Where is Harry? KANE idea!
The absurd staging of the world star of FC Bayern
By Tobias Nordman
8/11/2023 8:56 p.m
It’s almost done. It’s really almost done. FC Bayern drags the deal with Harry Kane to the finish line. And the last hours before the deal were probably even more absurd than the whole negotiation process with Tottenham Hotspur.
As if the marathon to Harry Kane’s monster transfer hadn’t been grueling enough, the sprint to the finish on Friday finally grew into an absurd theatre, a grotesque staging. On Thursday afternoon everything seemed to be going well, on the right track. FC Bayern had bowed to the immobility of Tottenham boss Daniel Levy and met the demand for £100m (around EUR 116m). The most expensive transfer in club history, the most expensive newcomer in 60 years of Bundesliga football, he was finally bagged. Hallelujah! End in the field, layer at the shaft. But, oh no! Even 24 hours later nothing was fixed.
Coach Thomas Tuchel had invited to the press conference. Routine, because the Super Cup against RB Leipzig is coming up (Saturday, 8.45 p.m., Sky and Sat1 and in the live ticker on ntv.de). But the first title of the season is not nearly as interesting as the Harry Kane case, which has been kept boiling for weeks with daily water level reports. Where’s the striker? Still in London? Already in the air? Already in Munich? In the hospital? On Säbener Strasse? Hello? Hello, Mr. Tuchel? Well, Mr. Tuchel didn’t know. At least that’s what he said. You can believe him, as wild as things got between the supposed settlement and waiting for Harry.
No sooner had it leaked out that FC Bayern was ready for the biggest transfer of all (of his) time than the message broke in that the star striker suddenly had doubts as to whether the transfer was such a good idea. Oops! But why? Was he negotiating with other clubs? Was it about consultant fees? Or was the striker really so enthusiastic about his new coach at Hotspur, Angelos “Ange” Postecoglou, that he wanted to give his dream of big titles another chance at his heart’s club? Everything suddenly seemed possible. Even that the deal still bursts, for which even Uli Hoeneß had corrected himself.
It all started with Uli Hoeneß
Yes, it all started with the powerful man from Tegernsee. With (s) a crashing refusal. “Last year Tottenham rejected 160 million euros from Manchester City. Do you think it’s cheaper this year?” he explained in his own plain language. And then made it unmistakably clear: “Harry Kane is a great player, no question about it. But that’s money that I won’t pay.” Now, of course, one can say that Uli Hoeneß is right. Because Munich actually did not transfer 160 million euros, but a sum that is historically gigantic. What happened between Hoeneß “I don’t pay” and the transfer is one of the wildest transfer spectacles of recent years, maybe decades.
One of the protagonists: Daniel Levy, the Tottenham boss who has earned a reputation in recent years for being one of the toughest negotiators in professional football. He has been in office since 2001, longer than any other Premier League president. In 2013 he caused quite a stir when he sold superstar Gareth Bale and only relented when Real Madrid paid the then world-record fee of 101 million euros. He wasn’t a bit softer now in the duel with the bosses of FC Bayern. At the beginning of this grueling game of poker, they were still called Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidžić. The sports director is said to have flown to London together with Tuchel in mid-May to make the change palatable to Kane. Apparently successful. Until then, everything is relaxed. Except for Kahn and Salihamidžić, who were fired at the end of May, before the title sensation, which only became known in the middle of the title sensation.
At the end of June, it was said, FC Bayern turned down the first offer. 70 million euros plus bonuses are said to have been on the table. It was negotiated and negotiated. Meanwhile, Jan-Christian Dreesen and Technical Director Marco Neppe were the Munich protagonists. Flanked by the returning grandees Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. And with every day that Kane wasn’t committed, the news world escalated. Kane should send good signals, Hoeneß should irritate Bayern (he said that Spurs had to buckle because the player really wanted to go to Munich), the Tottenham boss was annoyed, Kane’s wife was allegedly spotted in Munich, then new ones appeared The alleged plans B to Y of FC Bayern were revealed to competitors and the media. Randal Kolo Muani, for example, or Victor Osimhen, or Niclas Füllkrug or, oh God, who else remembers…
Someone always knows something
Someone always had something to say, always something to report. asked, or not. There were recommendations from ex-players, as well as urgent warnings to the player not to switch to Bayern. Kane, Kane, Kane – what else? KANE idea, man! And anyone who suddenly got nervous because nothing new had become known for hours found something on Twitter that had the potential for world euphoria or world pain. Just slack off KANE. A barrage of water level reports – suddenly ebbing at noon on August 10th. Agreement? huh Real? Yes, no, yes. Doubts about Kane. Agreement with Kane again. He was supposed to come to Munich for a medical check-up on Friday morning.
End of the saga? No, KANE worry. The flight from Stansted to Oberpfaffenhofen was repeatedly delayed and then even cancelled. So Kane went home first. Allegedly, Tottenham suddenly needed to speak again. It is said to have been about the agreed bonus payments. A duplication was under discussion. Then media round with Tuchel. Where is the player? KANE idea. And anyway: As of now, there is “no agreement yet”. WHAT? However, one is “in exchange”. Ah ok! Almost at the same time, Tottenham’s coach officially gave up the player. As far as he knows, “the deal is imminent.”
At about 6 p.m. the next sign finally arrived! Departure to Munich. Up to 70,000 people follow Flightradar to see if it works. It was the most watched flight of the evening! It works out! 7:07 p.m., three minutes late, the plane lands! But you already know: A red Audi e-tron is ready to continue your journey! At 7:51 p.m. he drove up to the Brothers of Charity hospital for a medical check-up! This caused a great commotion. Due to a striking barrier on the way to the underground car park, Kane sat on the back seat for a short time on the platter! But: It’s almost done. Really. Probably. Allegedly.