‘Kane is on the same level as Mbappe, Haaland and Messi’

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:42 CDT
• 3 min read

Harry Kane’s talents merit playing at a higher level than the Europa League with Tottenham, ex-Spurs and England striker Peter Crouch has argued.

Kane was the hero of the hour in Tottenham’s 2-0 first-leg win over Dinamo Zagreb in the last 16 of the competition. However, he was powerless to stop them sliding to an incredible 3-0 loss in Croatia on Thursday.

READ MORE: Mourinho on the brink at Spurs after incredible Dinamo Zagreb upset

Crouch has suggested that the England hitman must be assessing his options ahead of the summer transfer market as he is a talent who deserves to grace the Champions League.

“I look at Harry Kane trudging off the pitch,” Crouch, who has warned the 27-year-old against leaving Spurs before, told BT Sport.

“He shouldn’t be playing in this competition. Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski – he’s on their level.

“He is a Champions League player, but he has gone out to Dinamo Zagreb and that is the worrying thing.”Peter Crouch on Harry Kane

“He is a Champions League player, but he has gone out to Dinamo Zagreb and that is the worrying thing.

“Where is his head at? Not just the manager Jose Mourinho, but those players – Son Heung-min, Kane – they deserve to be playing at a higher level than the Europa League.”

‘Tottenham players were hiding’

Crouch added that the attitude of the Tottenham side was not good enough, casting more doubt on Mourinho’s future at the club.

“They haven’t turned up in two games,” he said.

“Players have gone missing. We saw players hiding, not tracking back, simple passes were not made, there was no creativity.

“Zagreb were the better side, and they deserved to go through. That’s disastrous and you wonder where Tottenham’s season is going to go from now.

“I have got a lot of friends who are Spurs fans and they are not happy. They lost the north London derby with a whimper, and by going out of Europe tonight, there season is hanging by a thread.”

Tottenham’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League hinge on finishing in the top four of the Premier League, but they are six points and four places off that status, leaving the future of big names like Kane and Mourinho in the balance.