Ten years ago, Tottenham were living big dreams. In February 2016 they were just two points behind Leicester City after a dramatic comeback victory against Swansea. At that moment, Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal were looking up at them in the table. Few people still believed that the “Foxes” would hold on to the top spot, and for the first time in the Premier League era a unique situation appeared — Spurs were considered the favorites for the title.
Soon after, Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester dropped two points against West Bromwich Albion in the Midlands, which meant Mauricio Pochettino’s side had a chance to take first place thanks to their better goal difference. But the good old Tottenham slipped again, losing to West Ham in East London. From that moment on, they never had another opportunity to even temporarily claim the top spot.
In the years that followed there were still good results. The very next season they collected 86 points and finished behind Chelsea. However, Pochettino’s end at the club seemed inevitable after the Champions League final — a historic moment in which Spurs looked almost frightened against Liverpool. The Argentine left the club the following year.
He never received enough young players to add to the core built around Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Daniel Levy was known for keeping a tight grip on the club’s finances, and several transfer targets never arrived. Looking back today, it seems almost unbelievable that Tottenham could have signed Jack Grealish for around £10 million shortly before the pandemic. Instead, Spurs offered only three million plus a player in exchange. Aston Villa were under financial pressure at the time, but soon new owners arrived and the Grealish story ended there.
Mistakes were also made in the choice of managers. The club drifted from one idea to another. José Mourinho, as many now say, “drained the life” from Pochettino’s team. Despite his huge reputation, he was completely incompatible with Tottenham’s traditional philosophy. Many analysts believe that Spurs abandoned their own identity in an attempt to look like a bigger club in the eyes of others. That is why they hired Mourinho, later failed to keep Antonio Conte, and even Nuno Espírito Santo never truly represented the attacking, attractive football Tottenham were known for.
For a moment it seemed they had rediscovered that path with Ange Postecoglou. Daniel Levy even proudly declared that Tottenham had “returned to their football” when the Australian arrived. Yet despite winning the Europa League — in a rather dreadful final in Bilbao — Postecoglou was eventually dismissed because of terrible league performances.
And now, just a few months later, Tottenham find themselves once again hovering just a few places above the relegation zone for the second year in a row. At the moment they are four points ahead of West Ham, and much will depend on the upcoming matches — Thursday’s clash with Crystal Palace and the next home game against Burnley. Between those two fixtures they face Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, but who can even think about that right now? Relegation from the Premier League would be a disaster for the club, something almost unimaginable for most Spurs supporters alive today.
Some will say the squad is good enough. We disagree. It may be good enough to avoid relegation, but no club from England’s traditional top six — perhaps except Manchester United — has made so many mistakes in recruitment. Their signings have either been injured or failed to adapt. Critics also argue that Tottenham have taken too few risks, paying large fees for players already in the Premier League — a supposedly “safe” approach that has produced little real benefit.
Since 2020, after the bold but ultimately misguided signing of Tanguy Ndombele, the club decided to focus on players who would not need time to adapt to English football. Fabio Paratici brought in several players from Serie A — Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus, and Cristian “Cuti” Romero from Atalanta — but these were not particularly expensive deals by English standards. When it comes to the most expensive signings, however, attackers like Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus last summer, and Brennan Johnson — who has since left — cost the club around €220 million combined. Whether that investment delivered real value is up for debate.
We will see if Pochettino returns in the summer after the World Cup. Igor Tudor, who has already lost his first two matches, is only a temporary solution. His main task is simple: secure Premier League survival as quickly as possible.
Tottenham must find a way to beat a relaxed Crystal Palace side on Thursday night — otherwise the Championship will be one step closer.
