Exclusive Wimmer: "Kane to Bayern Munich? Spurs are losing a Lamborghini Turbo but no betrayal..."

Exclusive by Alessandro Schiavone

Photo Wikimedia Commons

Capital Football have exclusively spoken to former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Kevin Wimmer who looked back on his time at the club between 2015 and 2017 with a particular focus on Bayern Munich-bound Harry Kane after the latest reports suggest that Daniel Levy finally accepted the Bavarian's £84.4 million offer. The move is now subject to Kane who has the final say.

Kevin Winmer, you played two years at Tottenham Hotspur. Who was the biggest leader in that group? They say Eric Dier is like the boss behind the scenes. Is that true?

“Eric Dier was one of the younger players back then so maybe he wasn’t the big leader he’s now after many years playing for Tottenham. [Hugo] Lloris was a superb goalkeeper on the pitch and for me as a centre-back to have someone like that behind you, such a vocal keeper who gives you instructions all the time was very important. Before the game and at half-time he used to speak a lot with the team and always in a positive way to help us. He was a great character and an amazing person. Then we also had Harry Kane who was a young player at the time but who already possessed leadership skills. You should have seen him in training every day, he was incredible. He always gave everything, staying after training to do work. Even though Harry already was one of the 2-3 best strikers in the Premier League he put in a shift every single day because he wanted to improve. That mentality is incredible and rubbed off on us because you want to be like him. Despite his talent he put in the hard yards. Players like that are so important for the team and Kane was an idol for me and for the other players.”

As you said he was already a force to be reckoned with in 2015. But are you surprised that fast-forward eight years he is now England and Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer? And he's only sitting 47 goals behind Alan Shearer in the Premier League all-time goal charts…

“When I joined Spurs I knew that if he gets a chance, no matter if he left or right, he’d bury it to 99 per cent. His quality in front of goal was amazing and he always worked really hard. He’s not done it for a season or two but 10 years. And I have such respect for him. He has always worked his socks off season-in season-out, scoring a hatful of goals for Tottenham. What he’s achieved is incredible but maybe nobody expected that he would go on to score that many goals. Everything he has achieved is a product of hard work. He’s also loved by everyone because of his humility. He’s a great guy, always gregarious and not at all arrogant. Let’s see what happens now and what club he joins next but I am sure he’ll continue scoring tons of goals.”

Would it be a shame if he ends his career with ZERO trophies?

“Of course. On one hand Harry Kane and Tottenham are a perfect match, a marriage made in heaven. I can’t imagine him playing for another club but on a personal level he’s done all he could to help Spurs win something, scoring plenty of goals and he could not have done more. I wish he can win something with Tottenham. They came very close to winning the Champions League in 2019, the journey they embarked on and that game against Ajax in the semis was crazy. I rooted for the club, hoping they could win something.  In the Premier League it’s difficult to win the title with Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. It remains to be seen what he decides to do but he still has many years in him. He’s 30, in great shape and still has plenty of time ahead of him to win lots of titles.”

Do you think he’s wasted his time, his best years at Spurs?

“I think he made the right calls. Nowadays it’s rare to have players that stay at a club for that long so whenever there are one-club man, that’s special. I like Kane’s path and find it remarkable. But there aren’t many players around who deserve it more than him to win league titles and Champions Leagues. I hope he can do it with Spurs but if he decides to go elsewhere I hope he can finally get silverware.”

Would Bayern Munich be the right fit for him? They are an amazing club but the Bundesliga is not the Premier League…

“Football-wise, Germany football is of the highest quality but the intensity is different. It wasn’t easy for Bayern in the Bundesliga but if he goes there he’d be the number one there and score a high amount of goals, even more than in the Premier League as it would be easier to do so with Bayern compared to Tottenham. At Bayern he’d have big chances of winning the Bundesliga, the German DFB Pokal while also standing a good chance of going all the way in the Champions League. Bayern will boast a strong team next season and if he goes there he will improve his chances of finally winning trophies.”

He's 48 hours away from surpassing Alan Shearer as the Prem’s all-time record scorer. Do you think he can go to Germany now and still finish the job in a few years should he return?

“That’s the only negative about joining Bayern. But he can do 2-3 years in Munich and then return to the Premier League. I just hope he can score many, many goals and finally win titles. If he stays fit, he’s unstoppable. He’s a top, top, top striker, I compare him to a Lamborghini Urus. Playing against him in training every day used to be a huge challenge always.If you were not 100% focussed you didn’t have a chance against him. Whether in games or in training he always gave all he had. He’s a great person with an amazing mentality for the game. He’s family guy who loves his family, the perfect example for professional footballers.”

Would Spurs fans perceive it as betrayal if he moves on?

“Everybody at Tottenham will still love him even if he leaves. I think the fans would understand it if he goes because for many years now every time in the transfer window there was always talk of him leaving. But he committed so many years to the club. It’s his club, he loves the club and I’m sure nobody of the fans would be mad at him.”