Premier League 2024-25 preview No 18: Tottenham
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Sachin Nakrani’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 5th
Prospects
Is there a club that spark greater existential debate than Tottenham? After all, what is their purpose? It doesn’t appear to be winning trophies given they’ve now gone more than 6,000 days without doing so. Perhaps it’s purely to entertain – “to dare is to do”, and all that – but, if so, then what was with hiring mangers for whom playing exciting, appealing football appeared to be anathema?
Regardless, here they are, ready to start all over again, and what feels clear is that Spurs’ primary objective for the new season is securing a top-four finish for the first time in three years, thereby reestablishing their place among Europe’s elite. An eye-catching stride has been made with the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for an initial £55m, the striker, who scored 21 goals last season, 19 of which came in the Premier League, arriving alongside two highly rated 18-year-olds in Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. All exciting additions to an exciting, talented squad but further incomings feel necessary, most notably a high-class winger, with a left-back and centre-back also required to bolster resources, which is especially important given Spurs’ return to European competition and the demands that come with that.
Tactically Tottenham are, to use that most modern of football phrases, in a good place. There is collective buyin to the bold, positive approach Ange Postecoglou established in his debut campaign, providing as it did a muchneeded contrast to the negative drudgery of the Mourinho and Conte years and almost proving enough to secure a top four finish. For that to happen this time, the most obvious thing the manager needs to sort out is how his players defend at set pieces given how bad they were at it last season. Worryingly, displays during pre-season, most notably in defeat to Bayern Munich at the weekend, suggest little to no improvement has been made in that regard.
And then there is the pursuit of a first piece of silverware since 2008. The Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, the Europa League; it’s fair to presume Tottenham fans would take any of them at this stage.
The manager
“I adore him,” the Spurs-supporting football writer Harry Sherlock says of Postecoglou and there is little doubt most fans feel the same. The Australian
revitalised the club after his arrival from Celtic, on and off the pitch, albeit the “mates” became increasingly laced with simmering fury as the campaign went on, with Postecoglou well and truly boiling over after the 2-0 loss to Manchester City in May, a result that all but ended Tottenham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League but was nonetheless cheered by practically everyone associated with the club, inside and out, given it also all but ended Arsenal’s hopes of winning the title. “The foundations are really fragile [here],” Postecoglou said in reaction to the widespread glee in his only misstep when it came to the feelgood connection he more than anyone had reestablished to that particular part of north London.
Off-field picture
Tottenham are in healthy financial state, and in light of ownership troubles elsewhere there appears to be newfound respect and appreciation within the fanbase for Daniel Levy’s steady stewardship of the club, albeit the relationship has been strained by the 6% increase in season-ticket prices for the new season, with concessions also removed for new senior seasonticket holders – those aged 65 and above – from the 2025-26 campaign. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust has described the first move as “unacceptable” and the second as a case of the club “pulling the rug out from under the feet of pensioners after years of loyal support”.
Breakout star
Who needs signings when you’ve got exciting academy talent, and there is growing belief at Tottenham that they have nurtured another star in Mikey Moore. The forward scored 19 goals and provided 13 assists at under-18 level, leading to his senior debut as a substitute in May’s defeat to City, in the process becoming Spurs’ youngest player to appear in the Premier League at 16 years, nine months and three days. Moore then shone for England at the European Under-17 Championship in Cyprus before further impressing for his club during preseason, leading to praise from Postecoglou and the signing of a first professional contract. “It’s an unreal feeling,” said Moore of the deal. “It’s a big step, but all the boys have welcomed me in. It’s now about me trying to prove myself. I’ve done nothing yet.”
The A-lister
James Maddison was “devastated” by Gareth Southgate’s decision to omit him from England’s squad for Euro 2024 but that at least meant he had the summer off and the chance to fully recharge before a crucial second season at Tottenham. His first started brilliantly before an ankle injury sustained in November curtailed his momentum. The 27-year-old returned in the new year but was largely poor during the remainder of the campaign. Spurs need Maddison to again be the creative heartbeat of the team, otherwise the £40m spent on signing him from Leicester is increasingly going to look like a waste of money.
What they did this summer
Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso played crucial roles in Argentina’s Copa América triumph, while Rodrigo Bentancur also impressed at the tournament for Uruguay. At the Euros, Radu Dragusin was a key player in Romania’s progress to the last 16, while Micky van de Ven often found himself coming on as a substitute for a Netherlands team that reached the semi-finals. The goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was part of Italy’s squad at the Championship but never featured. Otherwise it’s been a quiet summer for Spurs players … oh apart for Yves Bissouma, who was forced to apologise earlier this week after clips showing him inhaling nitrous oxide – AKA laughing gas – appeared on Snapchat. As Bissouma’s manager might say – not good, mate.