Tottenham Hotspur hero Harry Kane represented Arsenal as a youngster but wasn't deemed good enough for the Gunners
Chris Burns Senior Sports Writer
09:00, 13 Dec 2025
Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur during the pre-season friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Shakhtar Donetsk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 06, 2023 in England.
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Harry Kane is a Spurs legend(Image: Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Arsenal's hierarchy let Harry Kane leave their academy as they thought a future Wolves star had what it took to make it over the Tottenham Hotspur icon.
Kane, 32, went on to score 280 goals for Spurs and became England's all-time top goalscorer. His mega £120 million move to Bayern Munich in August 2023 has seen him net an astonishing 113 goals already for the Bavarian giants.
Yet it all could've been so different had Arsenal chiefs not favoured Benik Afobe over Kane, who joined the Gunners at just eight years of age. Afobe came through the ranks at the Gunners at the same time as Kane but later went on to represent Arsenal's Premier League opponents this weekend, Wolves, on three occasions.
Afobe, now playing for Al-Arabi in the UAW at 32 years of age, scored 29 goals for the Midlands side. The DR Congo international also played for Bournemouth in the Premier League but he never came close to making the mark that Kane did on the division.
Kane was alleged to have a semblance of “puppy fat” at a young age and was deemed as not a great runner. Arsenal simply believed that Afobe was the better prospect between the two, claiming he was more athletic, more prolific and stronger in the challenge.
Arsenal perhaps can't be blamed entirely for their choice to pluck for Afobe over Kane, however. Afobe was targeted by Barcelona before signing his first pro contract such was his promising stature.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Benik Afobe celebrates
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Benik Afobe was highly thought of at Arsenal(Image: PA)
Injuries played a huge part in Afobe not reaching his potential in north London though and he left for Wolves in 2014 after several loan spells.
Kane later admitted that after being let go by Arsenal, the team he supported as a child, after just one season provided him with the desire to make it to the top of the game.
“Yeah, probably throughout my whole career, really,” said Kane in September 2024. “Starting from when I was eight years old being released from Arsenal. That might have built a bit of desire to prove to them when I was that age.”
Arsenal former academy chief Liam Brady, the club’s iconic player, admitted the “buck stops with him” over Kane, even though he did not make the decision personally.
Harry Kane of FC Bayern München reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between FC Bayern München and Sporting Clube de Portugal at Football Arena Munich on December 09, 2025 in Munich, Germany
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Harry Kane has been superb for Bayern Munich this season(Image: Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)
Kane joined Spurs at 11 but he was nearly released by them as well as a teenager. He had to battle to make it at Spurs after being sent out on loan to Leyton Orient and Norwich, while there were also loans at Millwall and Leicester.
Kane was eventually handed his first Premier League start under Tim Sherwood. However, it was Mauricio Pochettino who really championed him and credits Kane’s 90th minute winner at Aston Villa in November 2014 as the goal which saved him from the sack during a tough spell.
Former Arsenal academy boss Roy Massey, a hugely respected figure, has also admitted in the past that telling Kane he was not good enough remains one of the hardest conversations he has ever had.
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While they're currently riding high in the league, Arsenal will no doubt look back on their error with Kane that proved massively costly, not only in goals, but for their future finances.
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