There are a lot of positives to take away from Mauricio Pochettinos first season

at Tottenham. To be honest, I did nurse hopes of a top four finish back in

February when Spurs had racked up sensational home wins against the likes of
Chelsea and Arsenal. But, the campaign slowly started to unravel as the
seemingly never-ending Europa League and Pochettinos regime of hard work
and incessant pressing finally took their toll and drained the young Spurs side
both mentally and physically.
However, the blueprint has been firmly laid by Pochettino. Even the most
vociferous of Arsenal fans cannot deny the fact that Spurs are playing exciting
football again. It might be a far cry attacking triumvir of Bale, Modric and Van der
Vaart from Redknappss era. But, Tottenham have in Kane, Eriksen and Lloris
three of the best players in the league. With chairman Daniel Levy promising a
busy summer ($15M is the maximum he is willing to part with for a player
though!), Pochettino should be able bring in some of the much needed
reinforcements to gear the team for another gruelling season of domestic and
European football.
Despite the remarkable growth of young English defender Eric Dier and the
newfound consistency of Federico Fazio, Spurs still lack the perfect partner for
Vertonghen. With Ben Davies challenging for his place in the starting eleven,
Danny Rose went from strength to strength and was easily one of our standout
performers of the season. Walker had to endure an injury ravaged year.
Hopefully, he regains some of his best form that saw him scoop up the Best
Young Player of the Season award in his very first year in Spurs colours. In the

midfield, academy graduates Bentaleb and Mason might have cemented the
perfect partnership. But, another central midfielder will be a welcome addition to
avoid another burnout. And, while Chadli and Lamela have shown a lot of
promise in recent weeks, Spurs SHOULD get a direct, pacy and genuinely worldclass winger at any cost this summer. As demonstrated in the Capital One Cup
final, Eden Hazard was often the singular difference between the sides. Up front,
I can talk for hours about Harry Kane. Suffice to say, he has blossomed into one
of the most lethal forwards in the league. With Soldado and Adebayor still in the
books, splashing money on another forward may not be the wisest decision
unless it is for a proven talent in the Premier League like Javier Hernandez.
Lavezzi (in his last year of contract) and Schneiderlin (good relationship with
Pochettino) are possible signings, but might be a bit over-optimistic. Still,
Pochettino and head of recruitment Paul Mitchell should be able to make some
bargain buys. Fleet footed winger Konoplyanka can be snapped for literally next
to nothing and promising defender Kevin Wimmer is rumoured to have already
signed for a meagre 5M. Spurs also have more exciting youngsters swelling
their ranks. Dele Alli had a hugely promising season with MK Dons and Tom
Carroll impressed in the top division with Swansea. But, the name on the lips of
every Tottenham supporter will be Alex Pritchard, the Spurs academy star who
has enjoyed a stunning season with Brentford and definitely has it in him to
emulate the heroics of Mason and Kane.

It is going to be an exciting summer at White Hart Lane. If Spurs can retain their
star players and make some astute signings, they will truly be a force to reckon
with. With a lineup like this, Spurs fans can finally dare to dream!