Tottenham have gone through a lot of managerial changes since Mauricio Pochettino’s five-year tenure was unceremoniously ended in 2019
Back then, Jose Mourinho was appointed to take them into a new era but that was unsurprisingly short-lived and they swiftly shuffled Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Their latest manager has been a perfect fit for the club’s philosophy of attacking football as Ange Postecoglou won admirers around the Premier League.
Tottenham tickets will be very much in demand for the 2024/25 season, with fans looking to see what becomes of Spurs under Postecoglou next term.
Tottenham have made undeniable progress under the Greek over the past year as he won consecutive Premier League Manager of The Month awards in his first three months in charge. He also maintained an unbeaten start to the season until they had two players sent off in a chaotic London Derby against Chelsea in November.
Postecoglou now begins his second season in charge of Spurs with increased expectations to challenge for silverware in 2024/25.
Spurs narrowly missed out on the top four last term, but with smart signings, they could well bridge the gap to their competitors. The North Londoners will be in the Europa League, and to take the next step they must land the quality of players required by the manager.
Pertinently, Spurs slipped away in the battle for a Champions League spot last season in part due to an often blunt attack. It is an area they must look at while improving the depth of the entire squad to compete favourably with their rivals.
Meanwhile, the majority of the Tottenham squad is now back in pre-season training as they gear up for their first friendly against Scottish side, Hearts.
Postecoglou has made no secret of the fact that several players would need to leave the club in this transfer window. Hence, Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon and Tanguy Ndombele have already been released on free transfers.
Elsewhere, Joe Rodon has made his loan to Leeds United a permanent transfer and Tottenham are listening to offers for several players including Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon, who are not in the long-term plans.
Who else could leave Tottenham and who could they sign?
Emerson Royal appears close to a move to AC Milan and the player has spoken out about his situation in a recent interview with Sky Sports.
“I’ve always made it clear. I’m very competitive and it bothers me a lot to be left on the bench. I was upset and I told the coach about it,” Emerson said.
“I’ve always been very professional, and put the most intensity into training, but this situation doesn’t work for me. I don’t know what my future will be. I am not a player who sits on the bench.
“I want to play, and if it’s not here, I understand that, but I want to go somewhere I can play. I want to play for the Brazil team and that is unlikely if I don’t play at club level, so I have to look for new places.”
AC Milan has reportedly agreed personal terms with the Brazilian with the final details being the transfer fee after a £ 15 million bid was rejected. Tottenham want close to £20m and Al-Nassr’s interest means they are likely to have their valuation met.
Further up the pitch, Richarlison’s future is up in the air despite declaring he will stay at Tottenham. This is because previous interest from Saudi Arabia may resurface and the club will be tempted to consider should a substantial bid be presented.
Danish midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Spanish winger Bryan Gil should also be saying goodbye to the Lilywhites this summer.
On the other end of the spectrum, Tottenham have confirmed three summer arrivals so far with Timo Werner, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall all joining the club on permanent deals.
The North Londoners need a striker after selling Harry Kane last year and they struggled for a consistent goalscoring outlet. Son Heung-min chipped in with 17 goals and 10 assists while Richarlison struck 12 times but they still need to fill the prolific void left by their record goalscorer.
Tottenham are looking at a versatile forward this summer with Jonathan David, Pedro Neto and Lois Openda all featuring on their wishlist.
Chelsea have also been credited with interest in the Lille star and David is certainly one to keep an eye on in the rest of this transfer window.
Nico Williams has been one of the stars of Spain’s Euro 2024 campaign and Spurs are one of the many clubs linked to the exciting winger. They can jump ahead of the queue, however, by paying the 21-year-old’s reported £49million release clause, although his huge wage at Athletic Bilbao could be a stumbling block.
Should Richarlison be sold this summer, an extra forward would be needed and the likes of Santiago Gimenez, Ivan Toney and Omar Marmoush could also come into consideration.
Elsewhere, Spurs are also looking to sign a central midfielder with long-term target Jacob Ramsey being one of several candidates for that position. They are said to be exploring a player-plus-cash deal for Ramsey with Giovani Lo Celso heading in the other direction to Aston Villa.
Beyond the forward and midfield targets, there is the need for a centre-back to cope with the rigours of two matches per week. Spurs struggled for cover when injuries struck the heart of their defence last season, and a bumper schedule with even more Europa League matches next term will surely test their squad depth.
Cristian Romero and Micky Van de Ven are Postecoglou’s first-choice pairing but Radu Dragusin and either the young Ashley Phillips or a new signing must take the fourth centre-back spot in 2024/25.
There are lots of tweaks to be made and details to be sorted ahead of Tottenham’s campaign which kicks off at newly-promoted Leicester City in the first Monday Night Football of the season on August 19.
Spurs have created an attractive environment with their manager, and it is up to them to truly step up and lift some silverware with a serial winner.