Opinion: The five positions Spurs need to strengthen to challenge in Europe next year
With the fans, if not the management, aiming for a top-four finish this season, we need to add to the squad to allow us to compete on all fronts, domestic and European. I have outlined below where I believe reinforcements are needed and why.
Striker:
We created 72 big chances in the Premiership this season, but missed 46 of them. That, no matter how you look at it, isn’t a great statistic and highlights how much we miss Harry Kane. Son, and to some extent Richarlison, have filled the void, but recent games such as the defeat to Fulham, have highlighted our need for a 20 or 30-goal-a-season striker.
Big-name strikers always come with big price tags so we will need to be creative in our search but I feel confident in Scott Munn and Fabio Paratici this summer. Let’s see if the Italian can repeat his recent success in bringing the likes of Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario and more to Spurs.
One good striker who I feel would be a good fit is Viktor Gyokeres who plays for Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. This season in all competitions he has had 42 goal contributions and he is yet to come into his prime at just 25 years of age. The only thing that might put Tottenham off buying him is the reported £68.5m price tag (Mirror).
That would make him Tottenham’s record signing overtaking Tanguy Ndombele. He also doesn’t have any Premier League experience which is always a gamble with such a high price tag.
Another good option would be to promote youth prospects such as Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley and Dane Scarlett. These are all very good young players who will have a massive future in the game, especially Jamie Donley.
While Dane Scarlett and Will Lankshear are more out-and-out goal scorers Jamie Donley is more versatile as he can play as a central attacking midfielder and as a second striker, similar in many ways to Kane in his recent years. As of this season, he has 12 assists and only has 5 goals though.
Midfielder:
With Pierre Emile Højbjerg, Oliver Skipp, and Giovani Lo Celso expected to move on this season, we need to fill those vacant spaces in the team as we are losing three quality squad players.
A player that Tottenham should look at is Everton midfielder Amadou Onana or Nottingham Forest player Morgan Gibbs-White. Onana has shown that he has been one of the stand-out players this season outside the top six clubs.
The 22-year-old would rival Yves Bissouma and Sarr for that number 6 role, while Morgan Gibbs-White would perfectly fit the creative midfielder position. He has been playing very well for Nottingham Forest with 12 goal contributions this season. It’s all about adding competition for places.
Again, promoting young players would be an easy option, including the likes of Alfie Devine and Lucas Bergvall. Both are two incredible talents and are very highly rated within the club and the wider football world. Both could play a big part next season.
Lucas Bergvall may well be earmarked for a starring role in the squad, with sporting director Scott Mun playing a big part in bringing him into the club. Remember, Tottenham are paying in the region of £8.5 million for a very young player here.
Left Wing:
Left wing is a position that Tottenham may need to strengthen with Bryan Gil likely to be on the way out this summer, whereas Manor Solomon has been injured for most of this season.
Potential big-name left-wingers are Federico Chiesa and Raphina. Both players have similar attributes in that they are very fast and can put the ball in the back of the net. Both players love to run at defenders and would fit Ange Postecoglou’s system perfectly.
I would prefer Federico Chiesa because he is younger and is a better finisher in my opinion. Having said that, Raphina has Premier League experience, starring for Leeds before moving to Barcelona.
From the academy, starlets like Jude Soonsup-Bell or Yago Santiago could do a job as squad players. Soonsup-Bell is mainly a striker but this season for the youth team and has mainly been utilised as a winger. Whereas Yago Santiago is another really exciting player who can naturally play on the wing.
Left Back:
We do have cover at left back as Ryan Sessegnon will return next season but his unfortunate fitness liability means that he can’t really be relied upon, which is a great shame for a player who promised so much. Ben Davies is a natural left back but has mainly been utilised as a backup centre back by Postecoglou.
A good option for Tottenham to look at for a left-back position is Lucas Digne as he would make a brilliant back-up as he has Premier League experience as well as international experience. Age isn’t on his side though as he is 30 years old. We are likely to be looking for younger players this summer.
Goalkeepers:
A good back-up keeper is essential. Fraser Forster is getting a bit too old at 36. It is essential that we sign a young goalkeeper who can gain valuable experience learning under Vicario.
Young goalkeepers Tottenham could look at are Southampton’s Gavin Bazunu and Brighton’s James Beadle. Both are very highly regarded goalkeepers.
Beadle is currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship gaining valuable experience, while Bazunu has started pretty much every match this season and has currently kept 11 clean sheets in 41 games.
We also have some brilliant young keepers coming through the academy. The likes of Luca Gunter and Aaron Maguire have played well, and are very highly thought of by youth team coaches. As both have represented England at different age ranges, they could potentially get called up in the future.
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