England’s Five Possible Harry Kane Heirs Following Thomas Tuchel Warning

Thomas Tuchel has insisted England will be incapable of replacing leading goalscorer Harry Kane when the Bayern Munich striker eventually retires from international duty.

The 33-year-old scored his 87th goal for the Three Lions during the recent 2–0 victory over Czechia, meaning he’s already produced eight goals in nine appearances for club and country this season. Last campaign, he produced an astonishing 61 goals for Bayern, which has thrust him into contention for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

While Bayern will simply be able to sign a replacement for their talisman when the time comes, England has no such luxury. The responsibility will fall on the next generation of center forwards to fill his shoes, and Tuchel believes it wall take a long time for his replacement to be found.

“You will not get another Harry Kane, first of all,” Tuchel said after the Czechia win. “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!”

There are understandable concerns among those of an England persuasion regarding Kane’s eventual heir. While he’s still expected to lead the line for the next few years—at the very least—a succession plan must be put in place.

Unfortunately for the Three Lions, there is currently a dearth of talented up-and-comers in the No. 9 position. For example, there are currently just two English strikers aged 25 or under with an estimated Transfermarkt value of over £15 million ($19.8 million).

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some candidates capable of taking over from Kane when necessary—and, thankfully, they have plenty of time before they’re set to be called upon.

So, who could succeed England’s skipper in a couple of years?

Jude Bellingham

As Tuchel mentioned after beating Czechia, Bellingham was used as a makeshift No. 9 for the final 20 minutes of the fixture. While certainly not the Real Madrid star’s natural role, he’s been deployed there previously.

During his debut season in Spain, the 22-year-old was frequently chosen as a center forward due to a lack of viable alternatives available to Carlo Ancelotti, and he delivered with a flurry of goals. While used as a false nine, Bellingham scored 11 times in his first 12 Real Madrid appearances across all competitions.

Given the sheer volume of excellent attacking midfielders England already boasts—Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Morgan Gibbs-White, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden and more—repurposing Bellingham could not only help replace Kane’s output, but free up room for another big-hitter to feature in the No. 10 position.

Bellingham’s strength, physicality, technical class and powerful drives upfield ensure he could be an excellent striker—although he would certainly need practice in the role over the coming years.

Anthony Gordon

If England is in the mood to reshape an existing star over unearthing a new No. 9, then Anthony Gordon is another possible name in contention for a future starting spot in the middle.

Eddie Howe trialed the winger at center forward during his final season at Newcastle United and while Gordon’s overall center forward play understandably lacked the consistency of his more orthodox peers, he still supplied nine goals across 18 appearances in the 2025–26 season.

Now, there would be huge areas in need of improvement, especially when it comes to aerial battles and general hold-up play, but Gordon certainly possesses the speed and eye for goal required to cause issues in the final third.

If Hansi Flick could transform the now Barcelona forward in the same manner as winger-turned-striker Raphinha, then England would be very grateful.

Liam Delap

The fact that Liam Delap is among the leading candidates to replace Kane underscores the scale of England’s center forward issue.

Delap endured a nightmarish debut season with Chelsea in 2025–26 which yielded just three goals across all competitions, and that has seen his stock plummet after a previously encouraging stint with Ipswich Town.

However, if he can recapture some form at new club Nottingham Forest, then perhaps he emerges as a realistic option for England over the next decade.

After all, Delap is only 23 years old and already possesses remarkable upper-body strength, aerial prowess and surprising speed. If his game can be fine-tuned and greater finesse introduced, then he could become a real force to be reckoned with.

Brian Madjo

One of England’s great hopes for the future is 17-year-old powerhouse Brian Madjo.

After making three appearances for Luxembourg, Madjo decided to represent England in August 2025 and has since made nine appearances for the Under 17s—scoring four times during those outings.

The teenager, who boasts astonishing strength and physicality for his age, joined Aston Villa last January and was finally cleared to play at the start of the season after complications regarding FIFA regulations. On his debut, he scored against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup.

The youngster has been injured ever since, but he’s expected to enjoy a breakout year following the departure of Ollie Watkins, aided by Villa’s significant workload following a return to the Champions League—even if he will be forced to fight with Nicolas Jackson and Tammy Abraham for minutes.

The sky is the limit for the immensely talented youngster. Villa and England supporters are desperate for him to live up to the hype.

Will Lankshear

Tottenham Hotspur’s academy was the source of England’s greatest-ever finisher. Perhaps it can provide his long-term replacement, too.

Will Lankshear is no longer a Spurs player following his summer switch to Middlesbrough, but he’s produced some mightily impressive performances in the English Championship.

Eleven goals with Oxford United last season was an encouraging haul and he’s already managed six in just eight appearances this term as a Middlesbrough player. The 21-year-old’s tally is only currently bettered by Cyle Larin in the second tier.

Of course, there is a lengthy road standing between Lankshear and England involvement, but there are few doubts over his potential. Right now, he’s undeniably among the nation’s most exciting center forwards.

Add us as a preferred source on Google