Inside Arsenal's ruthless Harry Kane decision and the player viewed as better prospect

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The pictures of Harry Kane in an Arsenal shirt have become infamous. Former Tottenham captain Kane even dyed his hair red in one childhood snap from his days in the Arsenal academy.

Another has Kane in a team picture playing for Arsenal’s under-eights in full kit long when he could only dream of becoming a £100m superstar and England’s record goalscorer.

Kane, 32, is setting remarkable goalscoring feats with Bayern Munich and will surely be the biggest threat to Arsenal’s defence when they go head-to-head at the Emirates on Wednesday night.

Incredibly, Kane has scored 26 goals for club and country this season, he has hit 15 goals in 21 games against Arsenal, including one when the clubs last met at the Emirates in the Champions League quarter final in 2024.

This is a player so clearly fired up after being rejected as a kid and has admitted that he used it to spur him on to reach the very top.

“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.”

We have heard so many times from Kane about being released and the stats clearly show he has been on a mission to prove them wrong ever since.

But what is the real story as to why he was released? And the heartbreak which led to the glory of England’s greatest goalscorer. The harsh reality, according to those at Arsenal’s famed Hale End academy at the time, was that it was quite a straightforward decision.

Kane not only had what people might describe as a bit of “puppy fat” at the time but was not a great runner or athlete. In football speak, the chat was “he couldn’t run.”

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And, at that age, academies often have to make tough calls between kids and who is the better prospect.

There was another player in direct competition who was also in that famous team picture. Kane was born on July 28, 1993, the same year as Benik Afobe who was born February 12.

The biggest single factor when it came to a decision on Kane was that Afobe was seen as the better prospect. Athletic, more prolific and stronger.

Afobe, who was big pals with Jack Wilshere, was even targeted by Barcelona before signing his first pro contract and yet just never broke through at Arsenal. Injuries played a huge part. Maybe his best time was in the 2015/16 season when he scored 22 goals for Wolves .

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It was a big call and Arsenal former academy chief Liam Brady, the club’s legendary player, always admits the “buck stops with him” even though he did not make the decision directly.

Kane went on to join Spurs at 11 but admitted he was so nearly released by them as well as a teenager. He was farmed out on loan to Leyton Orient. Had a terrible spell at Norwich. There were also loans at Millwall and Leicester .

But Kane never stopped working, never stopped training and even now he works on his sprinting, running and does endless drills. His mindset and incredible mentality ensured he never gave up.

And the fact is that, despite everything, there remains a feeling that if had not been for an injury crisis, he might not even have got his chance at Tottenham.

Kane was given his first Premier League start under Tim Sherwood. 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 rocky spell.

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The rest, as they say, is history. Former Arsenal academy boss Roy Massey, a hugely respected figure with a great strike rate, has admitted in the past that telling Kane he was not good enough remains one of the hardest conversations he has ever had.

Not that will ever stop some gentle ribbing when it comes to Kane. It was one hell of a mistake. But it also put Kane on the journey to becoming a superstar.

And if goals and class count for anything, then he might just achieve his dream of winning the Ballon D’Or.

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