So that’s that, then. Another trophyless season for Tottenham Hotspur. A 13th in succession.
And if neither Jose Mourinho nor Antonio Conte – two of the most successful, decorated club managers in the 21st century – cannot turn the perennial bridesmaids into marriage material, then no wonder Harry Kane has picked up a nasty case of itchy feet.
The Tottenham captain has not picked up a single piece of silverware in Spurs colours. Not a Premier League, nor a Champions League, nor an FA Cup. Not even an EFL Cup or a Conference League.
So a penny for Kane’s thoughts, then, as a couple of former Spurs team-mates close in on a title of their own.
Joe Hart – Celtic
At 34, it would have been oh-so easy for Hart to wind down his career on the sidelines, enhancing his bank balance as an experienced back-up option at a Premier League club. The Richard Wright approach, if you will.
Instead, the 75-cap England international moved north of the border in an attempt to revitalise his ailing career. The risk has certainly paid dividends.
Hart is playing his best football in years for a Celtic side sitting three points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers in the Scottish Premiership table. After starting in December’s League Cup final victory over Hibs, the veteran shot-stopper could end up his debut season in Glasgow with a domestic treble.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – Celtic
Technically speaking, Carter-Vickers is still a Spurs player. Though not for much longer. If Celtic do not trigger the £6 million option-to-buy clause in his loan deal – and they will certainly try to – then someone else will. A host of Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest and that comes as no surprise.
Carter-Vickers has been a rock at the heart of Celtic’s backline, after all. His impressive positional sense and excellent passing range have made him integral to Postecoglou’s blueprint.
Gareth Bale – Real Madrid
The champagne will taste a little bittersweet as far as Bale is concerned when Real Madrid parade the La Liga trophy around their Santiago Bernabeu stadium in May. Once the world’s most expensive footballer, the seldom-seen winger has played just four La Liga matches this season.
Nonetheless, a 15th trophy of his Real Madrid career is almost within grasp. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are nine points clear of a stuttering Sevilla in top-spot.
Luka Modric – Real Madrid
Modric and Bale are sharing a dressing room in the Spanish capital, having joined Madrid in big-money deals from Tottenham a decade ago. But that is where the similarities end. While Bale’s best appears to be behind him – at club level in any sense – Modric continues to roll back the years on a weekly basis.
The evergreen 36-year-old is arguably in better form now than he was back in 2018, when he broke the Cristiano Ronaldo – Lionel Messi strangehold on the Ballon D’Or.
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Fernando Llorente – Eibar
While Modric continues to defy Father Time over in Spain, the same cannot be said of Llorente. The 37-year-old targetman has scored just once in 16 games since returning to Spain in October.
Then again, Llorente’s vast experience is still proving integral for an SD Eibar sitting four points clear at the top of the Spanish Segunda table.
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