Former Tottenham star Dimitar Berbatov fears that Harry Kane will once again try to force a move away from Tottenham Hotspur if Antonio Conte fails to succeed at the club this season.
Yet another trophy passed Kane by as Spurs crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night after they were comfortably beaten 3-0 on aggregate in the semi-final by London rivals Chelsea.
It was no secret that the Tottenham striker wanted to leave the club in the summer, with Manchester City keen on agreeing a deal for England’s captain.
Now, Berbatov fears that he may try to leave the club if Tottenham do not deliver success this season.
According to Mirror, Berbatov claims that the 28-year-old forward will be driven by the worry that he is running out of time to realise his ambitions, with the England skipper yet to win a trophy in his career.
“In my opinion, I think we are going to see a similar situation with Harry Kane to last year.
“I am not convinced that the thought of moving to a top club to win trophies is completely out of Harry’s head.
“Yes, Conte has said that Harry is a key guy and that the team must evolve around him.
But at the same time, I think that temptation is still there – and that we will see the same drama next summer.”
“The only way that won’t happen is if Spurs win something or qualify for the Champions League.
“That’s where Kane wants to be – so let’s see if Spurs can surprise a few people by doing it.”
Berbatov, now an ambassador for Betfair, scored a goal when Spurs last lifted a trophy by beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final.
He feels his former club must bend their philosophy to Conte’s will in order to succeed.
He said: “Conte has an Italian mindset. I played under Claudio Ranieri in Monaco, so I know how Italian coaches work.
“For the players, it can be boring at times because they are very tactical thinkers who are very disciplined on the training pitch.
“For attacking players like me, who want to improvise and express themselves, it can be as boring as hell. Trust me.
“But Spurs need that because Conte’s methods can bring consistency.”
Spurs were due to face Arsenal today in what was to be a key match-up in the race for top four, but the Gunners’ request for postponement was controversially approved by the Premier League.