Harry Kane did not know if his transfer from Tottenham to Bayern Munich was going to go through after a “roller coaster” two days.
Kane has endured a whirlwind 72 hours since Spurs agreed a fee with the German club on Thursday, which culminated in the England captain being unveiled before the press on Sunday lunchtime.
He had already made his debut by then, coming on as a substitute in the second half of the DFL-Supercup, but his wait for the first silverware of his career goes on after Bayern lost 3-0 to RB Leipzig.
It was a race against time for Kane to be registered in time to play after his flight to Germany and subsequent medical was delayed after Spurs went back to the negotiating table at the last minute.
The £100million deal eventually got done, though Kane admits he was left sweating for a while.
“It was obviously a busy couple of days, a busy week, this is my first transfer that have been involved in, it was an up-and-down experience for sure, but I am happy to be here now,” he said.
“I wish Tottenham all the best, I wish Daniel Levy all the best, but my focus is here now and trying to help this time and I am just happy we managed to do it and am excited to get started.
“Talks have been ongoing for a couple of months ago and I always said if there was a deal that suited all three parties then we could do it.
“Going into the last year of my contract I didn’t want it to be a distraction for the new manager and team at Tottenham. I was excited to come.
“The last 48 hours of the deal was pretty up and down, a bit of a roller coaster, but I was just really happy when we got over the line.
“Two days ago I was sitting in London and we didn’t know how it was going to go.”
The 30-year-old, who broke Tottenham’s all-time goalscoring record last season, departs a club he joined as an 11-year-old and one where he was desperate to win silverware.
It became apparent over the last few seasons that he would not be able to fulfil his ambitions at Spurs and, with one year left on his contract, knew it was time to move on, even though he did not get the chance to say goodbye.
“It is always going to be a tough decision, I was at Tottenham for 19 years of my life, everyone knows the club is connected with me and my heart,” he said. “I’m professional and always pushed myself to my limits.
“I just felt like the time was right, I needed to be playing at the highest level, in the Champions League, trying to win titles every year.
“When I thought about it and Bayern got in touch it was a decision I wanted to make.
“I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, I sent the group a text that I was leaving and when I get the chance to go back, I’ll go in and say goodbye properly.
“Not just the players, but the staff, the chefs, the kitmen, the physios, people I have spent 15 years of my life with. I didn’t have that time because it was so up and down, but for sure over the next few weeks I’ll get some time.”
Kane leaves the Premier League only 48 goals shy of Alan Shearer’s all-time record, but hinted at returning one day in a bid to surpass the former Newcastle and Blackburn striker.
“People will talk about Shearer but I have got plenty of football left in my career,” he said.
“For now I am just trying to concentrate on trying to achieve things here, trying to push myself and push the team to try and reach new levels for this club. That is what my focus is on now.”
Kane’s move to Germany is complicated that his wife Kate is heavily pregnant with their fourth child.
She will return to London on Monday with the rest of their young family, with Kane saying a decision will be made on where she gives birth.
“My wife Kate was really supportive, she wants the best for me and my career so she said to push, she wants me to be playing and happy and that is why we made the decision,” Kane added.
For Bayern to get Kane represents a big statement of intent as they try to conquer Europe against after a couple of lean seasons in the Champions League.
But their biggest victory might have been in successfully completing cordial negotiations with Spurs chairman Levy, an achievement a host of clubs have failed at.
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CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen got on so well with Levy that he intends to buy him dinner.
He said: “Daniel and I got closer in the last couple of weeks, that is for sure.
“It was quite a tough negotiation, Daniel is a very friendly person but he knows what he wants. So two people who knew exactly what they wanted came together and that is why it took a bit longer.
“But in the end both of us do have good feelings and that is why I will pay for dinner with him.”
Back at Spurs, new captain Son Heung-min believes Richarlison can help the club fill the gap left by Kane’s departure.
Son told Sky Sports before their Premier League match at Brentford: “We’ve lost one of the best strikers in the world, but I think we have a good player to replace him.
“Obviously H (Kane) has scored so many goals, so every attacking player should take a big responsibility to score some goals.”
World Cup Girlz back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of experienced players for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal, when they visit Brazil for a two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games, scheduled for June 1 and 4, are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada last September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication yet that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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