13 times in the first month of the season and failed to find the net.
Although he followed that up with four double-digit hauls in the next six, Kane’s potential as an explosive provider of points then slowed considerably.
The Spurs striker managed just five more 10+ points returns in the subsequent 29 fixtures, with his captaincy appeal diminished by Salah’s relentless output at Liverpool.
A temporary move to Wembley also played a big factor in Kane’s season as he struggled against teams in the lower half of the table.
At home, he fired just seven goals against bottom-ten sides, with five of those coming against Stoke and Southampton.
Kane bagged a single goal in each of his Wembley meetings with Watford and West Brom but was unable to score against Swansea, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Brighton, West Ham or Huddersfield.
Nonetheless, he was the top player for shots (111) and efforts on target (48) at home, sitting second only to Salah for efforts in the box (70 to 71) and big chances (21 to 25).
Meanwhile an average of 15.2 minutes per attempt was quicker than the season beforehand (18.7) at White Hart Lane.
Kane was also the number one player overall for goal threat, with more shots (184), efforts in the box (122) and attempts on target (75) than any other player.
His underlying numbers were all an improvement on the previous campaign, with Kane ultimately undone by a marked drop-off in goal conversion.
Having found the net with 26.4% of his efforts in 2016/17, the Spurs frontman slipped to 16.3% last season.
The Prospects
Kane started last season at £12.5m in FPL and a similar cost looks very likely as the priciest forward on offer once again.
Nailed on under Mauricio Pochettino, he also has spot-kick duties to strengthen his potential. Kane was also the top player for bonus points in 2017/18, claiming a total of 31.
If a return to White Hart Lane can improve that patchy home record, there’s no doubt he can still be worth the outlay.
However, according to local reports, it seems likely that Spurs’ first few fixtures of 2018/19 will be played away from home to allow for the completion of their new stadium.
That, allied with Kane’s record in August, could convince some to steer clear initially.
Indeed, that was a tactic used by last year’s FPL winner, Yusuf Sheikh, who avoided him altogether until a Gameweek 8 Wildcard.
It says everything about our expectations from Kane that, for some, last season was a disappointment.
Regardless, he remains one of the most prolific forwards around and has now scored 20+ goals in four successive Premier League seasons.
In terms of captaincy, Salah seems again likely to be the big rival, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s average of 6.7 points per match (to Kane’s 5.9) suggests he will be a big factor in our forward lines next time around.
Barring injury, Kane, as always, will be among the frontrunners come the end of the campaign. But it’s when to make that move for him that could be season-defining.
5 years, 10 months ago
GTG?
Lukaku - Lewandowski - Werner
Neymar - Isco - Paulinho
Marcelo - Kimmich - Meunier - Trippier
Lloris
No bench.
Thanks!