Spurs boss Conte eyeing Kane replacement but wants England captain to stay

Tottenham took advantage of defeats for both Arsenal and Manchester United on Saturday by beating Aston Villa comfortably and moving a step closer to securing qualification for next season’s Champions League.

The three clubs, along with West Ham United, look set to jostle for the final top four spot, but Spurs’ recent form has seen them climb into fourth place and means their fate is now in their own hands.

After a shaky start to life in North London, Antonio Conte seems to have finally got the best out of his squad, having witnessed them score 12 goals in their last three league matches,

Despite their prolific scoring record of late, talisman Harry Kane hasn’t scored in that time, and it appears that Conte is now looking for a new number 10 to replace him.

As per The Mail, the Italian has set his sights on a new forward, however his plan is to allow Kane to push further forward and act as a traditional number nine, rather than replacing him.

The England captain was heavily linked with a big money move to Manchester City last summer, but the transfer never materialised and he stayed put in the capital.

Kane has provided four assists in his last two matches

With the summer transfer window fast approaching again, speculation will undoubtedly start to build once more around Kane, who is yet to win a trophy during his senior career.

The report suggests that Kane, who demonstrated his creative ability during Spurs’ win over Aston Villa on Saturday by setting up goals for both Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski, will be deployed as an out-and-out striker next season is he remains with the Lilywhites.

“Harry, he was a born striker”, Conte told reporters.

“But he has the ability to play as a number 10 with a striker in front of him.

“But I like to have him as a striker and then eventually another number 10. Two different players with different characteristics.”

Kane also provided two assists in Spurs’ previous league match, a 5-1 win over Newcastle United, and was praised by former Lilywhite David Ginola as the ‘new Maradona’.