As the season pushes towards a crescendo, the campaign’s surprise package, Leicester City, continue to hold a dominant position at the top of the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s expansive Tottenham Hotspur side are in hot pursuit and can feel delighted by how they have performed in 2015/16, whether they reel in the Foxes or not.
The north Londoners look guaranteed a top four finish at the very minimum, and as such Champions League football will return to White Hart Lane next season. Before the campaign started, qualifying for Europe’s top tournament was the main objective and Pochettino’s job now will be to transition the club from having one positive season to making them perennial challengers.
As with any club, player recruitment is key and it will be interesting to see what Tottenham’s approach in the transfer market is this summer.
Qualifying for the Champions League opens many doors.
Finishing in the top four should be enough to convince Spurs’ brightest talents such as Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris to stay.
Similarly a wealth of top players that were previously unattainable will also be interested in a potential move to White Hart Lane.
Given the extra possibilities, Pochettino has a tough task in the market this summer, with consideration of how to improve the current contingent needing to be done meticulously and without impulse.
In days gone by, Spurs have been reckless and not been reluctant to spend money in the search of success. A typical example of this was the spending of Gareth Bale’s world-record transfer fee, which most Spurs fans would agree was largely wasted.
Another summer of splashing the cash could well be more damaging to Tottenham’s hopes than beneficial, with the collective team-spirit forged in the group one of the club’s major strengths. Bringing in a host of outsiders has the potential to upset the apple cart and derail the momentum built up by Pochettino over the last 12 months. As such, any players that do arrive in north London over the off-season must be carefully selected for both their technical abilities and attitude.
Looking at it objectively, Spurs have a fair amount of strength, depth and cover in most positions – meaning that strengthening the squad is something that isn’t automatically easy.
With Pochettino also showing faith in young players and hoping to help them develop and meet their potential, ensuring that these starlets are still receiving regular first-team football is also a concern.
In goal, Lloris remains one the Premier League’s best and certainly someone that cannot be upgraded. In the full-back positions, Spurs have two England internationals that have played an important role in the team’s success this term and are backed-up by more than able deputies. At centre-half, the Toby Alderweireld-Jan Vertonghen axis has been the crux that the team is built around, while Kevin Wimmer has performed well in the latter’s absence.
In midfield, Eric Dier has been a revelation in the boiler room while Mousa Dembele has wound back the years and looked like one of English football’s best this term. Add to this other options such as Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb and Tom Carroll. On the flanks, Eriksen is assured one berth while Nacer Chadli, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min joust for the other.
This leaves destructive English duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli to take the remaining two central berths, with the pair the lifeblood of the team, and future of it.
Spurs look to need a back-up striker and there is an argument to suggest that a new superstar central midfielder could be accommodated.
However, any new faces must be selected with caution, as the current group at White Hart Lane look as complete as any of their equivalents in English football.
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