2012/2013: 5th
Transfer(s) In: Nacer Chadli (FC Twente, £7 Million), Paulinho (Corinthians, £17 Million), Roberto Soldado (Valencia, £26 Million), Etienne Capoue (Toulouse, £9 Million), Vladimir Chiriches (Steaua Bucharest, £7.5 Million), Erik Lamela (AS Roma, £25 Million), Christian Eriksen (Ajax, £11 Million)
Transfer(s) Out: Tom Huddlestone (Hull, Undisc), Tom Livermore (Hull, Loan), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, £6 Million), Steven Caulker (Cardiff, £8 Million), David Bentley, William Gallas (Released), Scott Parker (Fulham, Undisc), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, £85.3 Million)
Transfers Review:
Andre Villas Boas has been tasked with bringing Champions League football to White Hart Lane in 2014, and to do that he has made signings totalling over £110 Million. All will add massively to the current Spurs squad, but the most interesting signing for me is Paulinho. The young Brazilian defensive midfielder is the ideal signing for Spurs, who have lacked bite and flair in the central positions. Paulinho impressed me with his performances at the Confederations Cup, and I am certain that he will be an excellent addition to Tottenham's squad. The other position the Lily Whites desperately needed at the end of last season was an out and out striker, with only the aging Jermain Defoe, and the out of touch Emmanuel Adebayor to show for the forward line. This left a heavy burden on the midfield to score goals, a feat which was taken by one man. However, Spurs have attempted to rectify this situation for the new season, with 29 year old Roberto Soldado being recruited from Valencia. A bit of a risk, as at 29, his best years are probably behind him, making £26 Million a lot to pay. However, his clinical finishing and awareness means that I still think he will propel Spurs towards that 4th spot this year.
Other than those two, AVB has strengthened their already abundantly talented wings, with Nacer Chadli being brought in from Holland, and, more recently, another central midfielder has joined the side, in the form of Etienne Capoue. Both of these will probably be used as cover for the first team, but they are both high quality players, and simply go to show the strength in depth that Spurs have at White Hart Lane. In the days leading up to the deadline, Vladimir Chiriches, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen would all be signed to cover for Gareth Bale, who eventually moved to Madrid.
In terms of outgoings, Spurs's summer has been dominated by the attention that last year's PFA Player of the Year Gareth Bale has been receiving from Real Madrid. With the Spanish side reported to have offered a world record £85 Million for the winger, chairman Daniel Levy has apparently had to issue a hands-off warning to the La Liga giants. However, the longer this saga dragged on, the more it appeared that the Welshman would be on his way to Madrid this summer, especially seeing as Tottenham could not offer him the Champions League football he so craved. This was the case on Sunday 1st September, as the world record deal was finally concluded. Other than this, Tottenham have managed to hold onto many of their star names from previous seasons, with Clint Dempsey and William Gallas the regular starters for the Lily Whites to have departed.
Pre-Season:
Tottenham began their pre-season preparations with a game away at Swindon Town, before setting off to take part in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong. After a Gareth Bale goal to hand Spurs the lead, Swindon levelled and held on to claim a 1-1 draw. Just before Tottenham set off on their Asia Trophy adventure, the news broke that Real Madrid were interested in the Welsh forward. Around that time, the forward got a mysterious 'injury', ruling him out of the competition, and, as it proved, the rest of Tottenham's pre-season.
In his absence, the Tottenham squad had a poor first performance against Sunderland in their semi-final, eventually losing the game 3-1. The following day they played the third place playoff match against South China. Here we saw the North London side back to their best, with goals from Dempsey, Townsend, an own goal and a hat-trick from Defoe gave them a 6-0 victory on an awful playing surface. After the disappointment of losing the chance to play for a trophy, Spurs moved back to Europe to play an exhibition match against big spending Monaco in the principality. Here, their Champions League credentials were tested, and they came up very short. A Radamel Falcao hat-trick condemned Spurs to their second pre-season defeat, this time conceding 5 in a 5-2 demolition. Spurs finished their turbulent preparation with a 1-1 draw against Espanyol, not exactly propelling them into a league season. The Gareth Bale saga still rumbles on, and threatens to derail their start.
Key Players:
This could prove to be a big season for Aaron Lennon. The English wide man will find himself under increasing pressure from the likes of Nacer Chadli this season, but normally, the best players will perform best when under pressure for their places. I feel that this will be the season that we see the speed freak back to his best, terrorising defences both domestically and on the continent with his pace, and providing many goals for his team mates.
Jan Vertonghen will also need to carry his excellent form from last season into this campaign if Spurs are to go one better this time around. The Belgian got progressively better and better as the season went on, and I would not be surprised if he became the rock at the back for the Lily Whites this season.
Key Fixture Dates:
01/09/2013: Arsenal vs Tottenham
28/09/2013: Tottenham vs Chelsea
03/11/2013: Everton vs Tottenham
23/11/2013: Manchester City vs Tottenham
30/11/2013: Tottenham vs Manchester United
14/12/2013: Tottenham vs Liverpool
01/01/2014: Manchester United vs Tottenham
29/01/2014: Tottenham vs Manchester City
08/02/2014: Tottenham vs Everton
08/03/2014: Chelsea vs Tottenham
15/03/2014: Tottenham vs Arsenal
29/03/2014: Liverpool vs Tottenham
Top Goalscorer:
After the big money signing, I would be very surprised if Roberto Soldado didn't finish up as the Tottenham top scorer this season. His international and continental experience will provide him with an excellent basis for scoring goals in whatever competition he wants. I don't necessarily expect him to win the Golden Boot this year, but a 20 goal season is the least that Spurs fans can expect after the massive amount that was spent to bring him to London.
Prediction:
In reality, the two major contenders for the fourth place finish this season are the two North London clubs, with Liverpool the dark horse. Based solely on the squads, you would have to say that seeing as Arsenal have failed to add to theirs, whilst Tottenham have now got strength in all areas after spending that £110 Million, I would have to conclude that Spurs are now the favourites for the final Champions League spot. I still fancy them to just nick it whatever happens, but it certainly has potential to be the most interesting season yet.
Tottenham Hotspur 2013/2014: 4th
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