Kane: Arsenal rejection drove me to 100 Premier League goals

Harry Kane believes being rejected by Arsenal has been a key driving factor in his successful Tottenham career, the striker having reached 100 Premier League goals.

Kane, already the leading Premier League scorer in Spurs history, reached three figures with a late penalty in Sunday's dramatic 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

Tottenham fans joyfully sing that academy product Kane is "one of our own" despite the England internationally initially being on the books of their north London rivals.

And ahead of Saturday's derby clash at Wembley, Kane said being released by the Gunners as a child gave him the motivation to go on and be a success elsewhere.

"After Arsenal, I bounced around a bit and went back to play for my local team and then I was spotted by a scout from Watford who offered me a trial," Kane wrote in an article for the Players' Tribune. 

"It's funny how things work out — as it was after playing for Watford against Tottenham that I got the opportunity to join Tottenham's youth academy.

"The white kit fit better on me, I think. I remember the first time we played against Arsenal... and even back then, I had a chip on my shoulder.

"It might sound ridiculous - I was only eight when they let me go - but every time we played them, I thought, 'Alright, we'll see who's right and who's wrong'.

"Looking back on it now, it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me, because it gave me a drive that wasn't there before."

Kane has developed into the most lethal striker in the Premier League, claiming the Golden Boot in each of the last two seasons and leading the race again with 22 Premier League goals compared to Mohamed Salah's 21 for Liverpool.

But the 24-year-old had to battle for his chance at Spurs after lower-league loan spells with clubs including Millwall, Leyton Orient and Leicester City.

"When Tottenham sent me out on loan for two years, there were so many moments when I questioned whether I'd ever get the chance to score even one goal in the Premier League," Kane added. 

"The lowest moment was probably when I was at Leicester City, and I just couldn't seem to get into the team."

After leaving Leicester, Kane explained he decided to fight for his future at Spurs rather than leave the club on loan again. 

"The following season, I came back to Tottenham and met with the manager, Andre Villas-Boas," Kane said. 

"He wanted to send me out on loan again. There were a few good clubs interested in me that would've been OK, but that wasn't my dream. My dream wasn't to play in the Premier League. My dream was to play in the Premier League for Spurs.

"So I told him, quite honestly, 'I don't want to go'. As the words were coming out of my mouth, I thought, 'Oh, wow — maybe that wasn't [a good idea]'. He just kind of looked at me, a bit confused.

"And then I just came straight out with it. I said, 'I'm gonna prove to you that I should be starting on this team. And you can tell me every Friday before the game that I don't deserve that, and that I'm not going to play. And that's fine. But I don't want to go'.

"And that was that. He let me stay on and train with the first team - and it really ended up being the turning point in my confidence. I had always felt like I had the ability, but I kind of had to stand up for myself.

"It was like I could see my childhood dream, and it was right there in front of me... but it was just out of reach. I was waiting for somebody to hand it to me. But life never hands it to you, does it? You've gotta grab it."