Brits Abroad: Harry Kane Gives Up Bayern Spotlight to Luis Díaz as Trent Alexander-Arnold Flatters to Deceive in a Real Madrid Shirt (Again)

Brits Abroad: From Kane’s Quiet Spell to Trent’s Troubles in Spain

Every season, more and more British players are packing their bags, stepping out of the Premier League bubble and seeing what footballing life is like elsewhere. Some thrive, some stall, and some simply survive — but there’s no question that tracking their journeys has become one of the most fascinating weekly rituals for fans back home.

The Premier League will always be the global headliner, and the Championship remains a brilliant breeding ground for future stars, but the British diaspora is now more adventurous than ever. From Bavaria to Naples, from Madrid to Strasbourg, there’s a generation of players testing themselves in new systems, new languages, new cultures — and this weekend offered the full emotional spectrum.

For Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold, it was a weekend of frustration. For Scott McTominay and Shola Shoretire, important steps forward. For Jobe Bellingham? Another step back. And for Ben Chilwell, maybe — just maybe — the start of something that could rewrite his career.

Let’s dive into this week’s edition of Brits Abroad, with all its highs, lows, and curious in-betweens.

Kane Takes a Backseat as Bayern Leave It Late

FC Bayern Munchen v FC St. Pauli – Bundesliga

It doesn’t quite qualify as a crisis, but yes — Harry Kane has now gone two games without a goal. In Munich, that’s enough to make a few eyebrows lift. Bayern beat St Pauli 3-1, but Kane never really got going, much like in the midweek Champions League loss at Arsenal.

Two goals in seven games is hardly Kane-like output, especially for a man who spent the early part of the season smashing Bundesliga scoring records for fun. But this year feels different. The burden is lighter. Bayern finally have other weapons.

And none are shining brighter at the moment than Luis Díaz.

The Colombian winger has been electric since arriving, and he took centre stage again here. First, a scruffy but effective assist — somehow squirming the ball to Raphael Guerreiro despite losing his balance — and then the decisive moment deep into stoppage time, racing into the box to meet Joshua Kimmich’s cross with a brilliant header.

Kane didn’t score. He didn’t need to. Bayern have broadened their attack, and as long as they keep winning, he won’t mind being the supporting act every now and then.

With an eight-point cushion at the top, Kompany’s side suddenly look like champions-elect again — largely because Díaz has exploded into life just as Kane has cooled off.

Alexander-Arnold Still Not Convincing in Madrid

Girona FC v Real Madrid CF – LaLiga EA Sports

Real Madrid’s post-Clásico glow has evaporated quickly. Their five-point lead is gone; Barcelona have overtaken them; and three consecutive draws have sent the Spanish press into full diagnostic mode.

The latest frustration came against relegation-threatened Girona, where Madrid managed just one shot on target in a dismal first half. Azzedine Ounahi punished them with a lovely finish, and although Kylian Mbappé rescued a point from the spot, the overall performance was worrying.

One of the clearest concerns? Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Filling in for the injured Dani Carvajal should be a golden platform for Trent to stamp his authority. Instead, Madrid look less balanced, less secure, and less threatening with him on the right. He lost his runner for the opening goal and later nearly gifted Girona another. In attack, he’s not providing the trademark delivery fans expected when the move was announced.

Xabi Alonso tried to calm the situation pre-match, insisting Trent is simply adapting:

“It’s his first year, and this adjustment period is normal… we have to support him through this significant change.”

But how long can Madrid wait? Carvajal is due back soon, and unless Trent raises his level — quickly — he risks being relegated to a rotational role just months after signing.

McTominay Helps Napoli Win a Top-of-the-Table Clash

AS Roma v SSC Napoli – Serie A

Napoli’s November was bizarre: goalless draws, a limp defeat, Conte hinting he might walk away — and then, suddenly, a resurgence. A 3-1 win over Atalanta, a confident Champions League victory, and now a huge 1-0 result over Roma to keep pace with Milan at the top.

This wasn’t a game for flair; it was a game for grit. And while David Neres stole the headlines with a spectacular solo goal, Scott McTominay again provided the heartbeat that Napoli have come to rely on.

Conte has pushed McTominay into a deeper, more disciplined role because of injuries and tactical reshuffles. It’s not the position that’s made the Scot such a cult hero in Naples, but he embraced it: four clearances, seven recoveries, endless running.

Conte defended the tactical shift post-match:

“Some said McTominay is being sacrificed. But that is also his role — he is a box-to-box midfielder.”

And he’s right. Even in a quieter attacking game, McTominay’s energy set the tone. If he stays fit, Napoli’s title challenge stays alive.

Jobe Bellingham Back to Square One

Hamburger SV v Borussia Dortmund – Bundesliga

The Dortmund rollercoaster continues: high-profile inconsistency, but quietly effective results. Their 2-1 win over Leverkusen was massive — a perfect smash-and-grab, absorbing pressure and hitting with precision.

But for Jobe Bellingham, it was another worrying night.

Just a 10-minute cameo. Four touches. All in his own half.

After two promising starts, it looked like he had convinced Niko Kovac he was ready for bigger games. Not anymore. Back to the bench in the Champions League, and now hardly involved in Dortmund’s biggest league win of the season.

No surprise, then, that whispers of a January loan are growing louder. Ligue 1’s Paris FC are reportedly circling. It would be a step down, yes — but maybe the kind of controlled environment, free of BVB’s pressure bubble, that he needs to rebuild his confidence.

At 20, Jobe still has time. But the next move matters.

Shola Shoretire Finally Makes His Mark in the Eredivisie

Shola Shoretire’s post-Manchester United journey has not been linear. After refusing a new deal at Old Trafford, his move to PAOK never really got off the ground. A loan to PEC Zwolle felt like a crossroads moment — sink or swim.

And on Friday, Shoretire may have taken the first real step toward swimming.

His first Eredivisie goal — an instinctive close-range finish after the goalkeeper fumbled a routine save — secured a vital 2-1 win over Heerenveen and dragged Zwolle four points clear of the drop.

Beyond the goal, Shoretire was lively, completing 72% of his passes and winning 80% of his ground duels. Playing off the right, he looked confident, aggressive, and finally like the player United once believed in.

Consistency is the next challenge. AZ Alkmaar await in the KNVB Cup midweek — a perfect stage to build momentum.

The English Connection at Strasbourg

Ben Chilwell said it himself last week:

“What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after being in the Chelsea bomb squad.”

It would indeed.

And remarkably, it’s not impossible.

Strasbourg — a club that many saw as Chelsea’s overflow container — has given Chilwell a genuine fresh start. Regular football, responsibility, and a manager in Liam Rosenior who trusts him.

In their 2-1 loss to Brest, Chilwell still managed a bright moment: a precise low cross for Sam Amo-Ameyaw, another English signing, for his first assist in France. Amo-Ameyaw, raw but electric, looks like a player who could explode with the right guidance.

Strasbourg’s Conference League campaign is thriving. A top-four Ligue 1 finish is realistic. And if Chilwell keeps providing moments like that, the door to England’s left-back spot — wide open under Tuchel — might swing towards him again.

Brits Abroad: Another Week, Another Story

From Kane’s supporting role in Munich to McTominay’s grit in Rome, from Trent’s worries in Madrid to Shoretire’s step forward in Zwolle, this week was peak Brits Abroad: chaotic, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore.

Some are soaring. Some are stalled. Some are searching.

But they’re all writing stories far from home — and the next chapter, as always, promises even more twists.