Who Can Replace Harry Kane for England? Tuchel Causes Panic With ‘10-Year’ Replacement Timeline

Who Can Replace Harry Kane for England? Tuchel Causes Panic With ‘10-Year’ Replacement Timeline

England manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that England will have to prepare for life after Harry Kane, but admits there will be no straightforward replacement for the captain, who continues to age like a fine wine.

The English striker added yet another to his growing tally of 87 against the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, shooting from close range in the 68th minute to double England’s lead against a 10-man side.

Harry Kane with the second goal for England. 9 goals this season. pic.twitter.com/WgoWQBi7T3

— XKayOriginal (@XKayOriginigl) September 29, 2026

This was Kane’s second goal in as many games, with the Bayern Munich striker sitting joint second in the Nations League golden boot race.

With the striker now just 13 goals shy of the elusive 100-goal mark for his country, there is another piece of history within touching distance.

If he can outpace Robert Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku, who currently sit on 93 and 89 international goals respectively, he will become just the fourth player in history to reach a century of international goals.

Asked about the prospect of joining the 100-goal club, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker said: ”I don’t like to think too far ahead, but of course, it’s getting closer.

“You know, 100 goals for the national team would be something special without a doubt.

“It still feels like yesterday I just broke the record, and I was away in Italy getting that one.

“The seasons come and they go quickly, so I just enjoy being out there with the boys on the pitch, wearing the Three Lions shirt and that won’t change.

“The striker’s job is to score goals first and foremost, and I know that, and I love doing that.”

And that is not the only record looming on the horizon. Kane currently has 123 caps for England, meaning three more appearances would see him surpass Peter Shilton’s long-standing record of 125.

That milestone could arrive as early as 12 November, with England scheduled to face Croatia twice and the Czech Republic once in the interim.

His remarkable output in front of goal has made him a strong candidate for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, with most bookmakers placing him second behind Lamine Yamal in the rankings.

At 33, the question of his succession has become all the more relevant, and Tuchel believes England will have to modify their tactics, as there is no replacement for the zealous striker.

"You will not get another Harry Kane, first of all," Tuchel said.

"He is the first one to push everyone and that is his mindset and he became a very, very hardworking forward on top of his finishing skills. He is a complete package.

"We look for different options and solutions. We finished the game with Jude [Bellingham] up front as a No. 9. "There will be someone else, but it will not be Harry or a copy of Harry. We will find a solution when it comes to it, but maybe not me. It might be another 10 years."

Asked when he expects Kane to reach 100 goals, the German added: ”Thirteen matches. He is the highest level of goalscorer."

Is Bellingham the heir to Kane?

England’s search for an heir to Kane has seen both Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney represent the country at recent international tournaments. But with the pair of players only being a few years younger than Kane, whilst playing in a relatively weak Saudi Pro League, it is unlikely that we see either of them feature heavily again for the national side.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is another option, but he is another player who is ageing. At 29 years of age, is he going to be England’s best option in 2030 when he himself will be Kane’s current age?

23-year-old Liam Delap was heralded as the next big English striker when he broke through at Manchester City. Subsequent loans to Stoke and Hull City only strengthened these claims, before he made this move to newly promoted side Ipswich Town for £20 million.

Despite playing in a relatively weak side, Delap stood out as a star player, scoring 12 times in the league and winning Ipswich 13 points—a third of their total goals and more than half of their points earned.

But his blockbuster £30m move to Chelsea was a huge disappointment, with the forward only netting twice across 41 games. He recently transferred to Nottingham Forest for £45m, and has already hit half his goal tally of last season in just four games.

There is still time for Delap to get his career back on track, but heavy questions surround him, with many sceptical that he can lead an England side, especially with the physical striker currently remaining uncapped for the Three Lions.

There is, of course, the chance that a new name pops up out of nowhere across the next few years who will be able to fill in for Kane, but England cannot rely on hope and coincidence.

One option that is steadily gaining more traction is Jude Bellingham moving forward into the number nine role.

According to Transfermarkt, Bellingham has played in the second-striker and striker role three times in his career. All occasions were for Real Madrid, and in none of the occasions did he score—though he did provide two assists.

Despite his lack of experience in leading a line, there is no doubting Bellingham’s prowess in front of goal. Starting his career as a box-to-box midfielder, Bellingham adapted quickly, managing to become more comfortable in an attacking midfielder position.

Throughout his career, he has scored 90 times across 382 games, or 29,123 minutes, equating to a goal every 323 minutes.

Now, that number may not fill many England fans with hope or promise, and I get it. A goal every three and a half games is not good enough for a fully fledged striker.

But that is precisely the point: Bellingham is not a fully fledged striker, and he is still performing to a better degree in front of goal than most.

Tuchel himself seems to agree, illustrated in Prague when Jude Bellingham moved into a more advanced role after Kane was withdrawn. "I like him as a No. 9," Tuchel added of Bellingham.

Back-to-back ✨@BellinghamJude is once again your England Men's Player of the Year connected by @EE! 🏆

— England (@England) September 25, 2026

"Then he can contribute to both sides and overload the sides and doesn't affect so much of the balance.

"We found a bit of a new role for him in the last match, as a central 10, so he can go to both sides and it is more of a 4-2-3-1 than a 4-3-3 to have Harry and Jude closer together and to give them a chance to overload both sides. We are working on that.

"He is a natural goalscorer, and he has the hunger to be on the scoreboard. He wants to be there and have the decisive action, so it makes not a huge difference if he plays as a nine or a 10."