Can Tottenham Find a Solution to Their Struggles?

It feels like yesterday when Tottenham Hotspurs were close to clinching the English Premier League in 2016, only to fall flat against an inspired Chelsea team when it mattered. They drew the game 2-2 and relinquished it to Leicester, considered the most significant underdogs in the Premier League era.

Then came the UEFA Champions League final in 2019 against Premier League rivals Liverpool, in an all-English final at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was Liverpool’s 2nd consecutive UEFA Champions League final, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid the previous year.

Spurs demonstrated their prowess in the knockout competition by eliminating Premier League Champions Manchester City. They fell off in the first two minutes when they conceded a penalty, then Liverpool sealed the win in the 87th minute.

Mauricio Pochetinno was appointed as Spurs’ coach in 2014, and after six seasons of near misses, he was sacked following a slow start to the 2019/20 season. The club then appointed Jose Mourinho, who failed to improve on the club’s stagnation, and he, too, in 2021, was let go despite guiding them to the Carabao Cup final.

Spurs lost the cup to Manchester City after hiring an interim coach, and it proved to be a wrong decision to sack the coach six days before the final. The new coach at the start of the 2021/22 season was Nuno Santo.

His accomplishments at Wolverhampton convinced the Tottenham board to give him a chance, but he was sacked after five months in charge. The next candidate for the job was Antonio Conte, who had led Juventus to an unbeaten championship season before leading Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup trophy. After leaving Chelsea, he led Inter to a Scudetto title and reached the UEFA Europa League final against Sevilla.

Nonetheless, he was poised to work his magic touch and turn them into title contenders. In early March 2023, he parted ways with the club citing difficulty in achieving his desire to turn them into title contenders because of the hierarchy’s spending decisions on players. At his departure, the team was in the top four and in contention for the Champions League.

After he left, his assistant was named interim coach, and they suffered humiliating losses, including a 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle, who finished in fourth place. Over the past few years, it’s undeniable that Tottenham hasn’t been in its best form. For those fans who take the excitement to the next level and place bets on the team, they have nothing to write home about. With the club having a series of losses, maybe it’s better to try their luck at online casino sites. At least some casino games can get you one step ahead if you have the right strategy.

What’s Next for Tottenham?

The transfer window is upon us, and the club has already made some intelligent signings as they look to strengthen their team.

Fans have cited frustration at the club for not going after high-profile signings who can turn them into title contenders. After all, teams such as Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Arsenal have made some big money signings. Pundits are already predicting that the upcoming season will be one of the toughest in recent years.

The spending power of the big teams has seen some high-profile signings, with Chelsea already spending over $600 million in the last year alone. Tottenham has appointed Ange Postecoglu after he won a treble in Scotland with Celtic. Fans expect he will bring an attractive brand of football and challenge for trophies, which needs to be improved at the club.

The club’s biggest transfer news is the future of club captain, Harry Kane, who is among the most prolific goal-scorers in football today. He has been linked with other clubs and has also expressed a desire to leave and win trophies as he enters the twilight of his career. His apparent would-be replacement is Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who could have signed this summer but was convicted of betting and suspended for eight months.

The sentence was swiftly followed by a new law that bans teams in the Premier League from having betting firms as their main sponsors. Toney’s suspension is a blow, especially for Tottenham, because he finished the season with 20 goals behind Halland with 36 and Harry Kane with 30.

Pundits argue that with Toney’s technical ability and being surrounded by elite players like Son and Bentancur, he can manage a higher return of over 25 goals a season. Others have argued that the team needs an overhaul where they get rid of players who have underperformed and instead rebuild again around a few elite players and top academy graduates.

Tottenham now has a coach with a different philosophy, but is he the man to turn their fortunes around in the 2023/24 season? We can only wait and see if their smart business in the current transfer window will solve their problems.