Feeding on scraps: Is the time right for Harry Kane to push for a move?

If Harry Kane had taken one of a couple of chances that fell his way in the 2-1 victory over Arsenal he would be waking up on Monday morning basking in the glory of being hailed as the most lethal marksman in North London derby history.

It wasn't to be and, in truth, it would have papered over a performance that again suggested all is not quite right with the Tottenham and England captain.

He remains level with Emmanuel Adebayor and Bobby Smith on 10 goals in this fixture after cutting a largely peripheral figure feeding on scraps against a somewhat porous and error-prone Gunners defence.

Yes, he received more service than in Tottenham's turgid showing at Bournemouth, but in the bigger picture of things he must be privately lamenting how the very nature of the mid-table scrap with the Gunners again showed just how far off the pace his club have fallen.

Instead of savouring the satisfaction of another record, he may well wake up once again contemplating what next for his career. It may seem somewhat strange on the back of a Tottenham win, but if Kane wants to lift the trophies he has so often declared a desire for, it seems painfully obvious to him and neutral observers, that he is unlikely to achieve those ambitions with the team he has been a part of since joining the Academy in 2004.

Kane is still in the process of returning from the hamstring tear he suffered at the start of the year, but his lack of overall involvement in matches looks to be related more to a combination of Jose Mourinho's tactics/style and a large dip in standards across the squad, rather than just his own, evident rustiness.

There are more than a few voices of doubt within football and those who follow Tottenham when it comes to whether Mourinho and Spurs are the right fit, and how that plays out remains to be seen. But it's not quite a case of simply not believing in a new manager or not wanting to give him time to revamp the side. Tottenham finished in the top four between 2016 and 2019, but had started the season very poorly under Mauricio Pochettino. Kane wanted desperately to be convinced they were on the verge of ending the club's trophy drought and that the Lilywhites were still a club on the rise, but that is looking less and less likely at this juncture. They seem to have peaked, with last season's Champions League final defeat the highlight of a team who will be remembered for flirting with silverware rather than lifting it.

It's just over a year on from that defeat to Liverpool and Tottenham sit in eighth, a massive 41 points adrift of the opponents they met in that showpiece final in Madrid. Next season, it will be 60 years since Tottenham's last title win and 30 since they last lifted the FA Cup. This isn't a club with a recent pedigree for picking up trophies.

Kane turns 27 at the end of this month and with 13 Premier League goals to his name, looks set to register his lowest return in the top-flight since the 2013-14 campaign when he was still trying to make his mark in the game.

This is a man who has won the Premier League Golden Boot twice and was the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup.

He expects to rub shoulders with and be spoken about in the same breath as the world's elite forwards and it hasn't quite gone how he would like in the past year to 18 months. There is a clear crossroads for Kane with his peak years immediately in front of him.

Back in March, one of the Premier League's greatest strikers, Alan Shearer suggested Kane would need to move on in the next 12 months if Spurs don't win a trophy. His hasn't been the only voice claiming Kane should ponder a transfer, but it is a significant one amongst a growing number. Shearer himself, famously joined boyhood club Newcastle instead of Manchester United following his exploits at Euro 96 and failed to win any silverware with the Toon. It could well be a word of warning from the voice of experience and won't have gone unnoticed by Kane and his camp.

Of course, Tottenham will be loathe to consider any sort of departure. Kane still has four years left on a lucrative contract and the hierarchy will feel he is vital as they aim to reset and rebuild to some extent. But if Kane wants Champions League football and the chance to play for one of the world's top sides that consistently challenges for the top prizes, he may well decide this is the time for him to pursue it, before it's too late.