Tottenham Hotspur’s Chances For The Upcoming 2021/22 Premier League Season.
Spurs are currently in a quagmire. The past 5 years they have done well, but you do not win any prizes for “putting the pressure on”.
With Nuno now in the hot seat and with the continued saga over Harry Kane, Spurs are a difficult one to call.
The squad has a lot of talent, however consistency has always been their enemy and this season it does not look as if Spurs will win any trophies.
Last season was a disappointing one, which ultimately led to the sacking of legendary manager Jose Mourinho.
Spurs are going to have to get used to not playing in the Champions League for the near term future as the teams ahead of them are far stronger.
What is a feasible expectation for Spurs? Europa League? or can they get Champions League? A lot will depend on whether they are able to keep Kane, as he is such an indispensable player to Spurs.
Transfers In
Bryan Gil
Gil was signed at the start of the summer transfer window for a fee of £21.5M + Erik Lamela. An old school winger, with electrifying pace, he could be an exciting prospect for Spurs this season.
Regarded highly in Spain, he may take a while to settle in, but will suit Nuno’s style of football. He has a wonderful left foot and puts in an excellent cross so he will be someone to watch out for.
It will all depend on if he settles in quickly. If he hits the ground running, he will have a good season as he has all the attributes needed to be an excellent player in the Premier League. If not, he might come into his own next season, so not expecting too much.
Cristian Romero
Romero has just won Copa America with Argentina so he is the type of player Spurs will like to have in their dressing room. After a successful spell at Atalanta, Spurs signed Romero for £42.5M where he was a defensive rock and played in an old school sweeper position.
With the departure of Alderweireld, Spurs needed to invest in their central defence and Romero should be a great replacement; he has a great defensive mind and deals with danger efficiently well.
For Spurs to be successful this season, it will depend on keeping clean sheets. With the arrival of Romero, this will strengthen Spur’s defence . Moreover, he will provide leadership in a team devoid of leaders.
Key Players
Heung Min Son
An exceptionally exciting forward player, with electrifying pace and an eye for goal, I would argue that Son is a world class player.
As well as his assists, he brings terrific movement and masterful dribbling; he will be Spur’s key man if Kane is to leave. He has an impressive goal scoring record, recording double digits in his past 5 seasons with his highest return being 17 last season.
A player who is getting better with age, he will want to build on this season and break the 20 goal milestone to help Spurs mount a top four race.
Chances This Season
Spur’s chances for a Champions League spot look pretty slim, with the quality the current top four has.
To even challenge, they would need to keep Harry Kane, currently at the time of writing Kane is 1.72 to move to Man City with Paddy Power. The good news for Spurs is that Kane will be wearing a Spurs jersey for the first game of the season against Man City.
Nuno had a great philosophy of football at Wolves, so we should be expecting exciting football from Spurs. However, they lack quality in many areas to compete for a top four place. If they were to qualify for the Champions League, it would be a miracle.
To mount a challenge, Spurs would have to unseat one of the current top four and there are other teams such as Arsenal or Leicester who have a greater chance (even though still very small).
Let’s take a look at their team I would pick:
They will have a solid midfield, good wing backs and an OK central defence. Nevertheless, with the loss of Kane it will be difficult to see where Spurs are going to get the goals from.
They have been linked with Lautaro Martinez or Gabriel Jesus (as part of the Kane deal) which would be great replacements under the circumstances.
However, filling Kane’s boots is huge ask for most strikers and it may take his replacement a while to settle in.
If they keep Kane, and that is a very generous if, I still see them struggling like last season with rampant inconsistencies. The defence is not solid enough to win the games needed for a top four side hopefully with the addition of Romero this will fix this.
It will be an average season from Spurs even if they do keep Kane, attacking wise their options are pretty poor without him.
Except Son, there is no other goal scoring threat, they really do need Lucas and Alli to step up and provide a return of double digits.
It will be a make or break season for players like Alli, who must feel he has a point to prove after the last few years in the wilderness.
Overall, Spurs do not have the quality, a leaky defence and do not have enough of a goal scoring threat to mount a challenge to Champions League qualification.
Prediction: 7th
Top Scorer Kane (if stays) Son (if Kane leaves)
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