Our resident Tottenham fans in the Football Transfer Tavern are growing a little impatient as the summer transfer window rumbles on.
So far this summer, Spurs have brought in Kevin Wimmer from FC Koln as well as Kieran Trippier from Burnley but with so many more positions left to strengthen, our resident Lilywhites supporters would like Mauricio Pochettino to get a move on.
The evidence suggests that Spurs could be readying their next big money bid with Paulinho having exited for Guangzhou Evergrande, Etienne Capoue having moved to Watford and Benjamin Stambouli also set to join him at Vicarage Road.
With Spurs clearly setting themselves up to sign a new midfielder, Tottenham fans at least received some good news this week with promising prospect Nabil Bentaleb having penned a new long-term contract at White Hart Lane.
While this is all well and good, Tottenham fans would rather see the club land another midfielder sooner rather than later so they can they switch their attentions to luring another striker to North London.
With Harry Kane almost single handedly carrying Tottenham to a fifth-placed finish last term, Pochettino knows he needs to bring in more striking reinforcements to reduce the scoring burden off the England international’s shoulders.
Today our Spurs contingent have skipped ahead to September and devised the dream Spurs starting eleven they’d like to see lining in the Premier League week in, week out.
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Click on the image below to reveal the dream starting XI for Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino next season.
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Hugo Lloris
Tottenham fans received more positive news regarding the immediate future of their star goalkeeper recently as The Express claimed that his focus is on Spurs right now.
The French international claimed: “We always want a better season. We expect to improve as a team and to get the club as high as possible in the league.
“We also want to enjoy it as much as possible with our fans, to go far in cup competitions – that’s always a good feeling – and to win trophies.
There had of course been intense speculation that Manchester United had designs on landing Hugo Lloris to replace the soon to depart David De Gea who will be joining Real Madrid but at this stage, it doesn’t look as if the Red Devils will be getting their way.
Kieran Trippier
One half of Tottenham’s completed summer transfer business so far, the feeling amongst Spurs supporters in the tavern is that Kieran Trippier is a sensible signing if not a spectacular one.
That said, out of all of the right backs in the Premier League last season, Kieran Trippier was one of the standout players in that position despite Burnley’s eventual relegation.
Representing the modern breed of full back in regards to fulfilling the attacking side of the role as well as the defensive duties, Trippier is pacey down the flank and is also a threat from set-piece situations.
Boasting a wand of a right boot, Spurs fans will look forward to him crossing the ball for the likes of Harry Kane to gobble up goalscoring chances next term.
Toby Alderweireld
At the time of writing, it looks for the world as if Atletico Madrid’s Toby Alderweireld is set to become Spurs’ third signing of the summer.
According to the London Evening Standard, the Belgian international completed a medical at Spurs yesterday ahead of sealing a switch to White Hart Lane where he will join a growing number of Belgian players that of course include Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen.
This news will come as a crushing blow to Southampton who were also in the mix to sign the former Ajax player on a permanent deal after a successful season-long loan spell at St Mary’s last season.
Alderweireld will give Mauricio Pochettino even further strength in an overcrowded looking defensive area that also includes Federico Fazio, Eric Dier, Younes Kaboul, Kevin Wimmer and Vlad Chiriches.
His versatility is also key with Alderweireld also capable of playing at right back, left back and even in defensive midfield.
Jan Vertonghen
He’s perhaps had better seasons in a Tottenham shirt than he had last term but ‘Super Jan’ is still a fan favourite at White Hart Lane with his best position undoubtedly at centre back.
With Alderweireld set to join, a Belgian centre back pairing can only be good in terms of morale with the players knowing each other well from the international set-up.
Vertonghen is still looked upon as one of Spurs’ key players alongside the likes of Hugo Lloris, Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane and if the Belgian is fit, he simply has to play.
Danny Rose
Not everybody’s cup of tea, we could’ve easily shifted Jan Vertonghen to the left back slot in this dream starting eleven while making room for either Eric Dier or Federico Fazio at centre back but we’ve gone for Danny Rose to compliment the work of Kieran Tripper at right back.
Under Harry Redknapp particularly, Spurs were playing a truly exciting brand of football and this is something Mauricio Pochettino is keen to continue at White Hart Lane.
With Redknapp’s side undoubtedly more exciting with Pochettino’s found wanting on too many occasions last term, the selection of Rose is key with the player keen on bombing up and down the right flank just like Trippier on the other side.
With Kyle Walker previously fulfilling this role but seeing his career dip somewhat, an attacking full back duo of Trippier and Rose looks an underrated prospect.
Nabil Bentaleb
Signing a new five-year deal at White Hart Lane this week, Nabil Bentaleb has delighted a large section of Spurs supporters who will now get to see the Algerian international prosper even further at White Hart Lane.
He’s another player who seems to divide opinion but the majority of Tottenham supporters claim he’s a really good prospect whose performances often go unnoticed.
Earning his breakthrough under Tim Sherwood, Bentaleb has been a fixture in the Spurs side ever since and was the first choice alongside the energetic Ryan Mason last term.
Tall, athletic and capable of getting better, Bentaleb takes one of the defensive midfield slots in our dream starting eleven.
James McCarthy
While the Toby Alderweireld transfer sorts itself out, the next target Tottenham are reportedly going after is Everton’s impressive Republic of Ireland international midfielder James McCarthy.
We’ve somewhat controversially left Spurs academy product Ryan Mason out of the starting eleven to make room for McCarthy and while Mason’s performances were great last season, we still think the Toffees ace is the better player in the defensive midfield role.
McCarthy is often talked about in the tavern as being one of the most underrated players in the entire Premier League with the former Wigan Athletic man having been linked with the likes of Arsenal in the past.
But the talk is that Spurs are readying a £20 million move for the Toffees star with Aaron Lennon being lined up as a makeweight in the deal.
Lennon spent the second half of last season at Goodison Park and having been usurped at White Hart Lane by the likes of Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli, you can imagine that Everton would be interested in taking his services again next season.
Kevin Mirallas
Another Everton star who hasn’t been linked with Totenham more recently, yet has interested them in the past is Belgian international winger Kevin Mirallas.
Tottenham have really suffered from inconsistencies in performances from their wingers in the last two seasons following the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid but in Mirallas, he is somebody who is much more consistent on a week to week basis in the Premier League.
Out of Nacer Chadli, Andros Townsend and Erik Lamela, they can all frustrate but Chadli is probably the most consistent with the other two often going through the motions.
This is an area in which Tottenham can improve and with key targets such as Yevhen Konoplyanka having since moved to Sevilla, perhaps a move for Mirallas will be resurrected closer to the end of the window with the Belgian yet to pen a new deal on Merseyside despite hinting at one.
Christian Eriksen
Undoubtedly the best player that was signed with the Gareth Bale sale cash, Christian Eriksen was something of a talisman for Tottenham last season.
The Danish international earned a reputation for scoring important goals and late ones at that, and there is no doubting that he fully earns his place in this dream eleven in his favoured number 10 role.
Also deadly from set-piece situations, you feel as if Mauricio Pochettino needs to land more Christian Eriksen-type success story signings to truly captivate the Tottenham crowd while bringing the glory days back to North London.
Nacer Chadli
As alluded to on our Kevin Mirallas slide, out of all the wingers on Tottenham’s books at present, it was perhaps Nacer Chadli who was the most consistent last season.
The Belgian international received stick in his first season at White Hart Lane following a lack of impact following the Gareth Bale sale and replacing the Welshman was never going to be an easy task for anyone.
However, credit needs to go to Chadli whose performances improved last season with his best moment in a Spurs shirt undoubtedly being his goal away at Emirates Stadium to arch-rivals Arsenal in a North London Derby that ended up with a 1-1 scoreline.
He earns his place on the left wing due to his improved performances in 2014/15.
Harry Kane
What can we say about Tottenham’s Harry Kane that hasn’t already been said?
There are a lot of clichés in football but the ‘what a difference a season makes’ one is absolutely applicable to Kane who before last season wouldn’t have been looked upon as anything of a talisman.
But approaching the 2015/16 campaign, that is exactly what the England international is having struck 21 Premier League goals last season while losing out on just Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to the Golden Boot.
If you listen to the rumour mill, Manchester United are still being heavily linked with Kane this summer with Robin van Persie reportedly set to depart Old Trafford and if this move came to avail, Spurs fans’ hearts would be broken.
Daniel Levy must simply rebuff all offers for Kane this summer whilst building the team around his talents next season and beyond.
