EPL 2017/18: 5 reasons why Tottenham Hotspur will not win the title

Tottenham Hotspur have finished in third and second place the previous two seasons and the team will be keen on challenging for the Premier League title this season. However, with some new factors coming into play this season, it seems very unlikely Spurs will win the Premier League title.

Tottenham have made no signings, lost full-back Kyle Walker and Danny Rose just two days ago decided to tell the media how unhappy he is with the current situation at the North London club. This could see them have a slow start to the Premier League season and leave them behind in the race for the title before it has even got going.

Here are five reasons why Tottenham will not win the Premier League this season:

#5 No signings

Spurs are already behind heading into the new season having signed no players at all. They have lost Kyle Walker but have replaced him with his deputy Kieran Trippier, and he is already out for a few weeks owing to an injury.

The North London side are in a tough financial situation, having to pay for a brand new stadium after knocking down White Hart Lane. That’s even after selling Walker for over £50 million. They’re currently a carbon copy of Arsenal when they first moved to the Emirates and had to sell Nasri, Fabregas and Van Persie and not replace them adequately.

Lots of people are claiming it is fantastic business by Tottenham to receive huge funds and just bring through youth players. However, there is no guarantee that their next crop of youth players will be as good as their current ones, making it hard to suggest they will challenge for this year’s Premier League title with them having to rely on lots of young and very few world class players.

#4 Reliance on Harry Kane

Harry Kane

If Harry Kane was to get injured, Tottenham would be in a very poor situation. Luckily for Spurs, the Englishman has spent a short amount of time on the side lines the past three seasons and they have reaped the success, finishing so high in the table.

But, they have no ideal replacement or plan B if Kane was to get injured or play poorly. This therefore means if Kane is marked out of a game or gets injured, Tottenham will struggle as they rely so heavily on their talisman.

The 24-year-old’s goal record has been phenomenal the last three seasons, there is no other way to describe it. He has scored 21, 25 and 29 goals in those three seasons and Tottenham have every reason to rely on him.

But, if this is the year that Kane is to suffer from a ligament injury or something that would keep him out for months, it could put a serious dent in Tottenham’s title or even top four challenge.

#3 Champions League football

The Champions League could affect Spurs' league campaign

Luckily for Spurs last season, they had very little European competition with them being knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage and the Europa League in the last 16. This meant towards the end of the season, when they really picked up form, they had only the Premier League to worry about.

This season, if they’re to seriously consider trying to get further in the Champions League, they would have to sacrifice a title challenge with the size of their squad. They are unable to compete on three or four fronts with just one striker. If they reach the quarter finals or further in the Champions League, it would certainly see their league form dip.

For Spurs to gain more weight around Europe and to attract better players, they need to stamp their authority and put in some good performances on the European stage, something they’ve never done successfully. If they do attempt to do that this season, then they will struggle to replicate their form from the past two seasons.

#2 Thin squad

Spurs' squad depth isn't as good as the other top sides

Tottenham have an extremely thin squad. As mentioned, if Harry Kane was to get injured, they would only have Vincent Janssen to replace him, who has scored just one league goal from open play. And if Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen were to get injured, who could replace their creativity? Quite simply, nobody. Tottenham have no ideal replacements in any position apart from centre midfield.

Danny Rose has talked about the possibility of leaving Tottenham in his recent interview with the Sun. If he were to leave, there would be lots of players at Tottenham questioning their future with the lack of arrivals and squad depth at the club.

If Tottenham lose any more first team players and fail to replace them, they will be in big trouble heading into the new season, and certainly will not be title contenders.

#1 Wembley Stadium

Spurs have a bad record at Wembley

The Wembley effect. The one thing that is on everyone’s lips when it comes to Tottenham’s 2017/18 season is that Spurs do not play well at Wembley. In six games since the 2015 League Cup final, they have won just one, against CSKA Moscow, who were already out of the Champions League. This is a worrying record considering Tottenham will have to play all their home games at Wembley in this forthcoming season.

Originally, when Tottenham agreed to play this season at Wembley it didn’t seem a bad idea, but after last season when they struggled in the Champions League and lost their FA Cup semi-final, Tottenham became increasingly worried, as did their fans.

To emphasise how bad they are on big pitches, they even lost to West Ham at the London Stadium last season, even when they were in particularly good form.

If anything is going to stop Tottenham winning the league, it will be the time they take to adapt to their new pitch. With all these factors considered, although some may be subjective, Tottenham will not be challenging for the league title this season.