Harry Kane, England’s all-time leading scorer, has done it again on the international stage. With a remarkable 74 goals in 109 appearances for the national team, he continues to be a pivotal figure in England’s attacking line. Kane already plays at an elite level in the Bundesliga. With 11 goals this season, he is indeed the current leading scorer in all of Europe’s top leagues. His dazzling form raises some intriguing questions about the future of English strikers. The nation is putting too many eggs in one basket.
The worry comes from the lack of new English strikers. As Kane closes in on his 32nd birthday, everyone is waiting for someone to come along to take his place. This reliance on one player might prove to be a major headache for England as the tournaments go by.
Striking Shortage in English Football
Even with Harry Kane’s ongoing success, the truth is the present state of English football paints a disturbing picture. This season so far just seven English players specifically identified as out-and-out strikers have even seen the field in the Premier League. Given the general age of the squad, Liam Delap stands out as the only player under 26 years of age. Even more importantly, his youth can’t be understated. Delap has had a remarkable season, scoring 18 goals in only 10 games combined for club and country with Bayern Munich and England.
The development underscores the hefty financial commitment Premier League clubs have made on strikers. This season, clubs have spent a staggering £737 million on new attacking talent, almost twice the amount they splurged at the same stage last year. And the majority of these acquisitions have been taken out by foreign players. It’s Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle leading the way, working furiously to sign the best overseas talent.
As a result, the question arises: where are the English No 9s? Young English talent will be needed to step in when Kane is no longer there to lead the attack. This would have negative, long-term consequences for the national team.
Alternatives to Harry Kane
Ollie Watkins has emerged as a legitimate alternative to Kane on the international stage. Even with those advances, he’s still a massive failure on impact. Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Rashford, and Eberechi Eze have all started making their goalscoring talents appear at the club level. These masters of the game are always scoring goals! None are natural centre-forwards—and even those that are not primarily strikers don’t serve the same role required either to support or back-up Kane.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad reflects a broader trend within English football—a plethora of attacking options on the wings and at No 10, but a stark lack of centre-forwards. This narrow and strategic focus on responding to youth violence highlights significant and pertinent questions regarding youth development in England. Finally, are academies placing more emphasis on the production of wingers and attacking midfielders rather than developing your classic No.9 strikers?
There’s a growing concern over England’s competiveness to continue to produce players at the level of the established veteran Harry Kane. This lack of connectivity will likely be more apparent as time goes on.
The Future of English Strikers
Harry Kane shows absolutely amazing skills on the pitch. At the same time, we need to accept the idea that his dominance can’t last forever. The implications of the current trajectory are dire. Without dramatic grassroots changes, England may soon find itself in very deep trouble.
During each of these conversations, football analysts will quickly point out the need to rethink our training methodologies and youth development architectures. A move to produce more intelligent, technically equipped centre-forwards would go some way to solving many of the problems plaguing English football today.
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