Harry Kane was almost signed by Swindon Town on loan during the 2013/14 season, a tantalising near-miss that has become part of club folklore. The story was confirmed by then-manager Mark Cooper in 2015, who stated the young Tottenham striker very nearly joined the County Ground before his parent club opted to keep him.
Cooper's revelation highlights a sliding-doors moment for a Swindon side that finished just outside the League One play-offs that year. The Robins lacked a prolific scorer, with Nile Ranger and Nicky Ajose their joint-top scorers on ten goals each. The potential arrival of Kane, who would break into the Tottenham first team the following season, could have provided the firepower needed for a top-six finish.
Strong Spurs links
Swindon had a strong relationship with Tottenham at the time, facilitated by owner Lee Power's connections with managers Andre Villas-Boas and Tim Sherwood. That link saw a host of Spurs youngsters move to Wiltshire, including Ryan Mason, Grant Hall and Alex Pritchard in the summer of 2013. Massimo Luongo, Nathan Byrne and Dean Parrett had joined on loan the previous season, with Luongo and Byrne later signing permanently.
Kane had already faced Swindon once, playing 15 minutes off the bench for Leyton Orient in a 2011 fixture. His career trajectory from that point was meteoric. He scored 21 goals in 34 Premier League games in 2014/15 and has since become a Ballon d'Or winner, netting 61 goals in a single season for Bayern Munich and 12 for England.
Current context
While reflecting on past what-ifs, Swindon Town's present focus is on their League Two campaign. They currently sit 14th in the table with 16 points from 13 games, having won four, drawn four and lost five. Their recent form has been mixed, with a win, two draws and two losses in their last five outings. This sequence includes a goalless draw at Bristol Rovers on Saturday 24 October, a 3-1 away win at Barnet where Aaron Drinan scored twice, and a 1-1 home draw with Walsall on Saturday 17 October. The team has scored 13 goals this season while conceding 16, leaving them with a goal difference of minus three and 12 points behind the league leaders.
Their next match is at home to Rotherham on Saturday, 31 October. Rotherham are 22nd in the table, offering Swindon a chance to build momentum. The Robins will hope current top scorer Aaron Drinan, who has 22 goals this season, can provide the cutting edge that a teenage Harry Kane might once have brought to the County Ground.
The original report is at Swindon Link
