England's dependence on Harry Kane
Harry Kane became the only choice in attack for coach Thomas Tuchel in the World Cup qualifiers between England and Latvia, after Ollie Watkins was forced to sit out due to injury in the win over Wales.
Tuchel has many quality attacking stars in the winger position and number 10, but the "Three Lions" still rely heavily on Kane in the role of striker. Watkins is England's only replacement at the moment.
Kane is now the greatest striker in England's history with 74 goals in 109 appearances, while no other player in Tuchel's current squad has scored more than 18 goals for the national team.
Kane is still in top form. He has scored 18 goals in just 10 appearances for Bayern Munich and England this season, continuing to affirm his position as a top striker in Europe.
However, the question is: how long can England still rely on Kane? And where are the other 9s of the foggy country at a time when the inheritance of the center forward position is still a big question mark?
The scarcity of good English strikers in the Premier League
Recent seasons have shown an alarming decline in the number of goals scored by English strikers in the Premier League. From 120 goals in the 2022-2023 season, that number has decreased by more than half, to only 67 goals in the previous season.
Even after the first 7 rounds of the new season, English strikers have only scored 6 goals - accounting for less than 3.3% of the total goals of the tournament. This is a statistic that makes anyone who loves English football startled.
Kane's departure has of course created a big void. When he moved to Bayern Munich in August 2023, the Premier League not only lost a superstar but also lost the most stable source of goals that English football had had had in nearly a decade.
However, the most worrying thing is not only Kane's departure, but the scarcity of English strikers of sufficient class to fill that void. Behind him, English football has almost no real 9s capable of maintaining a stable scoring performance at the highest level.
The problem is not only the duration of the competition but also the ability to score. In fact, English strikers are becoming less likely to play in the Premier League. Their number of minutes has declined steadily with each season, and according to the current trend, this year's season could see a record low compared to previous years.
The reason is not a lack of demand. In fact, the summer transfer window showed that strikers are being sought after more than ever. The total amount of money that Premier League clubs spent on this position is up to 737 million pounds, nearly double last year and significantly higher than the 2023 and 2022 summer transfer window.
The race to find a top-class striker is being led by the Premier League's big guys. Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle all invested heavily in the No. 9 position in the recent transfer window.
However, the problem for English football is that most of these teams are forced to turn to the international market to find solutions. From Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike to Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko - prominent names pursued by Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United - all are not British citizens.
Chelsea's £30 million signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich is a rare exception. Hopes are placed on the 22-year-old striker that he could become a worthy successor to Kane, especially after returning from a hamstring injury in September.
However, the reality is harsh: young English strikers are increasingly scarce. It is remarkable that only seven English players have been called up as a true striker to play in the Premier League this season, and Delap is the only one of them under 26.
Causes and solutions
The scarcity of young English strikers is raising a series of questions at the academy level. Do training facilities in England today focus too much on developing wingers and No. 10, while the striker position is forgotten?
However, the problem is not only the training stage but also the opportunity to play. Most of the top clubs today only use one striker, making the path to breakthrough for young players in this position more narrow than ever.
It can be argued that the England team does not necessarily have to rely entirely on a pure centre-forward. With Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Rashford or Eberechi Eze, the "Three Lions" possess a multi-talented attacking squad, capable of scoring and making breakthroughs in any position in the attack.
In the short term, Tuchel can completely rotate the system, using one of the above names in the false 9 position. Rashford, Bowen or Anthony Gordon are considered feasible backup options in case Kane cannot play the full 90 minutes against Latvia when he has just returned from injury.
However, in the long run, as modern football is gradually returning to the classic central striker model, England may have to pay the price for the scarcity of pure number 9.
