Shock stat continues to hint at keeping Kane waiting
With the summer transfer window in full swing and the countdown very much on the start of another Premier League season in 2022-23, managers of the Fantasy Football variety can start to mull over who they would like to include in any given starting XI.
Plenty of familiar faces remain in the English top flight, with a few exciting new ones being added to the pot for good measure. It promises to be another enthralling campaign, with some of the finest talent on the planet strutting their stuff on fields from Old Trafford to Anfield and beyond.
Those looking for football betting tips will continue to be pointed in the direction of potentially winning formulas, as their star turns to be found at every turn within favoured ranks there. In a virtual realm, identifying those performing at the peak of individual and collective powers is just as important.
For many, given his track record down the years, Tottenham striker Harry Kane will be a go-to option. As a man expected to chase down Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goal return at some stage in the near future, it is easy to see that the Spurs superstar is an obvious pick for Antonio Conte and anybody else in the business of trying to accumulate points.
What a game! What a win! Proper shift from everyone. Love it 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TrQEHbiFNm
— Harry Kane (@HKane) February 19, 2022
There is, however, an argument for leaving the England captain out of fantasy selections for the opening rounds of fixtures. As baffling as that selection call may seem, there is one rather surprising statistic that Kane has found difficult to shake.
While he remains someone who has made a habit of finishing with a flourish, both in the final third and over the course of any given campaign, he has history when it comes to stumbling out of the blocks.
Slow starter
Kane’s penchant for starting slowly was once discussed at great length, and his record has not really improved since finally shaking an unfortunate monkey from his back. After forcing his way into the first-team reckoning at Tottenham, one of the finest No.9s in world football went four years without a goal in the opening month of the season.
That barren run extended through two outings in 2014-15, four the following year and three apiece in 2016-17 and 2017-18. It was not until 2018, when finding the target against Fulham and Manchester United, that an August duck was broken.
Kane also managed two efforts at the start of 2019-20 – with both of those strikes coming in an opening-day clash with Aston Villa, but there have been no further entries to a personal scoring chart since then. Admittedly, no Premier League games took place in August 2020, but they did 12 months later and Spurs star man went goalless through outings against Wolves and Watford. Has a three-time Golden Boot winner slipped back into old habits?
They're here 🔥
Check out our official 2022/23 #PLFixtures 🙌 pic.twitter.com/FbtwWSxbhs
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 16, 2022
If he has, then it would be advisable to steer well clear until September 1, 2022, is reached. Spurs do have five games approaching in August of this year, but three of those – against Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and West Ham – will send them out on the road, while Southampton and Wolves are faced at home.
With so many fixtures to take in on the back of a World Cup-impacted early start, it feels as though Kane will get plenty of opportunities in which to fill his boots and put down early markers. He may, however, as odd as it sounds, represent something of a gamble until fully up to speed.
