Transfer fallout and Euros heartbreak took its toll
HARRY KANE has opened his heart on the whirlwind summer that left him and his family mentally and physically drained.
The England skipper suffered Euro 2020 final penalty heartbreak and then found himself in the eye of a storm over his botched move to Manchester City.
And the fall-out dragged on into a disappointing season in which Kane has managed only one Premier League goal and has seen Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo sacked.
But with Antonio Conte now in at Spurs and England gearing up to face Albania tonight, Kane insists he finally feels ready to find his best form again for club and country.
Kane said: “I feel like mentally I am in a good place and I’m really ready to go over this tough period in the winter.
“Mentally as players you go through a lot. You go through the highs and lows of a major tournament, coming so close to a dream and it being taken away from you so quickly.
“Then it was my first summer of transfer speculation and having to deal with those situations.
“So of course it takes a toll mentally. “But I’ve always had good friends and good family around me. Being able to talk to them in those situations. Being able to talk to people you trust.
“When things are difficult, it’s important that you do talk about it and not just hide it in and suck it up. That’s what I’ve done.
“With the new manager coming in at club level, that gives everyone a lift, it gives a new spark to the team.
“It has been a disappointing start both personally for me and as a team for the club.
“We all know there’s a lot of work to be done there.
“But, for me, it’s just about getting my head down and working hard. I know my form will come. It’s just about focusing on that really.”
Kane copped grief from Spurs fans for the way he and his agent brother Charlie handled City’s interest – and he insists it took a toll on the whole family.
But the England striker said: “That’s part and parcel of being a big player, having to deal with those situations, and I think I dealt with it well.
“Whenever there is stuff being written about your family, it’s always difficult to take, especially when it’s stuff that’s negative.
“But I think that’s when families really come together during those moments.
“Obviously I’m very close to my brother and my parents, my wife, her family.
“So there’s plenty of people that I know and trust and am able to talk to.
“It’s never easy when there is any negative story about yourself or someone you know.
“There was a lot of stuff about my brother being my agent. That’s where we stick together.
“I know what he does for me as an agent, I know what he does for me as a brother and that’s all that matters.
“The rest of it is just noise.”