Tottenham Hotspur’s anticlimactic season came to an end when they suffered defeat in the FA Cup semi-final to runners-up Manchester United.
A lacklustre end to the season, which surprisingly brought no silverware in spite of some promising performances and evident progression for the North London outfit under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Despite booking a place in the top four, Tottenham lacked ruthlessness and finesse when it came down to the crucial games. An unexpected short run in the UEFA Champions League came to end when previous runners-up Juventus put four past the London side to win 4-3 on aggregate.
The round of 16 exit came as a shock to many, who expected the club to progress far in the competition, especially are their impressive group stage victory’s over 2018 Champions Real Madrid (3-1) and German giants Borussia Dortmund (3-1).
Manager Pochettino has been in the media spotlight recently. This is after claims that he would be tempted from North London to the Spanish giants of Real Madrid, following the departure of their manager, Zidane Zidane. However a report states that the 46-year-old has declined the offer based on retaining is reputation. This would be an unexpected move, as he has only recently signed a five-year contract extension, keeping him until potentially, 2023. This move would even seem hypocritical of the Argentine manager, given his past emphasis on demanding loyalty from his players. However, Madrid controversially appointed Julen Lopetegui which is expected to see the ever-impressive Pochettino stay and continue pushing in the Premier League for the Lilywhites.
The only deals circulating regarding the London club is the speculation over the 29-year-old Belgian Toby Alderweireld. It appears the defender is heading towards the exit and towards a big money move to join up with Jose Mourinho. Some reports even suggest that Anthony Martial could be involved in a dynamic switch between the two clubs. The 22-year-old Frenchman, who missed out on France’s World Cup squad, was previously a targeted by Spurs during his Monaco days. However, there has yet to be any official negotiations between the two English sides.
Tottenham Hotspur will look to further strengthen their squad this summer despite the recent signings of Lucas Moura and Davinson Sánchez who have added some depth, with Daniel Levy, Spurs chairman, expected to sanction moves for Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, who could be available at a considerably lower fee due to Villa’s FFP constraints, alongside a potential advance for Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha. Both Grealish and Zaha would add considerable quality to Tottenham’s squad, though retaining their key assets will be equally important to Pochettino’s success in 2018/19.
The main target from other clubs is talisman Harry Kane, who managed to total an impressive 29 Premier League goals this season, and is on the radar for European clubs. The ever-impressive Heung-Min Son and Christian Erikson are both key assets for Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who have combined an impressive total of 23 goals and 18 assists between them. The Argentine manager will surely be looking for loyalty from his squad after reportedly rejecting informal advances from Real Madrid.
Written by Will Chattell.
