Opinion: Our Tottenham end-of-season awards: Player of the Year, Goal of the Season and more
With the 2023/24 campaign now over, it’s time to look back at the events of the season and pick out our awards for the highlights from Tottenham Hotspur’s journey this year.
With a new manager, no Harry Kane, and a hangover from a poor campaign last time out, many expected Spurs to struggle this season.
However, Ange Postecoglou‘s exciting style of football didn’t take long to be adopted by the Tottenham squad, and results, by and large, were positive, leading to a fifth-place finish and the guarantee of Europa League football next season.
Now, let’s take a look at the winners from the Spurs squad in our end-of-season awards.
Player of the Year: Micky van de Ven
Spurs needed a new centre-back last summer, and despite lots of names being mentioned, it was a young Dutchman from Wolfsburg who made the switch. It didn’t take long for Micky van de Ven to establish himself as one of the most accomplished defenders in the league, and his partnership with Cristian Romero has been a joy to behold.
Pace, power, and goals, what more could you want from your centre-half?
Young Player of the Year: Pape Sarr
This was a close one, with Destiny Udogie having a real shout at taking the award, but Pape Sarr has shown so much maturity this season and has become an integral figure in the Spurs lineup. We look a far worse team without him, and the way he breaks up play in the middle of the park is so important to the way we counterattack and put teams under pressure.
Goal of the Season: Pedro Porro vs Burnley
When Pedro Porro scores a goal, it’s very likely it’ll be a cracker. The full-back won Tottenham the FA Cup third-round tie against Burnley back at the start of 2024 with an absolute rocket of a right-foot hit from about 25 yards.
Winning the ball himself, before taking a look around for options, Porro decided to just hit it, and it turned out to be the right decision.
Performance of the Season: Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle
After the 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Newcastle last season, it was important to put things right when the Magpies visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December. Two goals in either half asserted Tottenham’s dominance on the night, with Destiny Udogie’s first for the club, a brace for Richarlison, and a Heung-min Son penalty.
The beauty of this result and this performance is in how driven and passionate every single player looked, and how hungry they were to get revenge. A very satisfying win indeed.
Best Signing: Guglielmo Vicario
Based on the price tag alone, Guglielmo Vicario was an absolute steal. For a reported fee of £17.2m (TNT Sports), Spurs got themselves a new number-one goalkeeper and the Italian looks like one of the best in the league, too.
He’s the first Tottenham goalkeeper to go a full season without making an error leading to a goal since Paul Robinson back in 2008, which is incredible. Plus, he’s got exactly the kind of passion and drive we want from new players at the club.
Most Improved Player: Richarlison
Richarlison set himself a pretty low bar last season, scoring just three goals all year in his debut campaign with the Lilywhites. This season, however, the Brazilian bagged 12 goals in all competitions, including a run of nine goals in eight games at the start of 2024.
Not only that, but Richarlison put in the miles and did the dirty work for the team, too. He never stopped pressing, made intelligent runs in the box, and showed how effective he can be at holding up the ball.
Best Surprise: Destiny Udogie
From watching Udogie over in Italy before he moved over to London, it was clear that Spurs were getting a pretty special little player. Still, no one could have expected the youngster to adapt to the Premier League so effortlessly and quickly. With his pace, power, and adventurous play, Udogie has been a real highlight for Spurs this season, and is already one of the best left-backs in the league.
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