Harry Kane Reflects on Premier League Return and Success at Bayern Munich

Harry Kane admits the “itch” to come back to the Premier League and chase down Alan Shearer’s record is fading, as life at Bayern Munich and in Germany tightens its grip on the England captain.

Kane left Tottenham in 2023 with 213 Premier League goals to his name, 47 short of Shearer’s benchmark of 260. For years that record felt like his unfinished business. Now, it sounds more like a distant possibility than an obsession.

The itch to return is fading

“When I first left, for sure it was something I thought – I would definitely be coming back,” Kane said after receiving the Golden Shoe as last season’s Bundesliga top scorer. “That itch isn’t there as much anymore.

“I am extremely happy here in Munich, it opened my eyes to a totally different world of football outside of England and it has made me appreciate European football even more.

“I just think the team we have here and the manager, my family is really settled here, it is just about being in the best place possible.

“Never say never, but for now I am concentrating on Bayern Munich and we will see what the future holds.”

The numbers explain why he sounds so content. Kane has been relentless since crossing the Channel, hitting a staggering 73 goals for club and country last season. For Bayern alone he scored 61 in 51 appearances as Vincent Kompany’s side completed a domestic league and cup double.

A new peak under Kompany

Kane is now into the final 12 months of the four-year deal he signed following his £86.4m move from Spurs, but talks over a new contract in Munich are expected to begin. His form under Kompany is a major reason both club and player are relaxed.

“I think this is the best version of myself for sure,” Kane said. “I think last season speaks for itself, from that sense the best season in my career no doubt.

“Since the boss has come in he has elevated my game to another level. That is down to the style of play, the way we attack and the way we defend, the way he gives players freedom to sometimes receive the ball deeper and sometimes arrive late in the box.”

The evolution is not entirely new. Kane pointed back to his later Tottenham years as the start of this more complete version of himself.

“I also had a lot of this and these kind of different positions during my Tottenham career as well, especially from the Mourinho stage onwards, it was the same sort of thing – I had freedom to come deep and get the ball and I had a great relationship with Son Heung-min.

“It has been building but I think this season with the team I have around me, the players we have and the system we play with the coach, it has just elevated me to another level.”

The Premier League record once defined the arc of his career. Now the question is different: with Bayern built around him and his game still climbing, why leave a place where he already looks unstoppable?