Tottenham Hotspur Face Critical Close Season

After the removal of Antonio Conte, English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are looking for their fifth permanent manager in four years. Whoever steps into the hot seat at the new White Hart Lane has the task of getting the team into the Champions League, while targeting trophies at the same time.

It’s a tough challenge, particularly as the supporters want to see an end to the managerial merry-go-round.

Remaining Aims

Spurs will need to regroup and rebuild, but they still have targets in place for this season. After some poor results, the team is losing ground in terms of Champions League qualifying places, with the Paddy Power top four betting markets pricing them at 23/10. According to a free bet calculator, a £5 bet on this would return £16.50 if it’s successful. However, it will be a struggle for Spurs to achieve this with Manchester United occupying third place and Newcastle taking advantage of their recent slump.

The Right Buys

Antonio Conte was very vocal at times about a perceived lack of support in the transfer market. Despite being listed among the richest soccer clubs in the world, Tottenham is reluctant to pay high wages and transfer fees to attract the biggest players. Conte had to work on a budget and that’s not something he’s been used to at previous clubs. The former manager also gave a clear indication that he was not happy with some of the acquisitions.

In the January transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal, as covered by Sky Sports, but he’s barely been used. Conte later stated that he felt sorry for the player as the club wanted to sign him. The clear inference was that the manager thought Danjuma was surplus to requirements. Whoever takes over at Spurs will need to be wary of the club’s transfer policy.

Strength in Reserve?

Whoever comes into the hot seat at Spurs will find an alarming number of players out on loan. In fact, somebody must have miscalculated at the club, as a temporary deal involving Matt Doherty fell through as too many fringe squad members had similar contracts. Ultimately, Doherty’s contract was cancelled ahead of a six-month deal with Atletico Madrid and he left permanently instead, which even he admitted was a surprise to football.london.

Tanguy Ndombele, who had previously been the club’s record signing, is with Napoli this term after spending the second half of last season at Lyon. Giovani Lo Celso has now made more appearances for loan club Villarreal than he did with Spurs from 2020 through to 2022.

Neither man looks ready to make a first-team return. There could be some support from the reserve squad, but there will be a significant amount of pruning among those many loanees.

Tottenham will appoint their next manager and he will have some immediate targets. In the longer term, the new man will need to restore some faith among a loyal set of supporters who are anxious for success and a clear plan for the future.