Fact or Fiction: Can Kane now be considered among Europe's elite?

Tottenham are beginning to enjoy playing Stoke City. For the third successive time, Spurs overcame the Potters 4-0 as they ended the week on a high. Following their Europa League exit at the hands of Gent last Thursday, the north London side needed an immediate response. While victory did little but lift them to within 10 points of league leaders Chelsea, it was a necessary confidence boost as Spurs gear up to play their next three competitive games at home, including an FA Cup meeting with Millwall next month. 

Realistically, the FA Cup is the only piece of silverware Spurs can land their hands on this season, barring a colossal dip in form for Chelsea, who are understandably odds-on favourites to secure the Premier League title. For the individual accolades, though, Harry Kane did his chances of securing a second successive golden boot award the world of good against the Potters. A first half hat-trick took him to 17 Premier League goals for the season - no player has scored more this term - while the England international has now scored three hat-tricks in 2017, with three goals against West Brom and Fulham to go with his treble against Stoke. 

His first against Stoke, which in turn was his 100th career club goal, exhibited his in picking his spot from a half chance, while Kane’s second showcased superb technical ability to get over the ball and bury past Lee Grant with an awkwardly struck half volley. While there was good fortune for his third - Kane’s free kick struck the leg of Peter Crouch to deflect the ball past Grant - his 17th Premier League goal of the campaign once again reinforced his goalscoring credentials. What this further highlighted, though, was how effective Kane is at finding the back of the net with either foot. 

The question now is whether Kane can rightly be considered one of the best strikers on the continent. Shots per game may have dropped from 4.2 to 3, which suggests that he is being closely marked by opponents who fear his impact in front of goal. As such, it’s little shock that the number of shots have dropped, while it’s feasible that Kane is going for goal less often as he looks to bring teammates into play more frequently. Yet, goals per game between the two campaigns have marginally risen, from 0.7 to 0.8, with Kane’s conversion rate an impressive 27%. 

Of the 44 players to score 10 or more goals this season, Kane’s conversion rate is the fifth best in Europe’s top five leagues this term, with Alexandre Lacazette (31%), Falcao (29.6%), Edinson Cavani (28.3%) and Iago Aspas (27.7%) above the Spurs star. 11 of his 17 goals have been deemed clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, four of which have been from the penalty spot. That just 64.7% of his goals have been considered clear-cut chances shows how impressive Kane is at finding space to hit the back of the net.   

Comparatively, 88.5% of Cavani’s goals have been clear-cut chances, with Lacazette (81.2%) close behind. 76.9% of Aspas’ goals have been clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, while Falcao (68.8%) fares a little better than Kane in that regard. Yet, even when presented with these chances, Kane has a respectable clear-cut conversion rate of 64.7%, meaning he is not only capable of scoring when an opportunity seems gone, but is able to move into positions to ensure he is presented with a chance where it seems easier to score than miss and is certainly capable of hitting the back of the net where possible. 

Indeed, the clear-cut conversion rate is the 9th best of the 44 players to score 10 or more league goals this season, though it’s worth pointing out that five of the eight players above him in this ranking have been presented with fewer than 10 clear-cut goalscoring opportunities this season. For context, though, Falcao has a clear-cut conversion rate of 73.3%, while Aspas (62.5%), Lacazette (62.1%) and Cavani (51.1%) all feature below Kane. At the current rate of scoring, Kane should - for the second successive season - break the 25-goal barrier, a feat not achieved since Robin van Persie for Arsenal and Manchester United. 

For the same team, though, Kane would follow in the footsteps of Thierry Henry, who scored 25 or more goals in a single season three campaigns running between 2003 and 2006. Despite being dubbed a one-season wonder and facing numerous criticisms in the past, the 23-year-old routinely proves his doubters wrong and is quickly going about his business to become one of the most fearsome frontmen on the continent.