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After the arrival of Gareth Bale, Tottenham’s forward options are well stocked going into their upcoming busy campaign.
Bale’s return adds him to a list of attacking players consisting of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela, Steven Bergwijn and Dele Alli.
This is excluding the striker that is expected to arrive in North London before October’s transfer deadline.
How Jose Mourinho balances these options must present one of his toughest conundrums. Often favouring Moura, much to the dismay of Spurs supporters, Bale’s return to fitness would surely seal him a place in the XI, should he capture anywhere near the form that saw him win a host of accolades before leaving Tottenham in 2013.
Rumours continue to swirl around Alli’s future at the club but for now it appears as though he’ll remain part of Mourinho’s plans. The list above fails to include Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke, two young players who would have hoped for some minutes due to the bumper schedule that’s been handed to Spurs.
For those two young Englishman, a loan move is seemingly preferable for all parties.
Mourinho is under no illusion about the tasks he faces in balancing the squad, stating himself that he has too many players:
“You ask me about Dele, you could ask me about the other seven players we left behind. To be honest I don’t like the number of players I have in my squad, it is very, very difficult to manage in every aspect of my job.
Very difficult to manage this situation, too many players. It was Dele plus other seven. Can they be back to the squad? Of course they can.”
It’s clear the depth that Mourinho could possess come the close of the transfer window on October 5th. The Portuguese manager has already reaffirmed his belief that two players in each position is vital in order to fight on all fronts, Tottenham are involved in four competitions again this season.
Excluding Kane and Son, who are guaranteed names in the first XI, players such as Lamela, Moura and Bergwijn may face battling for a spot on the bench in the coming months.
Lamela, bought from Roma as a Bale replacement back in 2013, has been ravaged by injuries during his time in North London. The Argentine scored in Spurs’ midweek win over KF Shkendija and often puts in impressive performances for his side in European competitions.
That victory creates another game in the diary. Mourinho’s men face Maccabi Haifa at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Thursday, a fixture which will be much appreciated after away travels to Bulgaria and North Macedonia.
Amongst Spurs supporters, the on-going enigma surrounding Lamela are normally his pre-season displays. Often building up expectations with man-of-the-match exploits on tours all over the world, the 28-year-old’s season seems to always grind to a halt when the competitive action begins, failing to string together a run of games or succumbing to injuries.
Lucas Moura’s Tottenham career can be viewed as successful from an outsider. His exploits in Amsterdam will rightly never been forgotten, the Brazilian’s hat-trick providing Spurs fans with the greatest moment in their modern history.
The exploits of that night appears a long way away from the player that graces the Premier League today. Often found running into danger or losing possession sloppily, Moura is no longer a favourite amongst Spurs fans.
Despite of this, it appears that Mourinho and his staff value what the Sao Paulo-born attacker can bring. His high-energy press can often lead to opposition mistakes, a key attribute in Jose’s counter-attacking style. Moura’s goal-scoring record simply must improve to guarantee a starting place in this team.
A goal at Molineux against Wolves back in December 2019 remains his last Premier League goal. 23 league games have since passed without scoring, Tottenham’s reliance on the goals of Kane and Son a factor which needs addressing.
Then comes Steven Bergwijn. Perhaps the most exciting of the players addressed above. The former PSV man arrived in January as one of Daniel Levy and Steve Hitchen’s opportunistic signings.
A player that had been tracked over a number of years, the deal to bring the Dutchman to Spurs in the window was seen as a deal too good to walk away from, even if Hitchin noted his dislike of the January transfer window during the recent Tottenham Amazon ‘All or Nothing’ documentary.
The strike on his debut gave hope that ‘Stevie’ would complete that attacking triplet alongside Kane and Son. Despite impressive performances, the 22-year-old hasn’t cemented himself in the line-up as yet. With time on his side, however, and reports often referencing his positive attitude in training, Bergwijn could be the likely candidate to fill that void in the future.
Spurs’ acquisition of Gareth Bale was always going to be exciting. Of course, the unknown over his ability and fitness remain looming large, his experience undoubted after seven years in the Spanish capital.
Mourinho will hope for a reaction to the signing. Ahead of Tottenham’s fixture against Newcastle on Sunday, he spoke about players having to ‘fight for the minutes what they want to be on the pitch’.
Bale’s recovery from injury presents the opportunity for one of Lamela, Moura and Bergwijn to stake a place for that final place.
Who that will be is up to them, but competition for place is what Jose has asked for.
Should someone fail to meet the demands set, a departure either permanently or on loan shouldn’t be dismissed before October’s deadline.
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