Harry Kane ends the summer as he started it – as a Tottenham player

The England captain made it clear he wanted to leave his boyhood club but a big-money move to Manchester City has not materialised as he hoped

Harry Kane will stay at Tottenham (Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

What started with an interview Gary Neville on a golf course ended with two short sentences on social media.

"I will be staying at Tottenham this summer," tweeted Harry Kane, and with it one of the transfer stories of the summer is over.

While it is clearly not what Kane wanted it's certainly a relief to all those at Spurs with the club talisman and top scorer now tied down for one more year at least.

The England captain made it abundantly clear he wanted to leave his boyhood home this offseason with Premier League champions Manchester City and the silverware that would surely follow his chosen destination.

But, as he was never likely to, chairman Daniel Levy didn't accede and despite going as public as he possibly could, Kane has been forced to take what he has been dealt and will now knuckle down for another season in north London.

His leverage, to be fair, was always minimal.

Still only halfway through a six-year contract signed in 2018, Tottenham held all the cards and, as he has so often before, Levy knew how to play them.

Manchester City must take some of the blame too. They never came to the table with a tangible offer - despite clearly having the means to reach any asking price - meaning Tottenham's resolve was never truly tested.

It also hints they perhaps weren't quite as keen as was first thought either.

While clearly a world-class player in a position of need, at 28-years-old he doesn't fit the usual age profile City usually desire.

Boss Pep Guardiola went public with his admiration for the player, but it is also interesting that Kane doesn't quite mesh with what the Spaniard ordinarily looks for in a forward too.

With Sergio Aguero gone City need an out-and-out No 9 but Kane himself sees himself as more of a 10, while his shoot-on-sight policy, which has got him so many goals over the last half-decade, doesn't exactly chime with Guardiola's pass-heavy approach either.

While the City manager will obviously be disappointed, opposite number Nuno is a whole lot cheerier.

The new boss, who has endlessly been asked about Kane's future since taking over, is delighted that the matter has been resolved, having seen it dominate his first two months at the club.

"Great news, fantastic news," he said at a press conference shortly after Kane's post.

"I think since Harry joined us (after his holiday) he has been working so this is what we value. His attitude in training has been excellent. It's finished, Harry is going to be with us.

"He is an option for (Thursday). It is great news for everybody. We are all very happy - (he's) one of the best players in the world. Delighted to have one more option for the season ahead of us."

The outlook for that season now looks a lot brighter. Tottenham have their main man back in play.