As the resident Spurs fan at TEB, the editor posed a few questions for me to answer ahead of the short trip to North London for the Eagles this weekend so here goes …
Q. What are your hopes and dreams for this new Premier League season where Spurs are concerned?
Finishing third last season proved to be a blessing as very few people are considering us a threat this time around. Hopes and dreams would be finishing top four again and making the quarter finals of the Champions League, but realistically top six and round of sixteen seems more likely.
Q. Has the club been as active in the transfer market as you were expecting and how do you rate the new additions?
I love the additions we have made. Vincent Janssen came to us from the Eredivisie where he won both the Golden Boot and the Johan Cruyff Trophy for best young talent. Victor Wanyama was not the splashy signing many hoped for, but he is already familiar with Mauricio Pochettino’s system and managed to fit in easily during pre-season.
I am a bit surprised that our business looks to be about done. The deal for Georges-Kevin Nkoudou has been a ‘will they,won’t they’ situation with the possible inclusion of Clinton N’Jie going the other way. We desperately need pace out wide so I am hoping this one can get done. I also thought we would target a right sided centre back to help Toby Alderweireld but, according to Pochettino, we are happy enough with Eric Dier and Cameron Carter-Vickers as alternatives.
Q. Do you consider the way last season ended as a disappointment considering how well the team played heading into the final weeks?
Certainly. Many Spurs fans were looking forward to finishing above Arsenal and when that did not happen it definitely stung. Losing to Newcastle United the way we did was embarrassing and Pochettino has mentioned several times that the loss ruined his summer. As I said last season, that was not the best this Tottenham team will be, but it was our best chance at the title that we will see anytime soon.
Q. Is there a feeling among fans that Pochettino is creating something special at Tottenham?
Absolutely! His willingness to give youth a chance and ability to develop them means we should be able to compete for a very long time. The English core of the team has made it easy for even the most jaded of fans to feel more connected to the club than anytime in recent memory.
Q. As you are the TEB fantasy guru, perhaps you could nominate one player from each of the two teams that are worth owning this season.
Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are the obvious choices but, if you want to save some money, you could go with Erik Lamela. He had a very understated 2015/16 season (5 goals,9 assists) and has already scored in the opening week against Everton. He impressed throughout pre-season and I think he could be set up for a big breakout this season.
Scott Dann was incredible last season when he finished in the top three in both shots on target and goals scored among defenders. Crystal Palace should keep more clean sheets than last season (8), especially if Steve Mandanda wins the goalkeeper spot, which would obviously increase Dann’s value.
Q. Do you think the Premier League could be shaping for one of the most competitive seasons yet?
I suppose that depends on what people view as competitive. I would imagine that the title race will be much closer and involve many more teams than last season. On the other hand I think it is beyond unlikely that any team could ‘do a Leicester’ this season as the top six clubs are clearly a step above at the moment. The relegation battle may be more competitive than many thought with Hull suggesting they may well belong with their 2-1 win over Leicester.
Q. With the development of the new stadium well underway, are you looking forward to the move to the new ground or is there some reluctance among the fans?
Obviously the new stadium is terrific for the future of the club, but that makes it no less heart wrenching. The North East terrace has already been torn down in order to speed up construction time on the new stadium and, with our Champions League matches being played at Wembley, many fans feel as though White Hart Lane will go out with a whimper rather than the bang we would have hoped for.
Q. What is your view on Palace this season and how do you rate the dealings so far in the transfer window?
I had Palace to finish twelfth in my pre-season rankings and have not seen anything that would change that. Yannick Bolasie may seem like a big loss, but the money offered was far too much to refuse and you already mitigated his departure by signing Andros Townsend. Steve Mandanda is a great signing as he was one of Marseille’s best players last season and walks into the club as the best goalkeeper day one. If you sign a high profile striker I could see you launching up into the top ten this season.
Q. Name a player from each team that the opposition should be concerned about.
As I said earlier, I think Lamela is going to have an incredible season. Pape Souare is decent enough but will have a tough task ahead of him trying to handle both Lamela’s creativity and Walker’s pace on the overlap.
Townsend seems the obvious threat as he comes up against his former team. We know that he loves cutting in and shooting from distance and, without Lloris, I would not be surprised if one of those efforts finds the back of the net.
Q. And finally, your prediction for this match up?
2-1 to Tottenham.
