Positives to take into the new season

Another transfer window has come and gone, and another Premier League season is brewing on the horizon. A day before the season even kicked off, Tottenham became the first 2018/19 record breakers, but not in the way they would have hoped. Spurs are the first club, since the transfer windows beginning in 2003, to not sign a single player in the summer period.

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But let’s concentrate on the positives to take into the new campaign

New stadium

Perhaps the most noticeable change for Spurs this season is the grand spanking new 60,000+ stadium sat on the ashes of White Hart Lane. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be unveiled a few weeks into the campaign, if building continues at the current schedule. This will mark a new era for the club, as Spurs will be able to boast the newest stadium and the best training facilities. A big price tag for now, and perhaps the main reason for lack of transfers, but in the long run, it could be the making of Tottenham.

Poch’s new contract

Who knows if he was promised signings or not, but Poch is adamant that he’s happy with his squad and believes that they can be very competitive this season. He is so happy in fact that he signed a brand new 5-year contract last month, committing his long-term future to the club. He also stated in a recent interview that the only way he would be leaving at the moment is if Daniel Levy fired him, so we should be seeing plenty of Pochettino for the next few years at least. Arguably the best signing possible for the club during this barren transfer window.

Players’ contracts

Levy has started to tie down some of the club’s most influential players to new contracts too, securing their services for the foreseeable future. Harry Kane, Heung Min Son, Erik Lamela, Davinson Sanchez, Harry Winks have all penned new deals, with Vertonghen, Dier, Trippier and Eriksen rumoured to follow suit. With a quiet transfer window, getting these new contracts sorted was absolutely pivotal summer business.

Alderweireld stays

For now, at least, it looks as if Toby will be staying put in North London. While no concrete bids came in for the Belgian, it was rumoured that Manchester United were only willing to shell out £40m for the consistent centre-back. The clause in Alderweireld’s contract that allows him to leave for a mere £25m next summer is well documented, but was it the right choice to keep him? In this scenario, I would argue that yes, it was. For the most part, it would have been a sign of weakness to roll over and sell one of the best defenders in the league for a bargain price, but I would also argue that the £15m difference is worth keeping him for an extra season. You’re essentially paying a £15m loan fee for a world class player, which is a sensible move with our squad as thin as it is. If United had come in with a £60/£70m bid, then I feel like we should have taken it, but as things played out, keeping him seems to be the best move.

We didn’t sell any top players

Not only did Toby end up staying, but every single member of our squad too. Another season without Madrid swooping for Kane, Eriksen, Hugo or Trippier has to be news worth celebrating, right? What this gives us is an extremely settled squad, used to playing together, with no new players to bed in. Could consistency be the key to the 2018/19 season?

There is however a sizeable chunk of the European transfer window still to go, but fingers crossed that our squad remains as full as possible.

Lucas Moura

No, we didn’t sign any new players, but Lucas Moura is as good as one. Purchased from PSG for a bargain £25m in January, Moura wasn’t properly utilised last season as Pochettino wanted him to build up fitness and settle into the squad. With a full and impressive pre-season under his belt, Moura is now good to go. What do you think he can offer us this season?

Harry Winks

Talking of new signings, Harry Winks has been out for so long that his return will be celebrated as loudly as a new face would. Winks continues his rehabilitation at present, with Tottenham announcing yesterday that he has returned to light first team training in the past week. It shouldn’t be too long before he slots back into the centre-mid, and with an ageing Mousa Dembele, we could need his positivity and creativity more than ever this season.

Youth players

With a relatively small squad, and no new signings to add to it, youth players could be utilised heavily this season. Kyle Walker-Peters should be given more game time, and Carter-Vickers, Amos, and Skipp should be given minutes on the pitch too. All three of these had very positive pre-seasons, and Pochettino seems very impressed with their progress, opting not to send any of them out on loan. Amos is even tipped to start the game away to Newcastle tomorrow, slotting into the centre-mid position in the absence of fit first team stars.

Harry has been in secret training

One of the best pieces of news from the last week, Pochettino let slip that Harry Kane has been in training for weeks. It seems that as soon as the wheels of the England plane touched tarmac, Kane was immediately on his way to begin preparations for the new campaign. Perhaps he wants to make a strong push for the title this year, or perhaps he just wants to be fit to break his August duck, who knows? Either way, we should have a fit and firing Kane within a week or two.

Do you think he should start against Newcastle?

Are there any other positives to take into the new season? Comment in with them below.

Watch Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur and more Premier League football this season with Sky Sports. Click here to upgrade to all Sky Sports channels for £20 per month.

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