Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
‘Not being disrespectful’: Paul Merson has just made a worrying claim about Tottenham Hotspur
Paul Merson has claimed on that Tottenham Hotspur will not finish in the top four if something happens to Harry Kane in the coming weeks.
Tottenham looked down and out of the Champions League race just a few weeks but Antonio Conte’s side have well and truly turned things around.
Spurs are now fourth in the league table – exactly where they want to be at the end of the campaign. Arsenal have a slight advantage with a game in hand, but the Gunners still have to play Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham themselves, which could really derail them.
Merson now believes Tottenham are the favourites to finish fourth but is adamant that will only happen if Kane remains available until the end of the campaign.
Paul Merson: Tottenham are a one-man team, they’re nothing without Harry Kane
In his column on , Merson wrote: “Spurs are the favourites for top four now.
“When Harry Kane’s playing like he is, I don’t think too many teams are going to beat them. I saw him go to the Etihad and rip Manchester City apart. I saw him rip West Ham apart, I saw him rip Newcastle apart.
“But, you take Kane out of the team, top four ain’t happening for Spurs. It’s as simple as that. When he doesn’t turn up at Burnley away, they get beaten. Tottenham are a one-man team and that’s not being disrespectful.
“You could have a Ferrari, but without an engine in the car it ain’t working. He’s the all-round package, and that’s why he’s the best centre-forward in the world, and I’ve said it for a long, long time.”
TBR View:
Kane had a disastrous start to the season and everyone expected to see Tottenham struggle as a result. Spurs really did look clueless at times when the Englishman was not firing, but he has changed his and the club’s fortunes since Conte’s arrival.
The 28-year-old has now scored 22 goals and has provided seven assists in all competitions. He has been absolutely unplayable at times and if he keeps firing, Spurs should get over the line quite comfortably.
However, if Kane, for some reason, loses his form or suffers an injury or gets himself a suspension, Merson’s prediction may just come true.
Even the most optimistic Tottenham fan will agree that Tottenham without Kane are a lot easier to beat. Every team in the country will fancy their chances against them and they could drop down to fifth, sixth or even seventh if something happens to their star man in the coming weeks.
