Positions where Spurs MUST invest this Summer

Since the Premier League season concluded on the 28th of May, many Spurs supporters have been reflecting on what has been a disappointing season (to say the least). Despite dispatching Leeds United 4-1 on the final day, the general mood of the fanbase post-season is one of frustration and shame. The 2015 – 2019 days of playing attractive and effective attacking football, something we Tottenham fans pride our club on, are long gone. The eras of Jose, Nuno and Conte have brought and entrenched within the club a brand of defensive, uninspiring and constipated football. One which has left us without European football for the first time since the 09/10 season and has seen the club take a major regress since the Poch era. Levy’s remedy to this is the appointment of Aussie Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou. This has left many fans apprehensive - his most notable managerial role being at Celtic, a club which competes in arguably one of the least competitive leagues in Europe. Regardless of this though, he also offers feelings of hope and encouragement. He plays an attacking and unique brand of football which has delivered trophies wherever he goes. This job is his biggest opportunity yet and he will do everything he can to prove himself and lead Tottenham to success. In order to do this though, Levy must back him with the correct signings in the appropriate positions to support the way he wants to play. Our squad definitely needs a rebuild and although in essence, we need a better calibre and depth of players in ALL positions, these are the positions we must target first.

Goalkeeper

Regardless of Ange's system, we need a new goalkeeper.

Lloris has announced his departure and Forster is an adequate backup for emergency situations but not first choice quality. Alfie Whiteman is one for the future and has penned a new contract which keeps him with the club till 2027. David Raya of Brentford looks likely to happen due to communication between Brentford and Tottenham and Raya’s reluctance to sign a new contract at Brentford. If that falls through, Tottenham also have eyes on Mike Maignan of AC Milan and Giorgi Mamardashvili of Valencia. Whoever Tottenham end up signing, it is imperative that he is good with his feet and is a fine shot-stopper in order to fit with Ange’s style.

Centreback

Tottenham face a problem in defence.

Ange traditionally plays 4 at the back and expects his centrebacks to be comfortable in possession and able to progress play via forward passes to the midfield. By utilising a 4-back system he also relies on centrebacks being outstanding defensively as he sacrifices the safety of having a back 5 by having more in midfield. A mass clearout is expected within the defence, with Sanchez, Rodon, Dier, Tanganga all expected to leave due to dissatisfaction with the club or simply not being premier league quality. This leaves Ange only with the hot-heated Romero who, although temperamental, has proved himself to be a quality defender who won the world cup playing in a back 4 for Argentina. Ben Davies has played in a left-sided CB role before and although not his natural position, actually impressed fans with his performances. This was in a back-5 system, which offered him extra security, so supporters are doubtful he can handle the extra defensive responsibility which comes with a back 4. Ange has a history of pairing a right-footed CB (Romero) with a left-footed CB, so Spurs will need to be in the Market for such. Ex-loanee Clement Lenglet is being looked at, as well as Micky Van de Ven and Harry Maguire. The more players the better, in my opinion, as Romero has a tendency to be sent off, so depth in the central defender position is needed.

Fullbacks

Since 2021, Spurs have been playing with the modern creation of the wing-back - full-backs who have an impotence in attacking and getting forward. Players such as Sessegnon, Porro, Perisic, Udogie are examples of this.

With Ange’s system however, he uses classic fullbacks whose main job is to keep a defensive line and defend. I myself am sceptical of these players’ ability in defending. For players such as Porro and Udogie, they have shown great promise in the attacking side of their game, and in my opinion are young enough to be able to learn to play in an attacking wing position or able to slowly learn to play as a defensive fullback. This will take time though. Sessegnon and Perisic both are on their way out of the club, meaning the only fullbacks we currently have who can adapt to Ange’s formation and style of play are Emerson Royal and Ben Davies. Emerson has been known to be inconsistent in his performances and also suffers from reoccurring injuries. Davies may be unavailable if utilised in the left CB position and also is a player on the decline compared to his prime. Tottenham must look to buy fullbacks this summer if they wish to create a defensive back four which can compete with the rest of the top 6 teams.

Striker

With Harry Kane’s contract reaching its end, if Spurs want any fee for him, they must sell him this summer.

If this happens then Spurs will be left with only Richarlison to lead the line. Despite the enormous price tag they paid, Richarlison disappointed fans last season scoring just one goal in the Premier League. A backup striker is needed if Richarlison gets injured, or to provide him with competition. It is rumoured that Ange wants to reunite with his prolific Celtic striker, Kyogo Furuhashi. Danjuma who showed signs of quality last year despite limited game time could also be brought back to Spurs following his loan last year.

These are the positions which in my opinion are the most important to strengthen throughout this summer. It's known that Daniel Levy is reluctant to spend a lot of money; but with the increasing pressure on him, he knows he must let a rebuild take place. One which could take a few years to come to fruition for the club. His appointment of Ange Postecoglou on a 4-year contract is a positive start, showing his desire for a longer-term project.