Analyzing Tottenham’s Recent Moves
Tottenham Hotspur had some interesting months recently. In May, they ended their trophy drought and clinched a spot in the Champions League, but then capped off their worst Premier League season by finishing in 17th place. Spurs later fired Ange Postecoglou and hired Thomas Frank. This past week, they spent major money bringing in Mohammed Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White from Premier League sides. Spurs have been unlucky in the league as their goal difference indicates they should’ve finished closer to 12th. They’ve also been massively lucky as they’ll be in the Champions League for the first time in three years after their worst ever domestic campaign. What should we make of Spurs’ recent moves?
For how bad the Spurs were last season, they actually have solid squad depth. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven make a solid pairing, and Tottenham have brought in three new center-backs in this window. The midfield is also loaded with young talent like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, and Pape Matar Sarr. They also have experienced, proven players like James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Rodrigo Bentancur. The attack should be sprawling with options featuring the likes of Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Yang Minhyeok, and Mathys Tel. It will be a difficult challenge for Thomas Frank to choose his starting 11 each week.
So, how do their new signings fit into the squad? For starters, Kudus should take up a starting spot either in the midfield or on the right flank. His scoring output wasn’t remarkable, but he is an excellent dribbler and a solid passer, much better than Johnson, as he’ll help progress the ball into dangerous spaces. He’ll likely start on the right wing from day one, and having Johnson as a backup is a solid option. As for Gibbs-White, statistically, he is the Goldilocks between Maddison and Kulusevski. He is the best progressive passer of the three, but in terms of goal creation and dribbling, he’s in the middle of the three. He is the same age as Kulusevski and younger than Maddison, meaning he should be an option in North London for the long run. He may not start immediately, but he provides balance in the advanced midfield, something Spurs need.
For this season, a reasonable goal for Spurs should be to finish in the top six. Yes, a jump from 17th to sixth place sounds ridiculous, but this team has the talent to make a charge at European football. Unless Tottenham win the Champions League or FA Cup, which is unlikely, this is their sole avenue towards European football, which they’ll need in order to sustain their big spending. They’ve spent a net cost of over 100 million euros for four consecutive summers now; it's about time we see these investments pay dividends. Spurs have been aggressive this window, as they should; it's about time we see their aggression pay off in the Premier League. The top six is more than reasonable for Tottenham given the talent they field, but it will be a big test for Thomas Frank.
