1st June 2019. In an alternate universe, Moussa Sissoko lowers his arm and Spurs do not give away a penalty within seconds on perhaps their biggest night ever on the European stage. A Harry Kane late strike then wins Tottenham Hotspur the UEFA Champions League in Madrid. But what happens next?
Now is a good time for a disclaimer. Nobody truly knows what would have happened, because it simply never happened. Therefore, any outcome within reason could've happened. In this article, we blend perhaps some realism with a little bit of extremism to explore what might've happened had Spurs won the Champions League.
The players and staff would've enjoyed their glory night before heading back to England, with now an extra bit of baggage on their flight. Before jetting off on their holidays, they would parade the trophy around the area, departing the stadium on an open top bus at approximately 2:30pm on Sunday 2nd June. The parade will take them around the surrounding areas, before returning to the stadium itself where the players would step onto a temporary stage where they will lift the trophy once again in front of thousands of Spurs fans. Once done, the players depart for their well deserved holidays, while the focus at Tottenham switches to the upcoming transfer window.
Not too long into the summer, in a shock move, Mauricio Pochettino announces that he will leave the club, after hinting at this move prior to the Champions League final, claiming that winning the trophy would "close the five year chapter and I could go home". In doing so, he brings forward Spurs' managerial search by several months.
Unlike their 2021 managerial search, Spurs would have been much better placed in 2019, and not many managers would turn down the opportunity to take over a Champions League winning side. Spurs would cast an eye at Brendan Rodgers, but he only made the move to Leicester in February 2019 and so he is off the table. Antonio Conte is also considered, but he too had just begun a new chapter, joining Inter on 31st May 2019. In truth, there's not many managers that Spurs could have looked at, and perhaps in a boring move for this article, Daniel Levy's love for Jose Mourinho sees the Portuguese join the club in the summer, rather than November.
Unsurprisingly, Mourinho's arrival changes Tottenham's summer plans. In this alternate universe, Tanguy Ndombele does not join the club. He was Pochettino's top target, even in the summer of 2018, but the Spurs hierarchy were left unconvinced and with Pochettino now gone, Spurs do not throw money at Lyon for the midfielder. Giovani Lo Celso also does not sign. Football.London reported that it was again Pochettino who was applying pressure for Spurs to sign the Real Betis midfielder, but once again, the Spurs bosses did not share that vision. Ryan Sessegnon's arrival is unaffected, but there is a change in plan for the young Jack Clarke. Very much a Daniel Levy signing, the deal is pushed through, but he does not head back on loan to Leeds and instead he joins up with the squad for pre-season. This is because it was reported at the time that during negotiations with Leeds, Levy refused to accept their pleas for the player to return on loan, only to then push the transfer through to a displeased Pochettino who was unconvinced by the youngster. Levy then, with his tail between his legs, returns to Leeds and offers the player back on loan. But in this alternate reality, Clarke joins the squad.
Incoming transfers are almost impossible to predict, but it may be safe to assume that Spurs would've pushed the boat out for Youri Tielemans, who was a reported target of then chief scout, Steve Hitchen. Spurs would have had to pay around the £35m mark to Monaco for the midfielder, who had spent the last 6 months on loan at Leicester. Spurs would also feel the need for a second midfield signing. They could look at James Maddison or Bruno Fernandes, but the one that they really want, another Argentine, Paulo Dybala. With no Ndombele or Lo Celso, Levy may feel the need to satisfy the fans after a Champions League win with a statement signing, and Paulo Dybala is exactly that. Dybala wants to join Spurs as he feels they can push on further and possibly challenge for the league title, and Levy pays the £10m fee for those dreaded image rights. Spurs have their man, and the fanbase are loving life. Next up is the right-back position. Trippier seals his move to Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho is left unconvinced by Walker-Peters, who is now heading out on loan. Mourinho wants to bring in a Premier League experienced player, and so Spurs look again to Leicester, this time for Ricardo Pereira who would join for a hefty fee. That concludes Spurs' still underwhelming, but certainly improved transfer business for the summer after the Champions League final.
However, with the squad still stale and the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs still fail to qualify for the Champions League, finishing 5th in the 19/20 season. Past this point, it is impossible to predict what happens, but in an ideal world, this alternate universe aligns with reality, and hopefully Spurs still end up appointing Antonio Conte somewhere down the line. Ultimately, I unfortunately don't see the Champions League win changing Levy's stubborn attitude, as he is blinded to the problems at Spurs by their trophy win, and so Spurs' immediate future is mostly unchanged, and just like reality, the club enters somewhat of a downward spiral in the years following the 2019 Champions League final.
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