Harry Kane Is Redefining What It Means to Be a Modern Tottenham Hotspur Great

Jermain Defoe ended his last match as a Tottenham Hotspur player carried aloft the shoulders of team-mates Emmanuel Adebayor and Jan Vertonghen. It was February 2014, and they had just beaten Everton 1-0—the veteran’s impending transfer to Toronto in Major League Soccer had been common knowledge for a couple of weeks by then.

Defoe’s second spell in north London had been as challenging as his first, the striker again having to deal with fluctuating match time as different managers switched things up and themselves were changed. Nevertheless, he had remained a productive finisher during a largely healthy period for the club, just as popular with fans as he had been prior to his short spell with Portsmouth.

Within months of Defoe’s departure, the emergence of a player who is redefining what it means to be a modern Tottenham great gained serious momentum. Harry Kane’s three goals late in that campaign kick-started a fledgling career that, just over two years later, has already seen him reach the milestone of 50 Premier League strikes:

Congrats again to @HKane on his 50th in the @premierleague for us!Watch his previous 49 – https://t.co/lI2cHmiaiy pic.twitter.com/eQxX1XBEAu

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 10, 2016

Kane will attempt to swiftly follow that match-sealing effort in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Stoke City when the Lilywhites face Defoe and his current Sunderland outfit on Sunday (the opponent for his first league goal, as it happens).

The latter’s achievements in N17 cannot be taken away from him. His status as one of the more memorable Spurs players of recent times is well deserved.

Kane’s rise to prominence has been so impressive, though, individually and within the team, that the standards of what is expected at Tottenham have been raised. In his case, especially in terms of strikers (looking further afield in terms of English football and other categories is a whole other matter).

Comparing his body of work so far to the standouts of the not-so-distant past, and the club’s unarguable greats, where does Kane stand on the path to possibly becoming a Spurs legend?

The Numbers

Analysing and contrasting players of different eras is tricky.

There are too many variables between seasons, let alone decades, to accurately say someone is better or more important than the other. Such debates can be entertaining, but no one can prove their opinion as fact.

Kane warrants discussion because his contributions to the Tottenham cause have already statistically bettered (or are close to doing so) those of some predecessors in the attacking lineage. Men regarded as stars of their respective eras who have or will almost certainly join the club’s Hall of Fame one day.

GRAPHIC: Harry Kane scored his 50th Premier League goal this weekend #thfc pic.twitter.com/qrWzxRyEqP

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 12, 2016

The 23-year-old’s 50 league goals in 90 Premier League appearances—plus 14 more in cup competition—is a strong return for a player in an aspiring team, rather than a genuine top-level one. Great centre-forwards will thrive just about anywhere, but there are different challenges to playing in a team not boosted by tangible success.

In comparison, playing in teams of similar quality, Defoe did not reach the half-century mark in the competition until August 2009, his sixth season with the …

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