It was an ending of sorts when Harry Kane limped off at Southampton on New Year’s Day.
Not, it is transpiring, the end of his season, with the delay to the footballing fixture list affording a chance to get fit again, but perhaps the last time he will represent Tottenham in front of any kind of crowd.
In his mild-mannered way, Kane sounded a warning on Sunday. “I’ll always love Spurs but I've always said if I don't feel we're progressing as a team or going in the right direction, then I'm not someone to just stay there for the sake of it,” he said in an Instagram Live chat with Jamie Redknapp. “It’s not a definite I am going to stay there forever.”
It is indisputable Tottenham have regressed. Champions League finalists last season, they were knocked out with embarrassing ease by Leipzig in the last 16.
A team who were in the title race 14 months ago now have half as many points as Liverpool and two fewer than Sheffield United.
Tottenham’s incoherence is not merely a consequence of injuries, Kane’s included.
Their decline was initially masked by their European exploits. Now they bear the look of a team in transition, with a group of younger players, a collection of declining ones and a potential future in the Europa League.
It is a question if Kane is willing to wait and if he believes their future is brighter. “Of course I want to win trophies, and to do that sooner rather than later,” he said.
Kane turns 27 in July. He has played in a Champions League final but his only silverware has come in the form of individual honours: the two Premier League Golden Boots and, still more prestigious, its World Cup counterpart.
He can be a throwback in some respects but that does not necessarily make him the new George Cohen, the World Cup winner who retired without a medal to show for his club career.
Kane has 181 Tottenham goals and a place in their history, but he sounded willing to pass up the chance to overhaul Jimmy Greaves’ club record of 266.
Mauricio Pochettino used his progressiveness and persuasive powers to give Spurs an allure, to placate and to coax players to sign up for a project when they could be paid more elsewhere.
While Kane praised Tottenham’s current manager, his words amounted to a vote of no confidence in Jose Mourinho.
The striker was the subject of an early charm offensive, the recipient of many a Mourinho text. The Portuguese can buddy up to pivotal figures in a dressing room but a serial winner is unaccustomed to his players leaving his club to pursue glory elsewhere.
But extricating himself from Tottenham may be no simple task. As the flagship player for a club with a £1 billion (Dh4.5bn) stadium, he is a unique case.
How much of Spurs’ identity revolves around Kane? If chairman Daniel Levy decides he is integral, both from a footballing and a financial perspective, he could be a high-tech ground’s most deluxe fitting.
Even if he is available, some baulk at dealing with Levy; “more painful than my hip replacement”, in Sir Alex Ferguson’s words.
It is not merely the coronavirus effects on football’s finances that mean a £150 million or a £200 million fee feels unrealistic; both Kane’s age and his increasingly injury-prone nature should preclude that.
At the top end of the market, there are fewer feasible bidders. Talk of Real Madrid has faded in recent years. Manchester United’s interest dates back to Louis van Gaal’s days, but could they afford both Kane and Jadon Sancho?
If not and if they look for the long-term investment, it may feel that Kane’s time has passed.
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
UAE Tour 2020
Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E5pm%3A%20Sheikh%20Mansour%20bin%20Zayed%20Racing%20Festival%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh100%2C000%20(Turf)%202%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Suny%20Du%20Loup%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%20(jockey)%2C%20Hamad%20Al%20Marar%20(trainer)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E5.30pm%3A%20Sheikh%20Mansour%20bin%20Zayed%20Racing%20Festival%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(PA)%20Dh150%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Nadia%20Du%20Loup%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Sulaiman%20Al%20Ghunaimi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%3A%20Sheikha%20Fatima%20bint%20Mubarak%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(PA)%20Dh150%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Dareen%2C%20Dane%20O%E2%80%99Neill%2C%20Jean%20de%20Roualle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.30pm%3A%20Sheikh%20Zayed%20bin%20Sultan%20Al%20Nahyan%20National%20Day%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(PA)%20Dh500%2C000%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Alwajel%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.15pm%3A%20Sheikh%20Zayed%20bin%20Sultan%20Al%20Nahyan%20Jewel%20Crown%20%E2%80%93%20Group%201%20(PA)%20Dh5%2C000%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20First%20Classs%2C%20Ronan%20Thomas%2C%20Jean%20De%20Mieulle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E8pm%3A%20Sheikh%20Zayed%20bin%20Sultan%20Al%20Nahyan%20National%20Day%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Listed%20(TB)%20Dh380%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20San%20Donato%2C%20Pat%20Dobbs%2C%20Doug%20Watson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.30pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh100%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Rasam%2C%20Fernando%20Jara%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Credit Score explained
What is a credit score?
In the UAE your credit score is a number generated by the Al Etihad Credit Bureau (AECB), which represents your credit worthiness – in other words, your risk of defaulting on any debt repayments. In this country, the number is between 300 and 900. A low score indicates a higher risk of default, while a high score indicates you are a lower risk.
Why is it important?
Financial institutions will use it to decide whether or not you are a credit risk. Those with better scores may also receive preferential interest rates or terms on products such as loans, credit cards and mortgages.
How is it calculated?
The AECB collects information on your payment behaviour from banks as well as utilitiy and telecoms providers.
How can I improve my score?
By paying your bills on time and not missing any repayments, particularly your loan, credit card and mortgage payments. It is also wise to limit the number of credit card and loan applications you make and to reduce your outstanding balances.
How do I know if my score is low or high?
By checking it. Visit one of AECB’s Customer Happiness Centres with an original and valid Emirates ID, passport copy and valid email address. Liv. customers can also access the score directly from the banking app.
How much does it cost?
A credit report costs Dh100 while a report with the score included costs Dh150. Those only wanting the credit score pay Dh60. VAT is payable on top.
