Spurs striker who was outscoring Kane is now playing in USA's third-tier

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Tottenham Hotspur have been the home to numerous attacking talents over the years, but they haven’t been able to help lead the club to a major honour.

The Lilywhites haven’t claimed a trophy since their League Cup triumph back in 2008, with boss Ange Postecoglou hoping to put an end to their torrid run during the current season.

He could be reliant on the likes of Brennan Johnson, with the Wales international currently enjoying the form of his life, scoring in each of his last six appearances for Spurs.

The former Nottingham Forest ace will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Gareth Bale, who captured the hearts of everyone during his time in North London.

The flying winger scored 105 times in 251 appearances before securing an £85m deal to join Spanish giants Real Madrid during the summer of 2013.

He’s not the only player to produce phenomenal goal-scoring figures before departing to join a European giant to take his career to the next level.

Harry Kane’s stats at Tottenham

After coming through the club’s academy, striker Harry Kane had to bide his time before cementing his place in the first-team, eventually becoming one of the best-ever players in Spurs’ history.

The England international scored 280 times for his boyhood club, overtaking the legendary Jimmy Greaves as their all-time leading goalscorer - building a 60-goal gap in the process.

The 31-year-old moved to Bayern Munich last summer in a deal worth a reported £82m - leaving the club with a huge hole at the top end of the pitch, undoubtedly affecting their trophy ambitions.

Kane went on to enjoy the best goalscoring season of his career last season, registering 44 goals in as many games, but it wasn’t enough for Thomas Tuchel’s side to win the Bundesliga title - extending his wait for a trophy in his career.

However, he’s not the only goalscorer who left the club in recent years, with one player departing back in 2018.

The man who outscored Kane at Spurs

Striker Reo Griffiths was a product of the Tottenham academy, appearing to have a huge future at the club after his impressive goalscoring record at youth level.

The Englishman scored 33 times for the club’s U18 side during the 2017/18 season - a tally nearly more than double what Kane could manage at the same level.

Griffiths even scored four goals in a single game against bitter rivals Arsenal, prompting interest from some of Europe’s elite including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

As a result, the club offered the striker a professional deal to fend off interest from elsewhere, but he never ended up signing a new deal with Spurs - subsequently departing that summer.

He joined French side Lyon on a free transfer in 2018, only featuring for their youth sides and never making a senior appearance for the club despite all the promise he showed.

Griffiths would subsequently leave Lyon and join League One side Doncaster Rovers for an undisclosed fee, in a move to put his career back on track after his failed move away from North London.

Reo Griffiths' rapid decline since leaving Spurs

Six years on from his departure from his boyhood club, the striker is currently employed by MLS side Portland Timbers after two failed moves to multiple National League sides in England.

Griffiths made six appearances during a loan spell with Yeovil Town, before making a singular appearance for Wealdstone - failing to register a single goal in either of his respective stints.

He was subsequently released by Doncaster during the 2023/24 season, with the “excellent” finisher, as dubbed by analyst Tom Williams, eventually dropping as low as Sunday league side Critics FC to maintain fitness.

The now 24-year-old moved to Portland in April this year, joining up with their B-team in the third tier of American soccer, and is yet to make an appearance after suffering an Achilles injury just a month after joining the club.

It’s an unfortunate downfall for a once-promising player, with the youngster still having a huge chunk of his career left to turn around his flailing career.

The striker will remain as another case of what could’ve been if he had stayed at Spurs instead of a move to to Lyon - but his transfer is a stark reminder to any talent coming through that the grass isn’t always greener.