With Harry Kane gone, who is next in line to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal record?
While the pain of seeing Harry Kane leave Tottenham for Bayern Munich hit particularly hard in one area of north London during the summer of 2023, there were few tears shed in the North East of England.
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer had been longing for the day that Spurs’ greatest-ever goalscorer would pack up his bags and decide to go trophy-chasing a long way outside of his comfort zone.
Shearer said as transfer talk hotted up in another busy window, “Come on Harry, it’s time to go”. The ex-Southampton and Blackburn Rovers striker was even prepared to fly a fellow frontman to his next destination.
Silverware
Come on Harry it’s time to go! 🤪 pic.twitter.com/rm284IXOXR
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 11, 2023
Shearer took that stance because a notable record he owns was under serious threat. Kane had made Tottenham a reliable pick in Premier League bets, with the club +180 for a top-four finish this season.
So fearsome was he in front of goal that Premier League tips would forever have him in the hunt for a prestigious Golden Ball and the major silverware that proved frustratingly elusive prior to his departure for Germany.
Over the course of 10 memorable seasons in the English top flight, Kane found the back of the net 213 times in league competition. He is one of only three men to have reached a double century and had closed to within 47 efforts of Shearer’s all-time benchmark.
The Geordie icon could feel the current England captain breathing down his neck, which is why he was so happy to watch him leave.
Kane has not given up entirely on chasing down another piece of history, though, with their suggestions that he may yet retrace steps to his homeland and go record hunting. He has said: “People will talk about the record and Shearer, but I’ve got plenty of football left in my career. For now, it’s about trying to achieve things here.”
Shearer is, however, in a position to start sleeping a little easier. With Kane gone, there is nobody in Premier League circles that has him in sight on the goal front, never mind within reach.
His closest challenger now is Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah, with the Egyptian king of Anfield having made his way beyond the 140-goal mark across six years on Merseyside. It would be a big ask to see him rein in Kane and Co.
Motivated
Simply incredible.
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 29, 2023
Harry Kane scored in 26 different #PL matches in 2022/23 – the most ever in a single season 👑 pic.twitter.com/9Z9ge1buJw
Salah has, despite the exit talk that continues to rage around him at times, hinted at staying in England long enough to make more history. He said in May 2023 after becoming the first man to score in nine consecutive home games for Liverpool: “I’m just motivated to keep breaking records and just scoring goals and winning games for the team.”
There may well be more for Salah to achieve with a red shirt on his back, but registering another 120-odd goals – even with his remarkable strike rate taken into account – would require at least four more campaigns, if not more.
Shearer is sitting pretty on 260 efforts for now and will not be overly concerned about seeing that return beaten unless Kane decides to make his visit to Munich a flying one.
