The position envisaged by the Guardian writers: 4th (NB: This is not necessarily Sachin Nakrani's prediction, but the average of our writers' advice)
Last season's position: 5th
Perspectives
Is there any club that generates a bigger existential debate than Tottenham? After all, what is their purpose? It doesn’t seem to be to win trophies, given that they have now gone more than 6,000 days without doing so. Perhaps it is purely to entertain (“to dare is to do”, and all that), but if so, why hire managers for whom playing exciting and attractive football seemed to be anathema?
Yet here they are, ready to start again, and what seems clear is that Spurs' main aim for the new season is to secure a top-four finish for the first time in three years, thereby re-establishing their place among Europe's elite. A striking step has been taken with the Dominic Solanke signed from Bournemouth for an initial fee of £55mThe striker, who scored 21 goals last season, 19 of them in the Premier League, arrives alongside two highly-rated 18-year-olds in Archie Grey and Lucas Bergvall. All are interesting additions to a talented and exciting squad, but more additions feel necessary, particularly a top-class winger, with a left-back and centre-back also required to bolster resources, which is especially important given Spurs’ return to European competition and the demands that brings.
Tactically, Tottenham are, to use football's most modern phrase, in a good position. There is a collective acceptance of the bold, positive approach that Ange Postecoglou established in his debut campaign, which provided a much-needed contrast to the negative monotony of the Mourinho and Conte years and almost proved enough to secure a top-four spot. For that to happen this time around, the most obvious thing the manager needs to sort out is how his players defend set-pieces, given how poorly they did last season. It is worrying that performances during pre-season, especially In the defeat against Bayern Munich Over the weekend, they suggest that little or no improvement has been made in that regard.
And then there's the quest for their first title since 2008. The Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, the Europa League – it's fair to assume Tottenham fans would pick any of them at this stage.