Not what fans want to hear prior to returning to the Lane
It’s difficult to judge how Tottenham’s season has gone. They look set to finish fourth, but it’s still mathematically possible for Chelsea to pip them to the final Champions League spot. They shook off their Wembley curse very early on and maintained the very high standards they’d set themselves in the past two seasons. But they’re finishing lower than they did last season, failed to get past the round of 16 in the Champions League and fell at the penultimate hurdle in the FA Cup.
The common criticism that they absolutely have to win a trophy to validate their progress can be overplayed, but they the momentum they’ve gathered could start to fade.
This summer they return to their home of White Hart Lane – or whatever it’s going to be called – and ideally, fans would want to bolster the squad, adding depth in key areas and maybe treating themselves to a luxury signing too. Unfortunately for them, this appears unlikely, as four first team players are reportedly set to leave, according to The Sun. Such is the food chain in modern football, the likes of Toby Alderweireld will only stick around for so long before an oil rich club comes sniffing around.
The Belgian defender is one of the four players likely to depart, after an injury sidelined him for much of the season and Mauricio Pochettino seemingly demoted him to first reserve. Alongside him in the exit queue are Danny Rose, Mousa Dembélé and Victor Wanyama.
Rose has regressed since a long-term injury last season, with Ben Davies taking his spot, and the England international has been strongly linked with a move to Manchester United. Dembélé’s powers are gradually fading, though he still retains the ability to embarrass opposition midfielders as if they are several years his younger on the school playground. The Belgian could move to the Chinese Super League, if reports are to be believed.
Wanyama is the more surprising inclusion, given his success when playing next to Dembélé, more in the 3-4-3 system Pochettino used to favour. But he has fallen to second favourite behind Eric Dier, who has proved to be a vital player for Spurs, with both his versatility and reliability huge factors.
This could mean there is money to spend in the summer, and Pochettino has a good record (mostly) for recruiting good players, but if they are to maintain their progress and take a step closer to winning a trophy, they might need some experienced wingers, rather than Georges-Kevin N’Koudou v.2.
