Five positions where Tottenham Hotspur still lack quality needed to compete at the top - Opinion

Tottenham Hotspur have officially made four signings in the summer transfer window, but there are still shortcomings across the first-team squad.

The world of professional football is a fast-paced environment. One day, a club delights their supporters, and the next, there are protests. This is quite an extreme example, but not so dissimilar to what has happened at Tottenham Hotspur.

There was growing optimism that this would be the summer when Spurs altered their transfer strategy to show ambition and compete for more silverware.

The signing of Mohammed Kudus was a good start, and it looked like Tottenham would once again cross the £50m mark to secure the signature of Morgan Gibbs-White. In the end, a deal was not completed, and Gibbs-White signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest.

Some clubs would waste no time in signing an alternative, but Spurs have headed to Asia for a pre-season tour, with a squad which is lacking in quality. There are positions where there is a particular need for a player who will take the team to the next level.

Tottenham do not have a complete goalkeeper

The goalkeeper position at Tottenham has frequently been discussed as an area where there is adequate depth. With the sale of Josh Keeley and Antonin Kinsky being linked with a loan move to Lille, this might not be the case for long.

Kinsky himself does not look ready to be Tottenham’s starting goalkeeper. His handling ability needs work, and a loan move could be beneficial for him. However, that would leave Spurs short on shot-stoppers. Quantity is not the sole issue, as questions have been raised over whether or not Guglielmo Vicario is good enough to start. 

There are certainly obvious weaknesses in the Italian’s game and despite spending two years in North London, Vicario does not look to have improved much in those areas. He still lacks composure at set pieces, while his goalkeeping in general was not overly convincing towards the back end of last season.

Despite Vicario’s shortcomings, the chances of Spurs signing a new goalkeeper to compete with him seem slim.

Spurs are an injury away from peril at left-back

With Destiny Udogie injured, Tottenham lined up against Wycombe Wanderers with Ben Davies at left-back, while Jamie Donley filled the role at Luton Town.

Donley is an attacking midfielder. It is not good that his rare chance to play for Spurs is in a secondary position. Likewise, Davies has not primarily played as a left-back for some time, and should Tottenham really still be in a position where he is still having to step in as Mr Reliable?

It is clear that if Udogie gets injured, Spurs lack quality on the defensive left flank. Of course, other players are capable of playing there, such as Djed Spence. However, Thomas Frank appears to prefer him on the right. Whatever way you look at it, Spurs could use a new solid left-back.

Tottenham lack a star holding midfielder

There is no issue in the Tottenham midfield where quantity is concerned. However, there is no one pivot or defensive midfielder that can be deemed the standout man. Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray both impressed last season, but are they ready to be starting week-in, week-out?

Yves Bissouma had a strong finish to the season, but he has never really reached the heights expected of him at Spurs. Rodrigo Bentancur is widely viewed as a more complete player, but even the Uruguayan international has struggled to make an impact at times. His less liberating role under Ange Postecoglou certainly did his game no favours.      

The numbers may be there, but there is no current Tottenham midfielder who can dominate the middle of the park, the way players like Mousa Dembele did. There are plenty of ‘okay’ centralised players at Spurs, but no one currently is offering the wow factor.

Spurs badly need a new striker

Game after game passes by and it looks all the more likely that Dominic Solanke will fail to succeed in sorting out his finishing. The Englishman’s goalscoring record in his first season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was simply not good enough.

Solanke scored 19 league goals in his final season at Bournemouth, but he has struggled to find the back of the net since joining Spurs. Comparing him to Harry Kane is unhelpful, but even Heung-min Son and Richarlison had better goal tallies in the 2023/24 season.

Other than Solanke, Tottenham’s out-and-out striker options are Will Lankshear and Dane Scarlett, neither of whom will challenge the 27-year-old. If Spurs fail to sign a centre forward before the transfer window closes, it will be nothing short of a disaster.

Tottenham still have problems on the left wing

Without meaning to sound like a stuck record, Tottenham really lack quality on the left flank. Mathys Tel is yet to prove himself, while Mikey Moore looks set to join Rangers on loan. That leaves Richarlison and Son, and despite Frank saying Son has a role to play at Tottenham next season, there are no guarantees he will remain at the club.

The Korean is a legend, there is no question about that. However, Tottenham are in trouble if Son remains a first-team player, as he is simply no longer the world-class forward he once was. Richarlison has issues too, as he is injury-prone. As well as this, he has never really had his standout moment at Spurs. 

If Son does remain at Tottenham, there may not be an addition on the left wing, but this would be a huge mistake. However, Spurs have made an approach for Rodrygo, a player who is capable of playing on either wing.

READ MORE – What Rodrygo is thinking about Tottenham move after Daniel Levy’s offer 

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