Paul Merson has issued a stark warning to newly-appointed Spurs boss Antonio Conte that the Harry Kane saga will rear its head once again this January.
Conte has just signed an 18-month contract to take the reins at Tottenham after Nuno Espirito Santo’s swift exit following their 3-0 defeat by Manchester United on Saturday.
The Arsenal legend fears that Conte will undoubtedly run into ‘issues with Kane’ during the next transfer window.
It is Conte’s old club Chelsea that Merson believes ‘Man City are in danger of falling behind' and envisions that the threat from the Blues will prompt City’s efforts to secure a deal for Kane in the new year.
City have failed to score in six of their 16 games this season and Merson described this poor run of form as ‘unthinkable’.
City midfield ace Kevin De Bruyne has been struggling to make his usual impact after a busy and injury-plagued summer.
Merson seems sure that City will be looking to bring in Kane with the hope of not letting Chelsea move further clear after Christmas. Pep Guardiola's side are currently five points behind the Blues.
‘Man City are in danger of falling behind Chelsea at the moment. This is the problem Nuno had, and Conte has the same issue with Kane,’ Merson said in his column for Sky Sports.
In order to potentially avert the problem, Merson believes that Conte must 'hit the ground running. Spurs fans want to play the "Tottenham Way."
‘I'm not sure what that is, exactly, as they haven't won anything,’ he added.
Conte has a big challenge on his hands. During Spurs’ last home defeat, the England star looked visibly disheartened, lacklustre and worlds apart from the player who has been in prolific goalscoring form for his club in recent seasons.
With only one goal to his name so far this season, Kane was even subject to booing from his own fans last weekend when they became frustrated at his abject display.
Conte and Kante will be hoping to turn their fortunes around when they face Vitesse in Europe this week and at Everton when they're back in Premier League action on Sunday.