Jamie Carragher says Manchester City ‘got their priorities wrong’ by signing £100m Jack Grealish when Harry Kane ‘should have already been paraded in a shirt’… and should eye Kylian Mbappe as ‘Plan B’ if Tottenham now won’t sell
- Manchester City and Tottenham are locked in a stand-off over striker Harry Kane
- The Premier League champions are thought to be unwilling to pay £150 million
- Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has said Kane should be frustrated with City
- City should have prioritised Kane ahead of £100 million Jack Grealish, he feels
Manchester City should have concentrated on capturing Harry Kane for Tottenham’s £150 million ahead of the signing of Jack Grealish, Premier League legend Jamie Carragher has warned.
The Premier League champions spent £100 million to sign playmaker Jack Grealish this summer, matching the amount they offered Spurs for Kane after the end of last season.
With the England captain under contract until 2024, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is thought to be holding out for £150 million for his wantaway talisman – and Carragher believes Kane should be as frustrated with City as he is with his club.
Manchester City’s £100 million bid for Harry Kane was £50 million short of Tottenham’s price
Pundit and ex-Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes City should be going all out for Kane
Carragher has called City’s approach to snaring Kane ‘bizarre’ and claimed that the 28-year-old should be asking why club owner Sheikh Mansour has not matched his market value.
Writing in the Telegraph, Carragher said: ‘As the supposed number one summer target, he should already have been paraded in his City shirt.
‘It is difficult to understand how City imagined this would play out any differently than it has over the past two months.
‘From the moment it became clear Kane would push for a transfer, and City were preparing their move, everyone in football foresaw the current state of affairs.
City added £100 million Jack Grealish (second from right) to their stacked options in midfield
‘Anything less than £150 million for the England captain is going to be met with an instant rebuke.’
The arrival of Grealish from Aston Villa has supplemented a midfielder already blessed with the likes of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, Carragher says.
‘City obviously had the funds to buy Kane for £150 million at the start of the summer but decided to match the £100 million clause for Jack Grealish. At the moment, it looks like they got their priorities wrong.
‘Grealish is a fine player. He will do well at City. I understand why he wanted to move. What I cannot get my head around is why City did not attend to their more pressing needs first.
Carragher claims Kane should share equal frustration with City and Spurs’ Daniel Levy (right)
‘Signing Grealish will not be the difference between City defending their title or finally winning the Champions League this season.
‘Signing Kane, or a world-class striker capable of scoring between 20 or 30 goals this season, might be.’
Carragher now feels that it is make-or-break time for City to add a cutting edge to their intricate play.
‘That was clear in last weekend’s defeat to Spurs,’ he said. ‘Despite that, the Premier League champions pushed ahead with the Grealish deal while waiting for events to materialise on Kane’s future.
‘That will backfire if they do not act in the next fortnight, to either secure Kane or a worthy alternative.’