Irrepressible Kane set to join 200 club

Harry Kane is enjoying a superb season in front of goal and the Tottenham Hotspur striker is closing in on historic milestones.

With his brace at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, Kane took his tally to 15 goals in 18 appearances this term.

Since Spurs have more than half of their matches still to play in 2022/23, Kane is on course for his best tally in a Premier League campaign, beating his total of 30 from 2017/18.

While he may be trailing six goals behind Erling Haaland in the race for the Castrol Golden Boot, Kane still has other records to chase down.

In the short term, he is only two goals away from becoming the third player to score 200 in the Premier League, after Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney.

He is also just one goal away from matching Spurs’ club record for goals in all competitions - the 266 strikes registered by Jimmy Greaves - after netting against Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup.

If Kane could pick a fixture in which to achieve both landmarks, there is every chance he would choose the north London derby, so he will no doubt be excited by the fact that Spurs’ next match is at home to Arsenal.

While the visit from the league leaders is far from easy, Kane has a strong record against Arsenal and will back himself to hit a brace.

Indeed, he is the top scorer in north London derbies, netting 14 times in 16 Premier League meetings with the Gunners, including two goals in his last home match against them.

When he reaches the 200 mark, Kane will immediately have another target in his sights: Rooney’s total of 208 goals, the second-best figure in Premier League history.

Rooney took 491 appearances to achieve his tally, averaging 0.42 goals per match.

By comparison, Kane has struck 198 times in 300 matches, averaging 0.66 goals per match.

If he maintains that rate, the Spurs forward would match Rooney before the end of this season.

Closing in on all-time record

Kane could then focus on the biggest target of all: Shearer’s all-time Premier League record of 260 goals.

Shearer reached his total in 441 matches, averaging 0.59 goals per match, so Kane has the edge.

Kane/Rooney/Shearer compared

Indeed, if he maintains his average, he would reach 260 goals after 394 appearances, just before the end of the 2024/25 season.

Former Spurs striker Darren Bent believes Kane will take the record, while ex-Premier League forward Clinton Morrison discusses the one thing that can stop him.

"The record he's got in sight is Alan Shearer's, he's going to go past Wayne Rooney on 208," Bent says.

"It's how quickly he can get to Shearer's (record), and on this type of form, you'd have to say he's going to do it."