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The adjective ‘Spursy’ has meant a team with all the potential to do big things but fails to win anything. The end of last season and this summer may mark a change in this definition, however, as the feeling around The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is beginning to become one of quiet confidence instead of the usual cynicism. The Premier League season is fast approaching, and many around North London think Spurs could be serious title challengers this year. Here are the three reasons why.
The Antonio Conte Effect
Before Antonio Conte arrived at Spurs, they sat 9th in the table. However, since Conte’s appointment, Tottenham accrued 56 points in the Premier League, four more than anyone not named Manchester City and Liverpool. That jump in form is not a coincidence.
Spurs had always had a relatively talented squad that was more than capable of challenging for a champions league place. However, due to the fiasco that was the hiring of Nuno Espirito Santo and the Harry Kane transfer saga, the players had not played to their full potential all year. Conte changed this, most clearly shown in the form of Harry Kane, who had scored 1 goal and assisted 1 in his first thirteen games of the 21/22 season and finished the year with 17 goals and 9 assists in 37 appearances. The England Captain has since come out and said he loves working with the Italian, which may be why he played some of his best football at the end of last season.
In sum, Antonio Conte is a winner. You can’t win 4 Seria A and a Premier League without the sort of drive that guarantees trophies. Therefore, with him at the helm, Spurs could end their 14-year spell without a trophy.
A Fierce Front Three
If they carry on the form they were in at the end of last year, Tottenham’s front three could rival the front lines of Manchester City and Liverpool next year. Many may scoff at that claim following the Haaland and Nunez signings this summer. However, they are both new to the premier league. Despite the undeniable quality of both players, very few ever move to England from abroad and hit the ground running. In contrast, Spurs’ front three was ruthless last year, with Kulusevski, Son, and Kane scoring 45 goals and assisting 24 between them, and all three will be returning.
Furthermore, you could argue that the numbers don’t tell the whole story. For example, Dejan Kulusevski was signed on an 18-month loan in January last season. Since then, he has played 18 games for Tottenham in the league and got 5 goals and 8 assists. Those 8 assists were good enough to rank him tenth in the league last year despite playing in less than half the games.
Tottenham’s front three used to be described as Kane, Son, and another body. If Kulusevski carries on this form, it is now Kane, Son, and possibly one of the best creative players in the league next year. That is a scary prospect for any opposition, and the rest of the Premier League should be worried about what they will have to defend against.
A Super Summer
One of the main critiques thrown at Tottenham over the last decade is that Daniel Levy’s recruitment has been, for want of a better word, Meh. Signings have come in, underperformed, and gone straight back out the door with disturbing regularity. For example, Spurs signed Tangy Ndombele and Giovanni Lo Celso for £54 and £28.8 million, respectively, and yet both were loaned out last season as they could not cement their place in the team.
This summer has not followed that trend. Instead, following the mightily successful January, which saw the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Cristian Romero, Conte and Daniel Levy have made four new signings that all look to be slamdunks.
Ivan Perisic was first through the door. Signed for free after leaving Inter Milan, Spurs have got an instant upgrade at left wing-back, one of their more pressing areas of need. He has been one of the world’s best at that position statistically over the last few years, and, having won the Seria A under Antonio Conte, he already knows how to fit into this system.
Next came Yves Bissouma, signed for around £26 million from Brighton. This transfer shocked many, mainly because he was linked with Liverpool for months and because of the transfer value. Many Brighton fans thought the central midfielder was worth more than that because of how good he has been over the last two years. You could reasonably argue that Bissouma has been one of, if not the most underrated player in the league in the previous two years because he was playing for Brighton. He is an elite defender and ranks in the top 10 percent for pass completion in the top 5 leagues compared to other midfielders. Spurs have got a bargain here, and Bissouma will help tighten up the midfield allowing their attacking stars to express themselves.
The third of Tottenham’s big deals was the £60 million deal to sign Richarlison from Everton. The initial reaction to this among many fans was confusion. Why spend £60 million on another winger when you already have such a good front three? Well, for the answer to this, we need to look around the league. Manchester City and Liverpool have had the best recruitment in the league, not because they have spent the most, but because they have focused on adding depth year on year. Both sides can reasonably say they have two premier league quality starting elevens because of their squad depth, which is what the Richarlison signing aims to build at Tottenham. The Brazilian is a proven premier league commodity and can play across the front three. Although expensive, the transfer is yet another sensible one and adds fuel to the claim that Conte’s Spurs could be serious players in the title race next year.
Finally, Levy and Conte have just negotiated the signing of Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona. The Frenchman never got a long run of games last season for Barcelona, starting in only 7 of his 21 performances. This record could give Spurs fans a cause for concern, however, the stats tell a different story. Lenglet was in the top 1 percent for progressive passes and progressive carries per 90 last season, which makes him statistically comparable to the likes of Ruben Dias, Allesandro Bastoni, and Dayot Upamecano. His ball-playing ability builds depth at center-back for Spurs and gives them another option on the left of the three other than Ben Davies, who is naturally a left-back.
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