Your Spurs Squad for 24-25 Season

[Ron Burgundy]

My priorities in order were a starting RW, second striker, couple of CMs, two FBs, and get rid of all the deadwood.
Most of this business was to provide depth as I believe our starting eleven was generally good last year.

We've pretty much fulfilled that remit with the exception of a LB.
The only risk is the pressure on Odobert to start at a relatively young age but the early signs against a poor Everton side were good.

I don't think our league position is going to change much but I believe we may finally have a run at the minor trophies.

So, for me, 9/10 for outs and 7/10 for ins.

I appreciate the 'always next year' sentiment but Reggie and Lo Celso are in their final year and we have Yang coming in Jan, and Moore looking like the real deal so next Summer the decks will be completely clear and Werner will have been replaced before we start.

I think this is totally fair. I doubt we'll see a major improvement this year, but I think we will be better, and as long as the trajectory is upwards, that's fine

It could well be a transitional year, but as above, as long as that's part of a consistent imporovement, so be it.

The squad is generally young, and of increasing quality. Add:
- A winger
- some experience to the kids
- a bit of depth, in particular at LB

....and we're a serious side. That's a lot, lot closer to a quality side than we were 18 months ago, and normally that sort of transition takes longer, in particular when you lose your best player.

 

[thebenjamin]

I think this is totally fair. I doubt we'll see a major improvement this year, but I think we will be better, and as long as the trajectory is upwards, that's fine

It could well be a transitional year, but as above, as long as that's part of a consistent imporovement, so be it.

The squad is generally young, and of increasing quality. Add:
- A winger
- some experience to the kids
- a bit of depth, in particular at LB

....and we're a serious side. That's a lot, lot closer to a quality side than we were 18 months ago, and normally that sort of transition takes longer, in particular when you lose your best player.

Agree. Another transitional season. Will this be enough to convince Romero to stay and ignore offers from more ambitious clubs who compete for big trophies? I personally doubt it. If he doesn't sign a new deal then we have to sell him next summer to maximise value. And with Son reaching the end of the line, next summer's priorities then become about replacing our two best players, and the gaps you're (rightly) identifying get kicked down the road to the summer after.

 

[Mattspurs1982]

Perhaps this window was always more about the out's than the in's. Ange has had 1 full season and must have clearly told the hierarchy who needs to move on - both in terms of technical ability but also attitude and willingness to buy into what he's doing. We might be a little bit thin, but to shift Royal, Rodon, Dier, Ndombele, Tanganga, Sessegnon, Hojberg, Gil, Skipp, Solomon, Sanchez, Winks, Lloris, in the past 12 months is a huge overhaul.

 

[bubble07]

Very difficult for Ange and his team. Excluding Gio and Reg We have 13 non-homegrown players who are over 21. On the face of it the club can therefore buy up to 4 more of this type of player. But the problem is when it comes to the Europa league squad Gray, Bergvall and Odobert although under 21 have to be classed as non-homegrown, therefore increasing the non-homegrown to 16 for Europa. Add to that we have probably only 1 club trained player in Austin reducing our potential squad down to a max 22. On top of this we can only have 4 association trained players and we have 6 being: Ben, Spence, Johnson, Madders, Dom and Forster. If we do not include Forster then one of the five can be included as non-homegrown. So the problem is how do you entice new top drawer players to Spurs who will either not get into the Europe squad or other players have to drop out and which ones. The other alternative is selling one or more of the 13 non-homegrown to accommodate the new. Firstly those in the 13 have to want to go and which of those 13 would you sell and for who. Europa is the big problem and it isn’t easy to solve. Upshot is we could possibly get one new non-homegrown player in but he would have to be a first teamer. The only other alternative is to have two squads with some players not playing in Europe.

Great post and well explained. However Chelsea don't seem to give a shit. They just want the best players and worry about the rest later

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Great post and well explained. However Chelsea don't seem to give a shit. They just want the best players and worry about the rest later

Only my understanding of the rules and the complications it brings.

With regard to the Chelsea approach. Well yeah they are Chelsea.

 

[thebenjamin]

Very difficult for Ange and his team. Excluding Gio and Reg We have 13 non-homegrown players who are over 21. On the face of it the club can therefore buy up to 4 more of this type of player. But the problem is when it comes to the Europa league squad Gray, Bergvall and Odobert although under 21 have to be classed as non-homegrown, therefore increasing the non-homegrown to 16 for Europa. Add to that we have probably only 1 club trained player in Austin reducing our potential squad down to a max 22. On top of this we can only have 4 association trained players and we have 6 being: Ben, Spence, Johnson, Madders, Dom and Forster. If we do not include Forster then one of the five can be included as non-homegrown. So the problem is how do you entice new top drawer players to Spurs who will either not get into the Europe squad or other players have to drop out and which ones. The other alternative is selling one or more of the 13 non-homegrown to accommodate the new. Firstly those in the 13 have to want to go and which of those 13 would you sell and for who. Europa is the big problem and it isn’t easy to solve. Upshot is we could possibly get one new non-homegrown player in but he would have to be a first teamer. The only other alternative is to have two squads with some players not playing in Europe.

Great post. But you could just say to certain players that they're not going to be part of the EL group / league stage and reassess in January when you resubmit the squad for the knockouts. It's really not that big of a deal, I'm sure lots of clubs will be in that position.

 

[FibreOpticJesus]

Great post. But you could just say to certain players that they're not going to be part of the EL group / league stage and reassess in January when you resubmit the squad for the knockouts. It's really not that big of a deal, I'm sure lots of clubs will be in that position.

Thank you. Agree on what they can do and other clubs. Not sure on how this will affect team morale. The big problem is caused by uefa not allowing u21’s being excluded.

Another issue for Ange and Lange is having the capacity to absorb the u21’s into the squad as they grow older. If we buy too many over 21’s now on 6 year contracts we will be creating bigger problems down the line.

 

[ReadieSpur]

Agree. Another transitional season. Will this be enough to convince Romero to stay and ignore offers from more ambitious clubs who compete for big trophies? I personally doubt it. If he doesn't sign a new deal then we have to sell him next summer to maximise value. And with Son reaching the end of the line, next summer's priorities then become about replacing our two best players, and the gaps you're (rightly) identifying get kicked down the road to the summer after.

Exactly. the young signings we've made this year should have been done from a position of strength in the first team.

 

[Teegart]

If Spence gets injured we play VDV left back and either Dragusin or Gray in defence. We could also use Davies at a stretch. I don't think we are as light there as some are suggesting though I agree it would be good to have a bit more backup in that area but it's not a total disaster if we don't.

Honestly though, VDV should be nowhere near LB for us. Will be hard enough to keep him fresh and injury free for a much busier season ahead, at his natural position, never mind worrying about him having to cover LB.

He is such an imperative player to the way we play with his covering speed in behind, he shouldn’t even be considered playing anywhere else, just because we haven’t got the required depth.

 

[HildoSpur]

Honestly though, VDV should be nowhere near LB for us. Will be hard enough to keep him fresh and injury free for a much busier season ahead, at his natural position, never mind worrying about him having to cover LB.

He is such an imperative player to the way we play with his covering speed in behind, he shouldn’t even be considered playing anywhere else, just because we haven’t got the required depth.

Don't forget we also now have Spence available who can play there and I guess at a stretch Reguilon. VDV is excellent in LB though, it may not be his main position but he is our best back-up option for the LB slot. We actually have a lot of depth now in defence considering Gray can also play there. I would like another player who can cover LB/LCB but I don't think it's a disaster if we don't bring one in this window.

 

[thebenjamin]

Don't forget we also now have Spence available who can play there and I guess at a stretch Reguilon. VDV is excellent in LB though, it may not be his main position but he is our best back-up option for the LB slot. We actually have a lot of depth now in defence considering Gray can also play there. I would like another player who can cover LB/LCB but I don't think it's a disaster if we don't bring one in this window.

Gray can play RB but it's not his position. Spence has looked incredibly uncomfortable at left back in all the minutes he's played there. Against Bayern he was turned inside out, didn't know what his body position should be etc, all the problems you'd expect of someone being thrown into a position they've never played before. We're leaving ourselves in a situation where if we want / need to rest Porro and Destiny in the EL, Gray will have to play right back, therefore not getting used to playing number 6 for us, where we actually need him to be playing in the PL. Because Spence, our actual backup right back, will have to play out of position at left back. All because we couldn't find a left back in all of world football.

 

[Teegart]

Don't forget we also now have Spence available who can play there and I guess at a stretch Reguilon. VDV is excellent in LB though, it may not be his main position but he is our best back-up option for the LB slot. We actually have a lot of depth now in defence considering Gray can also play there. I would like another player who can cover LB/LCB but I don't think it's a disaster if we don't bring one in this window.

Can Gray play CB though? Playing against a horrific Hearts patchwork team in pre season isn’t the same as playing any significant minutes against Prem opposition. He can play RB, but then Spence ends up LB, and I’m wholly not convinced by him there. He looks absolutely lost inverting on the left.

 

[thebenjamin]

Can Gray play CB though? Playing against a horrific Hearts patchwork team in pre season isn’t the same as playing any significant minutes against Prem opposition. He can play RB, but then Spence ends up LB, and I’m wholly not convinced by him there. He looks absolutely lost inverting on the left.

He had never played there in his life before that day. So calling him back up at centre back would be an enormous stretch. Right back he has experience of.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

So its looking like it'll end up:

GK: Vicario, Forster, Austin

RB: Porro, Spence (Gray to also cover)
RCB: Romero, Dragusin
LCB: VDV, ??? (Davies to cover or possibly one of the talented young CB's we have)
LB: Udogie, Davies (Spence to also cover)

CDM: Biss,Bentancur
LCM: Sarr, Kulu, Gray
RCM: Maddison, Bergvall

RW: Odobert, Johnson, Yang (to arrive in Jan)
ST: Solanke,Richarlison (Kulu/Lankshear if needed)
LW: Son,Werner,Moore

That is 24 players, I don't know the in depth rules around who we can register for different competitions etc but this seems to me to be the core 24 players, perhaps Lankshear and a few other youngsters could be registered for EL and be given minutes in that.

For me I think in the transfer windows that follow we need to upgrade the areas in purple so basically:

1. Back-up GK
2. Back-up LB
3. Back-up CB (depending on how the youngsters are progressing)
4. CDM/n.o6
5. CM/n.o8 (possibly that high energy goal scoring box to box CM but lets see how Kulu and our other options do this season first)
6. RW!!!!! then Odobert can be our first choice LW and our back-ups become Johnson, Son (when his legs start to go), Yang, Moore etc
7. ST (if Richy can't stay fit)

This sounds like a lot still to do but some of these signings might not be needed based on current player development, form etc but if we were to simplify it I think the priorities still needed are: Back-up GK, LB and a top class winger. If we can get those 3 in Jan and next summer and not lose any key players then the squad will really be starting to take shape.

 

[DogsOfWar]

I think this is totally fair. I doubt we'll see a major improvement this year, but I think we will be better, and as long as the trajectory is upwards, that's fine

It could well be a transitional year, but as above, as long as that's part of a consistent imporovement, so be it.

The squad is generally young, and of increasing quality. Add:
- A winger
- some experience to the kids
- a bit of depth, in particular at LB

....and we're a serious side. That's a lot, lot closer to a quality side than we were 18 months ago, and normally that sort of transition takes longer, in particular when you lose your best player.

This is the key for me, is our squad better at the end of the transfer window than the start?
And, despite a couple of gaps still, it is a yes.
Gray, Bergvall, Odobert, and Solanke are all better than the players they replaced.

There were also a couple of non-transfer changes with Spence coming back from the dead for Royal and Kulu coming central which should also improve us.

 

[FinnYid]

Ange Postecoglou has said that during this window, he and the club have looked to ensure they don’t block the pathway for Luka Vuskovic, who arrives in N17 next summer

Like I've said we won't be adding to cb, Davies will be 4th choice this season, will probably leave after that and Vuskovic arrives next summer

 

[eddiebailey]

He had never played there in his life before that day. So calling him back up at centre back would be an enormous stretch. Right back he has experience of.

I seem to recall Ange saying that CB wasn’t an issue because Archie and Ben could play there.

 

[mpickard2087]

	van de Ven
	Romero
	Porro, Udogie
	Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son
	Vicario, Sarr
	Bergvall, Gray, Odobert, Academy Lads
	Forster, Austin, Whiteman
	Dragusin, Richarlison, Solanke
	Spence, Davies, Reguilon
	Werner, Johnson

 

[spurs9]

So at the end of last season it looked like it was pretty clear what we needed to bring in for this season:

- Striker who fits the system and is fit an reliable.
- 2 Wingers that can beat there man 1 on 1.
- Competition for $10
- High energy #8, that presses well but is also a danger in the oppositions box.
- #6 that is slid in defence and a good passer.
- LB competition for Udogie
- Back up GK

It isn't realistic that we do all of the above, but the majority should be attainable.

The window started with exciting news, we were trying to sign Pedro Neto AND Eze. After the season before with the, as it turned out false, hope we might sign Tapsoba and Mickey, and ended up with just one, would it be different this time? It was, we signed neither.

Still the list of alternatives was equally exciting, Doue or MGW if we couldn't get Eze or Nico Williams, Chiesa or Bakayoko if we couldn't get Neto. Sadly, we wouldn't bring any of these in.

So onto what we actually did. Solanke, Werner on loan, Odobert, Yang and Gray. If it had been suggested at the start of the window that this would be the entire incomings this window, I don't think anyone on here would have been happy with that.

If we assess the squad vs the need we thought we needed at the start of the window:

Striker - I think Solanke is perfect for our system and his injury record is excellent, though ironically, is already injured.

2 Wingers - technically we brought 2 in plus another 1 arriving in January, however, IMO, Werner doesn't fit the remit and whilst Odobert does fit and has high potential, the level he is at now, he should be back up, but for me should start given our current options. IMO, we should have brought in a 1st choice RW instead of Werner.

#10 - We didn't bring anyone in this window, though the already arranged Bergvall is new to the squad. Could he or Kulusevski be the #10 comp?

#8 - Again, we didn't bring anyone in but could Kulusevski be this player? He was out best pressing forward and often our player that ran the most per game. Bergvall has also looked high energy in the games he has played so far.

#6 - Several teams were looking to bring a #6 this year and failed, due to no-one decent being available, but we arguably did the next best thing and brought in a high potential youngster in Gray.

LB - we brought in no one and this is a big issue IMO.

Back up GK - We didn't bring in anyone but I don't think it is a huge issue, but a long term injury to Vic changes this very quickly.

All in all, If we had brough in a 1st Choice RW instead of Werner and a LB to compete with Udogie, it would have been a good window, but as it is, it feels like we have been left short. However, on the flips side, if all the youngsters fulfill their potential, we may look back at this as an incredible window. I highly doubt that will be at the end of this season though.

 

[golfspurs]

Ange Postecoglou has said that during this window, he and the club have looked to ensure they don’t block the pathway for Luka Vuskovic, who arrives in N17 next summer

Like I've said we won't be adding to cb, Davies will be 4th choice this season, will probably leave after that and Vuskovic arrives next summer

I agree with this because of our intention for the young potential players like him, Gray, Bergvall shall become to Club Trained players
So we will not/can’t send them on loan while they need to develop