Tottenham’s Harry Kane ‘offered to play in goal for Arsenal’ before De Bruyne trial failed | Football | Sport

Tottenham fans may shudder at the thought of where the club might be without Harry Kane’s goals over the past eight years. But the reality is that their all-time record goalscorer could have been playing not only in the colours of their arch-rivals Arsenal, but also as goalkeeper saving goals instead of stopping them had he got his way, according to a new book.

The 29-year-old recently broke the record set by Jimmy Greaves to become Tottenham’s record goalscorer, surpassing the late England great’s haul of 266 goals in March. He has also become England’s top marksman, leapfrogging Wayne Rooney by scoring from the spot in a 2-1 win over Italy in their Euro 2024 qualifier last month.

Often heralded as ‘one of our own’ by adoring Spurs fans, the truth is that Kane was a passionate Arsenal supporter during his childhood and was once on the books of his favourite club in the academy. Ironically, he is the highest scorer in north London derbies against Arsenal with 14 goals in 16 appearances for Spurs.

However, at the age of 12, he was informed by the club’s academy assistant boss Roy Massey that would be good enough to continue playing as a striker.

And in his new book, A Life in Football and a Coach to the Stars, Massey told the story of how an extraordinary conversation unfolded with his father, in which he pleaded for him to be given a chance in goal. 

“When I see Harry now I can’t help but to think back to when he was a starry-eyed 12-year-old, sat with his mum and dad in my office as I told him he wasn’t quite up to the standard we were looking for,” he told The Mirror.

“That was the hardest part of the job, telling lads that Arsenal were letting them go. Next thing, Harry’s dad came back in and told me he now wants to be a goalkeeper – and I thought the least I could do was to send him to work with our ‘keeper coach Alex Welch.

“But Harry took my words as a challenge. He went back to playing for his Sunday League team for the next three years and then signed for Spurs.

“I’m an Arsenal man through and through. But Harry Kane’s perseverance is a credit to him and his family.”

Kane was not the only player to have slipped through the cracks at Arsenal, with Kevin de Bruyne being snubbed by the club as a teenager after visiting his mother’s family in London for a short period. Like Kane, he has established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest players of his generation.

But given that the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jack Wilshere, Emile Smith-Rowe, Alex Iwobi, Nicklas Bendtner, Wojciech Szczesny, Josh Dasilva and Joe Willock have all emerged through the club as successful graduates during his time at London Colney, it is fair to say Massey has few regrets about his work at the club.

A Life in Football and Coach to the Stars by Roy Massey and Mark Metcalf is published by Pitch Publishing