There has long been talk at Tottenham Hotspur about who will take over from Harry Kane should he ever depart the club.

While the £50m addition of Richarlison this summer suggests that the North London club are looking to the future to replace the England captain at some point, they could have had an ideal heir in Armando Broja.

The young Chelsea striker, who burst onto the scene last season after some impressive performances on loan at Southampton, revealed recently that he was in Tottenham's academy as a youngster.

He suggested that Spurs scouted him after he impressed in a local tournament and he would play for the club until he was nine when he made the switch to Chelsea, who he was keen to join as he supported them.

The Albania international has progressed through the academy at Stamford Bridge and enjoyed a fruitful spell at Vitesse in the 2020/21 season, with 10 Eredivisie goals to his name.

He then established himself as a regular in Ralph Hasenhuttl's side last season, hitting six goals in the Premier League for the Saints, which was enough to see him attract a lot of transfer interest during the summer.

Reports suggested that Chelsea valued the 21-year-old at as much as £50m but he would remain with the Blues, despite a lack of game time in the first team so far this season, with just four substitute appearances in the Premier League thus far.

However, he looks to have a lot of potential and he could have been a great alternative to Kane in this Spurs side, with his pace and power likely to be a problem for Premier League defences for a number of years to come.

Albania assistant manager Sergio Porrini was full of praise for Broja last season, saying:

“From last year to this he has grown a lot, and at Southampton, he has exploded.

“His greatest qualities are in progression, especially the ball and chain. (He’s) less good, on the other hand, with his back to the goal, in the construction of the action.

“But, in the spaces, he is devastating!”

Although Kane shows no signs of slowing down as he approaches his 30s, with six goals and one assist in seven Premier League games so far this season, Broja could have been a great player for Spurs to have had they managed to keep him in their academy for longer, and the Albanian could have been the man to eventually take over from Kane with the Lilywhites.