Following a well-earned break following the 22/23 season, England captain and record scorer, Harry Kane reported for preseason training with Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 23/24 campaign, but it was his choice of footwear that really caught the eye…
Preseason training is always an interesting time, seeing what physical state players return in, but also what boots they choose to lace up in, with a certain amount of freedom offered to them given the lack of competition and mainstream media spotlight. And so it proved at Tottenham’s Bangkok training session when Spurs skipper Harry Kane turned up in a mysterious blackout pair of boots, instantly sparking a debate about what they are.
Of course, the Spurs man has been a Nike athlete for the majority of his professional career, but rumours started to circulate late last year that a renewal of his contract with the Swoosh was stalling, leading to speculation of a potential new brand partnership for Kane. Despite this, Nike were quick to present him with a special version of his then-current boot, the Phantom GX, in recognition of his feat of becoming England’s all-time leading scorer back in March of this year, suggesting that all hope of the partnership continuing was not lost.
What does all of that mean about the boots he’s now wearing for preseason then? It could be that they’re some Nike prototypes, but it certainly doesn’t look like a Phantom GX or a next gen version of that silo, particluarly when looking at the soleplate. The stud formation looks more akin to a Mercurial if anything, but Kane has rarely worn that silo, so a switch seems unlikely. And we're fairly certain it isn’t a Tiempo... Details of the blackout boots show a textured synthetic upper and a low knitted collar, so, unless this is an entirely new Swoosh silo that’s come completely out of the blue, then the assumption has to be that it’s not a Nike boot.
That leaves the possibility that he’s signed – or is going to sign – with another brand. Kane wore adidas boots early on in his career before signing with Nike in late 2011, so could he be eyeing up a return to the Three Stripes, and could this be a next gen Predator prototype? Possibly.
You can guarantee that if Kane is available, PUMA will be interested too, as will the likes of New Balance and any other brand for that matter. Ultimately, we can speculate all we want, but time will tell what boot Kane opts to wear as he hunts down Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record.
Watch this space for more info surrounding Kane's mystery boot...
