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Emma de Duve

Tottenham still hoping Harry Kane will stay as Ledley King and Steven Gerrard agree on loyalty

Harry Kane has been back to his best for Tottenham in recent games, but that hasn't stopped questions being raised over his future in north London. The England captain had a slow start to the season after the disappointment of losing to Italy in the final of Euro 2020, which was followed by his strong transfer links with Manchester City.

Kane has now scored 22 goals and registered nine assists in 43 appearances, breaking records and continuing his solid partnership with Son Heung-min. Spurs are currently fourth in the Premier League and in a good position in the battle for a spot in the top four.

Antonio Conte has led his side to victories in their last four matches and will hope they can continue that winning streak when they welcome Brighton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. All Spurs can do is continue getting their own good results and hope teams around them drop points, so they can secure Champions League football for next season.

READ MORE: Dane Scarlett makes big Harry Kane claim and reveals his Tottenham ambitions for the future

There are a number of reasons why there has been speculation around Kane's future at Tottenham, most notably the lack of silverware. Spurs have now gone 14 years since they last won a trophy and for a world-class player like the striker, that may be a problem.

However, Kane has been at Tottenham since he was a child and has made an impact on the Spurs side for a number of years. Ahead of the Lilywhites 4-0 victory over Aston Villa, Steven Gerrard commended the 28-year-old for his loyalty.

"I admire his loyalty to Tottenham and, of course, I’m sure it’s been tempting for him on many occasions to go and take one of those options. The Spurs fans should enjoy him and admire the loyalty he’s given them. You can see a guy who is desperate for success with Tottenham and I have a lot of admiration for that," Gerrard explained.

"He might still have the opportunity to achieve a couple of things in his career which might mean more to him with Tottenham than anyone else because of what Tottenham have also given the player. That’s what it boiled down to with me.

"The decision was, yes I could go to three or four teams in a foreign country or a couple domestically who maybe have a better chance of winning. But winning something with your team, the one you love and the supporters you love, I think that will mean more to him for the rest of his life than a short-term fix," he added.

This is something Ledley King also alluded to on the Mennie Talks podcast. King was Tottenham's captain for a number of years and spent his whole playing career at Spurs.

He explained that this was partly down to his many injury setbacks but also his loyal personality. "For me, I was captain of the team from a young age and I wanted to take my team to try and win things. My dream was to try and win the Premier League with my team," the former defender explained.

"I'd rather win one or two with my club than five or six elsewhere, but everyone is different. For me, coming through the youth team and having that connection with the fan base was so important to me and I think players like that are always going to be so important to a football club."

King referred to the likes of Ryan Giggs, John Terry and Gerrard as the type of players that mean so much to clubs and help keep balance in teams. They can give advice to new arrivals and young players and they are needed in squads.

Kane is one of these players. He is a leader and a senior player in the Tottenham team, a player that the likes of Dane Scarlett look up to and a big part of Spurs as a club.

Although King didn't directly make the comparison with his career at Tottenham and Kane's, his comments and experience could be likened to the England captains. It makes sense that a club you have been at for most of your career would be who you want to win with.

The question the Spurs striker will have to ask himself is, does he think the Lilywhites has what it takes to end their 14-year trophy drought in the near future?

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