Matty Writes Sports

Tottenham Hotspur look to bounce back after a season where not much more could have gone wrong for the North Londoners. A dismal 17th placed finish in the league, the ousting of manager Ange Postecoglu and a poor performance in the FA Cup. However, there is one thing that prevents Tottenham fans from forgetting the season ever happened.

Tottenham won a trophy.

17 years after their last, Tottenham finally tasted success again, lifting the UEFA Europa League after dispatching Manchester United 1-0 in the final in Bilbao. This granted Spurs qualification to the UEFA Champions League, despite their poor league performance.

A New Era

After sacking Ange Postecoglu in early June, Spurs moved quickly to secure the services of their next manager. From the off, it was pretty clear who Spurs would be targeting; Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

The Dane had worked wonders since joining the Bees in 2018, following then manager Dean Smith’s departure to Aston Villa. Frank guided the Bees to 2 Championship playoff finals, elevating the Bees into the Premier League for the first time, before masterminding 4 consecutive upper mid table finishes with the West Londoners, all whilst developing the Bees’ young talent.

Frank mainly uses a mix of a 433 and a 4231 setup, but has often tinkered with a 352 or 532 setup when aiming to play on the counter. Expect Spurs to lineup with the 433 for the majority, but, against big 6 teams and in crucial away games, don’t be surprised if Frank stirs the pot, and tries something new.

Frank certainly deserves a go at a top job, and signing as Tottenham manager certainly allows him to do just that. Spurs fans will hope that Frank will lead the club into a new era, one that yields even more trophies for them.

Transfers

So far, Tottenham haven’t been the most active club when it comes to transfer dealings; so far, their only real signing has been the capture of West Ham’s Ghanaian Star Mohamed Kudus, who they have signed for a fee believed to be in the region of £55m. Whilst Kudus had a bit of a down year with the Hammers, the Ghanaian is still an excellent player, able to drive strongly at defences due to his excellent feet, whilst his physicality also enables him to shrug off the challenges of defenders trying to take the ball off of him. In addition, Kudus has pace in abundance, whilst also having the versatility to play a number of roles for Frank’s side. He may be tasked with operating off of the left, like how he was at West Ham, or could even be tasked with playing through the centre, a la Bryan Mbeumo at Brentford. Either way, the capture of Kudus is a smart signing by Tottenham, who sign a player with some much needed directness.

Another signing is the loan deal of Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich. English football fans will be no stranger to Palhinha, who turned out for Fulham for two seasons before making the move to Bavaria in the summer of 2024. Palhinha is a strong, combative defensive midfielder who brings a different option to Frank’s midfield. Whilst he is not the cleanest or most comfortable on the ball, Palhinha is old-school, combative, strong and a player who loves a challenge. Whilst he has only been signed on loan, Palhinha could be a key player for Tottenham, mainly as he is a completely new type of player; Tottenham needed a ‘bruiser’ type in midfield, someone who can provide very solid stability to the midfield, whilst allowing more creative players the freedom to express themselves further up the pitch, players like Lucas Bergvall.

Also, Spurs have also made the loan signings of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso permanent; the pair were both loaned in in the January window and now arrive permanently from Bayern Munich and RC Lens respectively. Tel, whilst not having the goals to show for it was solid on loan, and, still being only 20 years of age, could be a signing for the future, whilst Danso provides useful cover to Romero and Van de Ven; especially if Van de Ven is sidelined for long periods, like he has been in his last two seasons of English football.

However, this transfer window also sees the departure of a Spurs legend. Heung Min Son will depart White Hart Lane after ten years of service to the club, hs last two being as captain, after the departure of fellow icon Harry Kane. The two formed one of the greatest two-man strike combos in Premier League history, and, despite never winning the trophy, will go down as legends of the league. Son has been terrorising defences since 2015; one of the most two-footed players I’ve ever seen, Son was capable of tearing up any defence, as he did to every team in the Premier League. Whilst he has not officially left yet, a move to the MLS seems to be gearing up for the South Korean, who will be sorely missed in the Premier League, even by rival fans. Maybe it was right his final game for the club was the first time he had lifted a trophy with them.

Squad Focus

Whilst Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last campaign, their team on paper should be finishing a lot higher than that. Internationals are dotted all over the squad and a team like Tottenham’s shouldn’t be finishing 17th.

Between the posts, Guglielmo Vicario has proven himself to be a top shot stopper in the league, however there are still some lingering doubts over his distribution and the command of his area. It was his missed punch that almost led to Manchester United’s equaliser in the Europa League final, and if it wasn’t for Micky Van de Ven’s heroics, the Red Devils would have levelled the tie. Young Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky is likely to challenge for the number 1 shirt, but Vicario should don the gloves for the majority of the campaign.

Speaking of, Micky Van de Ven is an excellent player at centre back. He reads the game excellently and posesses a level of pace seldom seen in central defenders, whilst Cristian Romero is neaely the opposite. Strong, aggressive and an excellent ball winner; the two pair up almost perfectly, whilst Kevin Danso is good cover for the two; they could do with another signing here though, as they don’t want to be relying on Radu Dragusin or an 18 year old Luka Vuskovic for heavy minutes.

Out wide, Destiny Udogie is another solid player. Physically strong and hard-working, the Italian is a nuisance for anyone coming up against him. However, if he is to get injured Tottenham may hve to rely on youngsters, or 34 year old Ben Davies, neither of which are ideal options. On the other side, Pedro Porro is a strong attack-minded wingback, whilst Djed Spence has come into his own in recent times for his all around play.

In midfield, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha will be tasked with the majority of the defensive work, whilst Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr and James Maddison will be allowed more freedom to roam further forward.

On the flanks, Mathys Tel will provide heaps of youthful energy on the left hand side, whilst new signing Mohamed Kudus should become the nailed on starter for the Lilywhites; the Ghanaian was excellent in his first season at West Ham, and if he can recapture his form, Tottenham may be set out wide for a long time. Additonally, Wilson Odobert provides flair and technique for Spurs if they need something different, whilst on the right, Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kulusevski are two unique profiles Spurs could look to use in different ways throught the season, especially as Frank has been a long time admirer of Johnson; he attempted to sign the Welshman at Brentford.

In the focal point, Dominic Solanke will be trusted to bring in the goals; he scored 17 goals for Bournemouth prior to joining Spurs and, if he can shake off the injuries he suffered from in his first season in white, could hit those goalscoring heights again. Meanwhile, Richarlison is an option for Spurs, both through the middle and out wide, but more goals might need to be added to this team, if they are to achieve their aims

Potential Targets

Randal Kolo Muani

A name who constantly appears on Tottenham’s shortlist is PSG Striker Randal Kolo Muani, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Serie A side Juventus. Kolo Muani is a very solid striker,; he is well rounded, able to play both as a target man holding the ball up for teamates, or as more of a poacher, a player there to get in behind the defence and get shots off on goal. Kolo Muani is quick, strong and a good finisher of the ball, all qualities that could attract him to Tottenham, either to play alongside current striker Dominic Solanke, or in place of the Englishman. If Kolo Muani can recapture the confidence he had at Eintracht Frankfurt, he could be an excellent capture for the Whites.

Giorgio Scalvini

With rumoured interest in regular starter Cristian Romero, Tottenham would be wie to look for potential replacements, and one such name that has come up has been that of Atalanta central defender Giorgio Scalvini. Scalvini is highly rated across Europe, and after bouncing back from an ACL injury he suffered in June 2024, the 21 year old could become a hot property on the market. Scalvini is a young, ball playing central defender with the passing chops to initiate attacks on his own. The Italian was a key piece of Atalanta’s side that qualified for the Champions League once again, but Tottenham may be looking to make a move.

Kobbie Mainoo

Adding to Tottenham’s midfield ranks, Kobbie Mainoo could be a smart piece of business if Manchester United are welcome to letting the young playmaker leave. Mainoo burst onto the scene in the 2023/24 season, before eventually making it into England EURO 2024 Squad that summer. He started all 4 knockout games as England lost to Spain in the final. However, Mainoo failed to kick on in the following eason, as Ruben Amorim came in for Erik ten Hag. The young midfielder failed to reigster a goal or an assist in 25 outings last term, and now, it seems Manchester United are not saying no to a sale. Mainoo is an excellent distributor of the ball, and, at his age, will only continue to get better. Mainoo could be an excellent signing if Spurs can pull it off.

Tyler Dibling

Tyer Dibling is a player that many clubs have been looking t, Tottenham included. Dibling broke into the first team fold last season, playing nearly every game for Southampton as they narrowly avoided becoming the worst Premier League team in history. Despite Southampton’s less than stellar performances, young Tyler Dibling often caught the eye for his explosive dribbling and chance creation; he was central to nearly everything the Saints created, and now, with his stock rising, some clubs are prepared to make a move, despite Southampton’s high asking price.

Rodrygo

In recent days, reports linking Tottenham with Brazilian superstar Rodrygo have intensified. The winger, whilst not surplus to requirements at Real Madrid may be allowed to move on if the club receive a large enough bid. With both Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, Rodrygo may wish to challenge himself in the English Premier League and Tottenham would allow him to do just that. Rodrygo is an excellent footballer, able to change directions on a whim, beating defenders almost at will, and with a solid goalscoring touch, it is clear to see why he is a wanted player on the market this summer. The capture of Rodrygo would be a true signal of intent from Tottenham and may show they truly mean business under Thomas Frank.

Key Player: Dejan Kuluevski

One of Spurs’ bright spot in their season, Dejan Kulusevski is an excellent player, and could be primed for another leap under Thomas Frank. The Swede joined Spurs in 2022, and ever since has become one of their most important players.

Perhaps the strongest element of the Swede’s overall game is his incredible engine and work rate. Kulusevski covered the most distance of any Spurs player last season, enabling him to get involved with Spurs moves all across the pitch. Additionally, he is an excellent dribbler of the football, technically gifted whilst still being difficult to disposess, Kulusevski is a freight train down that right hand side of the pitch. Overlapping runs from Pedro Porro enable Spurs to keep their width whilst allowing Kulusevski to cut in onto his stronger left foot, before unleashing a shot or a deep cross into the box.

Kulusevski is also a very intelligent player, able to disrupt opposing defensive structure with his clever movement. Kulusevski is adept at finding pockets of space in between the defence, before setting up a chance for a teammate or himself.

Kulusevski is a key part of the way Tottenham have played, and looks like he will remain an important figure under Thomas Frank. For Tottenham to achieve their aims, they’ll need Deki firing on all cylinders from the get go.

Potential Lineup and Outlook

Thomas Frank will look to implement his style as soon as possible at Tottenham, and early signs in pre-season are promising; they have already defeated North London rivals Arsenal in a pre season friendly, thanks to Pape Matar Sarr’s long range effort.

Frank will want to implement his ideas quickly, and that means carrying across his trusty 4231 system from the GTECH Community Stadium. Could Kudus perform in a similar way to Bryan Mbeumo on the flank, or will Frank opt for a more traditional winger style? It remains to be seen but all that can be said is…

They can’t get much worse can they?

Potential Lineup

My Prediction: 7th

New gaffer Thomas Frank will almost certainly bring an uptick to Tottenham’s domestic form. It couldn’t get much worse than under Ange, but, will Spurs have that top level firepower to compete right at the top?