SPUR CHANGE?

      The emphatic rise of Tottenham Hotspur over the past five seasons hit a heart-breaking anti-climax two weeks ago inside the electrifying Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid. Spurs found themselves facing an uphill battle just thirty seconds into the Champions League Final when Liverpool’s Saido Mane struck the ball against Moussa Sissoko’s right arm giving the referee no option but to point to the spot. Salah dispatched with ease and for the remaining 88 minutes Tottenham chased their Premiership rivals.        Divock Origi’s late strike ultimately sealed the win for the Reds and ended another successful (yet trophy-less) Spurs campaign.

          Since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino in May 2014 there’s been a revolution at Tottenham Hotspur. The Lilywhites continue to move out of the shadows of their North London rivals Arsenal. Bringing with him just five years managerial experience and a limited English vocabulary ‘Poch’ transformed the mindset of supporters. Spurs fans have become accustomed to top 4 finishes and attractive attacking football. Focussing largely on the clubs youth system and under the careful financial watch of chairman Daniel Levy, Pochettino has created a Champions League calibre side with your average Premier League side’s budget. Following a 5^th placed finish in his first year Poch has guided his team to four consecutive top 4 finishes. This seasons Champions League semi-final miracle at Ajax and therefore a spot in the showpiece final was perhaps Spurs’ finest hour not only in the Pochettino era but the clubs entire history.

          Despite Tottenham’s recent ‘success’ the trophy cabinet contains nothing more than a few Harry Kane golden boots and now a Champions League runners-up medal. Even during this spell of dominance in North London, Tottenham’s fierce rivals have accumulated more silverware. Arsenal triumphing in the 2015 & 2017 FA Cup Finals. Tottenham’s appearance in the Champions League Final showed the world the standard of this side however their ending to the season once again emphasised the clubs biggest predicament, a severe lack of depth.

          With European football still on the cards in April & May plus the injury blow to Harry Kane, Spurs managed to snatch just two wins in their final nine matches. A late 1-0 win over Brighton at home followed by ‘that’ night in Amsterdam. Although I truly believe man for man Tottenham’s starting eleven contains just as much quality as anyone in the English Premier League. What separates them and the frontrunners Manchester City and Liverpool is the depth of their entire squad. Mauricio Pochettino would bite your arm off for a Leroy Sane or a Riyad Mahrez sat just yards away from him in the dugout. Who saves the day when Kane, Son, Lucas etc are already on the field and Spurs trail? Fernando Llorente provides another option with his physical and ariel threat but his two league goals in two years along with a very one dimensional style of play doesn’t fill supporters with confidence.

          So why is this the case? Why does a side consistently achieving Champions League football struggle to bring in top class replacements?

          With the formation Poch has adopted at Spurs there’s room for just one out and out striker and he’s not going anywhere! It’s hard to appeal to a world class forward when there’s no guarantee of game time or trophies. This is probably the most crucial summer in Tottenham’s history. They’re close, there’s a buzz about Spurs. The stunning new stadium, their first ever European Cup Final, Tottenham are moving in the right direction but fans are wary another trophy desolate season could disrupt the optimistic feeling at the club. Kane, Alderweireld, Lloris to name a few, some of the top talents in their positions will grow hungry for success. Not only will shipping players in be a tough task but keeping their very best could prove an issue also.

          Manchester City and Liverpool should be as strong as last season as both sides pile the pressure on one another. Neither side really needs to add to their squads but it doesn’t mean they won’t. With Ole at the wheel from the starting blocks Manchester United go into the season hopeful of a change in their fortunes. Changes are brewing already through the signing of speedy winger Daniel James and ongoing chatter over both Lukaku & Pogba’s futures at the club. Even neighbours Arsenal will make significant changes as they continue their transition under Unai Emery. Mesut Ozil headlines a list of potential moves for the Gooners. Fellow Londoners Chelsea will be under new management but given their transfer ban will be unable to bring in new faces. The blue side of London are almost out of the question following the loss of star man Eden Hazard and the restriction on signings enforced by Uefa. Now is the time for Spurs. United and Arsenal could be starting from scratch this season and Tottenham can get a head start on the two Europa League competitors if they delve into the unknown and pull out that chequebook of theirs.

          As Tottenham begin to prepare for what is sure to be another highly competitive season they could be doing so without Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen who has openly expressed an interest in ‘a new challenge’ in his career. The £11 million fee Ajax received for Eriksen back in 2013 has proven to be an absolute steal on Spurs’ behalf. A bargain that surely can’t be replicated in this day and age (blame the Neymar deal, that’s what started it). Numerous sources have reported Tottenham have their eyes set on Argentine, Giovanni Lo Celso as Eriksen’s replacement. The attacking midfielder has been at Real Betis since August 2018 having become surplus to requirements at French giants PSG. Lo Celso (23) would be a like for like change in the Tottenham camp. Although the deal isn’t set in stone it seems likely Spurs will get their man. Should it fall through Tottenham may well turn their attention back to Jack Grealish. The young England midfielder was being heavily linked with Spurs in January before an astonishing run of 12 games unbeaten saw Aston Villa into the play-offs comfortably. After prevailing from the play-offs as winners the speculation over Jack Grealish almost completely deflated. Nothing is ever certain in football of course but an Eriksen departure is being seriously anticipated by the Spurs faithful. Another highly expected exit from the club is right back Kieran Trippier. After going from Dr Jekyll for England at the World Cup to Mr Hyde once back at Spurs, Trippier has struggled to live up to the hype all season. A remarkable free-kick against Croatia in the semi-finals of the World Cup will be remembered forever but Trippier has failed to reach those heights once back at White Hart Lane. With odds of 4/9 (Skybet) on a move to Napoli, Trippier looks to be out of the picture. Youngster, Kyle Walker-Peters could be the next academy product to burst onto the scene at Tottenham allowing the Trippier funds to be used on bolstering the depth of the team. Defensively Tottenham will be satisfied with their current options. I’m sure there are Spurs fans who go to sleep dreaming of Matthijs De Ligt, one of Europe’s hottest properties this past season, but in reality keeping Toby Alderweireld could feel like a new signing itself. Manchester United were among a number of clubs snooping around the Belgian last summer but with no Champions League football on offer at Old Trafford it shouldn’t be a big ask securing Alderweireld for another campaign.

          It almost goes without saying Tottenham’s priorities should be in the holding or central midfield role. Too many times last season we saw Eriksen forced to neglect his attacking duties to drop deep and marshal the midfield. A domino affect that then forced Kane to also drop back slightly. Thankfully for their supporters Tottenham are being repeatedly linked with Lyon’s Tanguy Ndombele. The technically gifted and extremely athletic central midfielder had a stand out season in France and could be the final piece to the puzzle for Spurs. I get the feeling Tottenham are only an N’golo Kante or Fernandinho away from genuinely battling with the big boys, only time will tell.

          This transfer window could make or break Tottenham Hotspur, it’s going to be an intriguing couple of months as we watch them closely. An owner notorious for keeping his wallet in his pocket, a squad crying out for extra bodies and a fanbase who have forgotten what a signing unveiling feels like. The season might be over but Tottenham are just getting started.