After their loss to West Ham last Friday and Chelsea’s subsequent victory over Middlesbrough on Monday, it’s pretty safe to say that Tottenham Hotspur probably won’t be winning the Premier League this season. Second place – which is all but guaranteed now – is an improvement on last season’s third-place finish, though.
The question then turns to whether Spurs can sustain a title push next season and actually win the league. I think the answer is yes, and I also think you can make a case for them as early favourites for the Premier League title in 2017/18. Here are five reasons why.
#1 Spurs are the Premier League’s new constant
2017/18 will mark Mauricio Pochettino’s fourth season in charge of Spurs and since he got to grips with the club pretty early on in his reign, little has changed. Pochettino’s key players remain largely the same – Hugo Lloris in goal, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Dele Alli the key midfielders, and of course Harry Kane up front scoring the goals. A handful of players have come and gone but for the most part, it’s a steady ship at Tottenham.
The same can’t be said for Tottenham’s Premier League rivals. Chelsea have all but won the title this year but there’s already talk of them potentially losing key players Diego Costa and Eden Hazard in the summer, and whispers also of Antonio Conte returning to his native Italy.
Pep Guardiola has a lot of work to do at Manchester City judging from the side’s performances this season and a lot of talk seems to involve him basically rebuilding the squad entirely. Manchester United remain in flux under Jose Mourinho, with a full squad rebuild needed there too, and Arsenal may well be facing the end of the Arsene Wenger era.
Liverpool are in a similar boat to Spurs, but I’d argue Jurgen Klopp’s side are a couple of steps behind Pochettino’s at the minute. With all this considered, Spurs seem to be the steadiest side with the strongest foundations going into 2017/18, which can only be a good thing.
#2 Harry Kane is for real
When Harry Kane hit 31 goals in all competitions in 2014/15, it came as a massive shock to most onlookers who hadn’t really pegged him for big things, especially after loan spells at Norwich and Leicester had been relatively disappointing. But Pochettino had huge faith in the youngster, preferring him to the expensive Roberto Soldado, and Kane repaid his faith in bucketloads.
A one-season wonder was what the naysayers called Kane, but when he repeated the feat in 2015/16 – scoring 28 goals – it became harder to argue against his talent. And despite injuries – he’s only played 34 games this season compared to 50 last time – he’s still scored 27 goals in 2016/17. That means that far from being a one-season wonder, Kane is most definitely for real.
If anything, his slower rise to becoming the best striker in the league is reminiscent of the legendary Alan Shearer, who remains the Premier League’s all-time greatest goalscorer.
The best thing about Kane, from a Tottenham perspective? As the fans love to chant, he’s one of their own. A boyhood Spurs fan, Kane has stated that he’s “Tottenham through and through” which means he’s not likely to be angling for a move any time soon. And when you’ve got a goalscorer as good as Kane on your team sheet, then surely you’ve got to be favourites for the league.
#3 No key players are likely to leave
Okay, so Kyle Walker has recently been linked with a move to Manchester City, there are rumours that Toby Alderweireld may be stalling on signing a new contract, and there’s always the seemingly premature possibility of Real Madrid swooping in for Dele Alli. But apart from that, there has barely been a peep about Spurs losing any of their key players this summer.
Last summer saw Pochettino ink the majority of his key stars to new deals – 15 players signed fresh, long-term contracts in 2016, including Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Alli and Christian Eriksen. While contracts admittedly don’t mean all that much in today’s age of player power, it does mean that with multiple years left to run on the contracts of so many top players, Tottenham are even less likely to lose any of them – particularly as they can once again guarantee Champions League football next season.
Pochettino seemingly runs a tight ship but he also seems to keep his players very happy. And being able to keep all that talent happy – talent that has already gelled into one of the strongest teams in the league – means that success next season is even more likely than ever before.
#4 They may be able to strengthen their squad
Pochettino is a fascinating character when it comes to signing new players, as we’ve often seen him bring a player in only to jettison them just one season later when it becomes clear that they don’t match his vision. Clinton N’Jie was just one example of this. At other times, though, he has persisted with a player who might not look great at first – Son Heung-Min for example – only for them to come good later.
It feels like Pochettino is more likely to sign a player based on how he feels they fit into his vision of the team rather than purely on their talent, but with Champions League football being offered at Tottenham for the second season running, the window of talent he’s able to look at may have just become wider.
Already Spurs have been linked with Everton star Ross Barkley, who would definitely help to bolster the Tottenham midfield, and Naby Keita, Wilfried Zaha and Alexandre Lacazette have also been linked with moves to White Hart Lane. With Champions League football on offer, Pochettino may have his pick of the bunch when it comes to top players wanting to join Spurs, and a stronger squad means a better chance of Premier League glory.
#5 They’re a young team who are only getting better
Tottenham’s steady improvement under Pochettino has been a joy to watch over the last few years, but one key is that the squad he has is still largely a young one. Eric Dier, Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen are all 25 or younger; key defenders Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are 28 and 30 respectively, full-backs Danny Rose and Keiran Trippier are both 26, and even goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is only 30.
This season has also seen the emergence of bright young talent such as Josh Onomah and Harry Winks, and the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Kazaiah Sterling could be next to follow them into the first team squad – a squad which is still young and still improving.
Two title challenges in successive seasons – even if they have been ultimately unsuccessful – mean that young players like Dier and Alli are quickly becoming battle-tested, hardened veterans despite their age. By next season all of that young talent will know exactly what a true title fight is like, but despite their experience, they still have youth on their side.
Pochettino has improved Tottenham’s finish by at least a place in each season he’s been at the club, so next season could finally be the one to see Spurs lift the Premier League title.
