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Tuesday Kickoff: Kane offered a new contract; Japan, Iraq on to Asian Cup quarterfinals; and more

HarryKaneTottenham1-CrystalPalace2015EPL (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

One of the big stories of this English Premier League season has been the breakout campaign of Tottenham youngster Harry Kane.

The 21-year-old is coming off a superb December and New Year’s Day, where he scored six goals in as many games in all competitions. Based on his recent success, he’s about to be rewarded. According to the Times UK, Tottenham is set to offer Kane a new contract that would double his annual wages.

Reports in England state he’s currently earning $30,400 per week ($1,580,000 per year), a far cry from the $152,000 weekly salary the club reportedly pays Emmanuel Adebayor, the player Kane overtook in the starting lineup. Kane has scored 11 goals in 21 games in all competitions.

While Kane is set to get a wage increase, the Roberto Soldado experiment could be over, as he’s reportedly being offered around Europe as part of a swap deal. Soldado has scored just seven Premier League goals in a year and a half at the club.

Here are some more stories to kick off your Tuesday:

JAPAN, IRAQ ADVANCE IN ASIAN CUP

The quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup were set early Tuesday morning as both Japan and Iraq won their final group stage games with identical scores.

First up was Japan, which topped Jordan 2-0 to finish atop Group C with an unblemished record. Keisuke Honda scored the opener for the Blue Samurai in the 24th minute and Shinji Kagawa added the insurance goal in the 82nd minute to ensure qualification to the next round.

Next up was Iraq, which topped Palestine, 2-0, to end the latter squad’s maiden trip to the Asian Cup. Iraqi striker Younis Mahmoud scored his side’s first goal in the 48th minute. Despite missing a penalty kick in the 59th minute, Ahmed Yasin added the finishing touch to the victory with a goal in the 88th minute to send the Lions of Mesopotamia to the next round.

QUICK KICKS

Arsenal are in talks to give holding midfielder Francis Coquelin a new contract. (REPORT)

Valencia and Celtic are both interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher. (REPORT)

Meanwhile, Valencia have confirmed that they have rejected a transfer bid of nearly $41 million for Nicolas Otamendi. (REPORT)

Bayer Leverkusen have completed the full transfer of 19-year-old defender Tin Jedvaj from AS Roma and signed him to a contract through 2019. (REPORT)

Genoa finally paid their transfer fee to Schalke 04 in full for Bayern Munich right back Rafinha. The player moved to Italy in 2010. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Do you agree with Tottenham offering Kane a new contract? Should Soldado be offloaded? Do you see Japan winning the Asian Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. When weekly wages are stated, does that represent what they make weekly for the entire year?

    Just curious because I know NFL players, for instance, only get paid during the actual season.

    Reply
    • Some basic math would tell you this calculation is based off of all 52 weeks of the year. When yearly salaries are discussed, it really doesn’t matter how you break it down when they get paid.

      Reply

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