Ange Postecoglou admits Spurs ‘need a stronger squad’ to compete with the best sides

Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Tottenham need to significantly strengthen their squad over the next couple of transfer windows if they are to compete on multiple fronts. Tottenham were one of the busiest clubs in Europe during the summer, with plenty of player turnover taking place as they embarked on a new era under Postecoglou. […]

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Ange Postecoglou has admitted that Tottenham need to significantly strengthen their squad over the next couple of transfer windows if they are to compete on multiple fronts.

Tottenham were one of the busiest clubs in Europe during the summer, with plenty of player turnover taking place as they embarked on a new era under Postecoglou.

The club started the transfer window by activating the option to sign Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro permanently before going to secure the services of Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Manor Solomon, Alejo Veliz, Micky van de Ven, Ashley Phillips and Brennan Johnson.

There was also a mass exodus, with Harry Winks, Harry Kane, and Davinson Sanchez leaving on a permanent basis while Djed Spence, Joe Rodon, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Tanguy Ndombele were all loaned out for the campaign.

However, there is still a lingering feeling that the North London club could have done more towards the end, with the likes of Eric Dier and Hugo Lloris remaining at the club, while Postecoglou is now also dangerously short of options at centre-back.

Spurs still need better players

The Tottenham head coach has now admitted that the club need more time to build the kind of squad they want to.

When asked how many more transfer windows would be needed to do so, Postecoglou told Football.London: “It depends on the development of the players within this context. We’ve got a lot of young players. So if they develop really quickly, probably not too much,” he said. “But I definitely think we need at least two more windows to get to a space where I think ‘okay, we [are happy] as a squad’.

“Because don’t forget, obviously, this year, we’re out of the Carabao Cup now and we’ve got no European football. So the fixtures are a little bit kinder to us between now and Christmas, but that’s not our aim, we want to have games, we want to be in Europe, we want to be in cup competitions. So we’re going to need a stronger squad and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that point where we’ve got a robust enough squad at the moment.

“So I think it’ll take at least a couple of windows, and then after that, it just depends on obviously the development of some of our players. If they develop quickly, then hopefully, it’s just fine-tuning in the next couple of windows, but it may mean you’ve still got significant work to do.”

The results have been quite rosy so far for Postecoglou at Tottenham but he refuted suggestions that this was a honeymoon period, pointing out that he had to deal with several challenges when he took over.

The Australian insisted that he is certainly not getting carried away by how things are going at the moment.

When asked if he is wary that his honeymoon period will end, Postecoglou joked: “Are you married? I don’t know what your honeymoon was like, but mine didn’t have me losing the greatest player in the history of this football club on the eve of a season, me trying to scramble to get players into the club, fighting for everything I do mate. That’s not what my honeymoon was about,” he said with a grin.

“My honeymoon was fairly relaxed and stress-free, and very enjoyable, and I’m well aware after 28 years of the pitfalls of management, trust me. I’ve gone into this with my eyes wide open, if you think that I’m kind of floating along thinking everything’s going to be smooth.

“But, at the same time, there’s a reason this [praise] is happening. People aren’t doing it just from the goodness of their heart, they’re obviously encouraged by what they see, and I’m not going to dismiss that because that’s what we’re trying to do.

“We’re trying to create a football club the supporters are excited about, what people are talking about, so I’ll take that as an encouragement to go down this way, but I don’t sit here and think this has come to me or been served on a platter. I’ve worked hard, mate, I’ve worked really hard. It’s been a really tough period, nothing like my honeymoon.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Tottenham’s current squad still undoubtedly has some gaping holes and an injury to a couple of key players could completely derail our season.

So, we have to hope that the majority of our starting eleven stay fit for the next few months and act swiftly in January.

That is the silver lining with our Carabao Cup exit as I am not sure our squad can cope well with more than one game per week at the moment.

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