Benoit Assou-Ekotto is not surprised former team-mate Harry Kane is still at Spurs, despite the England captain believing he had a gentleman’s agreement with chairman Daniel Levy that he could join Manchester City.
Assou-Ekotto, a cult figure and independent thinker during nine years at Tottenham between 2006 and 2015, says he also had an understanding with Levy he could leave for a Champions League club, but a deal never materialised.
Now 37, he realises that at the top level of football, a verbal promise is not worth the paper it is written on.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto spent nine seasons at White Hart Lane between 2006 and 2015
‘Sometimes, a gentleman’s agreement is made but people will still end up defending their interest,’ he says.
‘I wasn’t happy with Daniel at the time because he didn’t respect what he said and I thought, “this man is not honest” but on reflection since I’ve retired I understand the way he thinks to protect his business.
‘In football, maybe in a lot of jobs, when you don’t sign the paper, you can say whatever you want. Harry will understand later, it’s business. Believe no one in football.
Where there is that amount of money, there is no honesty spoken. I appreciate Harry’s point of view, but also Daniel’s.’
Assou-Ekotto felt Spurs' chairman Daniel Levy didn't honour an agreement with him
Much as he did last summer when he turned down Harry Kane's transfer request
Assou-Ekotto acknowledged using football as a means to a better life. He feels vindicated in being able to retire at 35 and having no financial worries as a full-time dad to two young children in Arras, France.
He is glad Kane is scoring again, having played against Shamrock Rovers in 2011 —when Kane got his first Tottenham goal — and on his Premier League debut against Newcastle the following year.
He never dreamt the striker would reach the heights he has. Former Spurs forward Rafael van der Vaart revealed in an interview that he had been underwhelmed by Kane’s first training session, saying: ‘When the ball was passed to him, I could not believe how he tried to control it.
'I swear I said to [goalkeeper] Heurelho Gomes, “he can’t kick a f***ing ball”.
After a difficult start to the season, Kane has started scoring again regularly for Spurs
The England captain has found the net four times in the last five Premier League games
Assou-Ekotto concurs. ‘We used to play sometimes with Harry because Emmanuel Adebayor was injured or something like that,’ he says.
‘It left Harry as our only striker and when he was there it was, “Oh s***, Harry Kane, we know he won’t score goals for us today”.
‘But he was young. When I see the progression of this man, I say “Wow, he is unbelievable”. ‘As a young striker, he was not strong.
'Maybe it was the same when I came to Tottenham at 22 years old. Maybe the players used to think, “Ah, this man” but a few years later I am pretty sure they were OK with me.
Assou-Ekotto acknowledged he didn't have high expectations for Kane when the latter made his Spurs debut back in 2011
Assou-Ekotto was on the pitch when Kane (left) scored his first Spurs goal in December 2011
‘When he was at the start, Harry Kane was not strong or quick. It was difficult, for him and us.’
At Spurs, Assou-Ekotto thrived on a maverick image that contrasted with the stereotype of an average footballer.
He would mix with Spurs fans
