As the curtain went down on last season, one of the clubs facing most uncertainty over the immediate direction they would, or indeed could, take was Tottenham Hotspur.
It was clear that their second interim manager of the campaign, Ryan Mason, wouldn’t be in charge; who was to take over and try to - yet again - restructure and rebuild the underperforming team was a mystery. It was clear that a new sporting director had to be appointed given Fabio Paratici’s ban and departure; who they would land to fill the void was unclear. And above all, it seemed that both captain and vice-captain would move on from tthe playing squad: Hugo Lloris’ last involvement saw him subbed midway through the drubbing at Newcastle and he was outspoken over summer over his “desire” to depart, while star striker - and most valuable asset in every sense - Harry Kane has just a year left on his contract and many suitors keen on his talents.
And yet, in what can only be described as very Tottenham-esque fashion, both Lloris and Kane remain at the club on the eve of the new season, new boss Ange Postecoglou handed the task of rebuilding a team without fully knowing if the spearhead of it will in fact remain past the next few weeks.
With regards to the goalkeeping situation at least, there’s an expectation rather than a reality of clarity now. The Australian manager confirmed Lloris opted out of joining Spurs’ pre-season tour to explore transfer opportunities, with summer addition Guglielmo Vicario the new No.1. Kane, meanwhile, is described as “invested” in the team by his latest boss but Bayern Munich’s interest, in particular, isn’t going anywhere. While Postecoglou tries to integrate the England captain into yet another Spurs vision, it’s perhaps Daniel Levy’s approach which is hampering how fast his newest appointment can put matters on track.
On the one hand, there’s a reputation and an expectation to acknowledge: Levy, when conducting transfer business for Spurs, is known to be tough to deal with, standing firm on valuations and expecting others to match them if they want a player. On most occasions, that might well be the right, or at least a beneficial, approach.
But perhaps this time, this summer, with this player’s situation, rapidly concluding negotiations would by far outweigh the benefits of standing firm on payment terms, or holding out for the extra few percent. Recent reports suggested a £10m difference between the clubs; while not an insignificant figure, consider the difference between getting £90m now and absolutely nothing just ten months down the line.
And more than that, consider the year-long delay in allowing Postecoglou to bring in the type of striker he wants to lead the line and work with and have others play off, run off, link with, create for: not just removing Spurs’ own ability to pay for that striker, but holding up the start date on integrating them into the system.
Keeping Kane and hoping he’ll recant and sign an extension is an obvious attraction, but given the lack of ability to compete at the top or have a cohesive, consistent approach to improvement over the last few years - throughout the club, not just on the pitch - it would appear to be optimistic in the extreme for Levy and the board to focus on that possibility. Meanwhile, a late-summer sale would only mean that at best Spurs get perhaps a couple of goals or games out of Kane, but then face time pressures to find a replacement - and don’t have a longer-tearm starting striker for the first games of the season, and even when one is signed, he has missed out on a crucial pre-season of bedding in.
And so to what Postecoglou can control, rather than what he cannot.
A long list of club and country positions have shown his capacity for organisation, for commanding the respect of his squad and for producing at-times excellent football, without sacrificing an ability to be pragmatic when called for.
Aside from the aforementioned Vicario and the loans-turned-permanent deal for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski, Postecoglou has been gifted Micky van de Ven at the back and James Maddison in attack. Manor Solomon adds depth, but well over £150m of total outlays have not been offset by sales - just Harry Winks and Lucas Moura have departed, the latter on a free. Getting the best out of Maddison will be a crucial aspect of the new Spurs, be it as a No10 or in a more fluid, floating role. Too often, too long it has been a case of relying on Kane and Son Heung-min, and the latter endured a torrid campaign in 2022/23.
Adding aggression, work rate, organisation and far, far better mental resilience when matters get tough after the whistle goes will all have been high on Postecoglou’s must-do list this summer.
All of that can be done with or without Kane, and the evidence of it should be seen very quickly into the new term compared to some of the debacles under Antonio Conte and those who, briefly, followed.
But when it comes to the regular winning of matches, rather than the not losing of them, that requires understanding. That requires time. That requires cohesion, fine-tuning and a consistent message to a consistent group.
Spurs’ own approach this summer hasn’t removed enough of that original uncertainty for them to be absolutely sure yet what path they are following and what they want to become.
It makes them an incredibly interesting side to watch heading into 23/24, but they - as much as anyone else - might still be unsure exactly what they’ll be getting.
