Tottenham Hotspur 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and summer transfer targets

It’s a strange thing, expectation. For most of English football’s recent history, Tottenham Hotspur finishing a season without a trophy was barely worthy of comment. Sometimes they were pretty good, and sometimes pretty rubbish, but they were rarely in the mix for much at all.

This season, second in the Premier League and semifinalists in the FA Cup, it feels almost disappointing. But that in itself tells a story: over the last few seasons, under Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have become a team to take seriously. That in itself is quite a difficult concept for a nation so used to the comforts of Spursiness. But here we are. Season upon season, they just keep getting better.

Almost everything. Almost. For the second season in a row, Tottenham have been the second-best team in the country, and while there are no prizes for second place (beyond Champions League qualification), there is considerable satisfaction. Not least because they finally finished above Arsenal, and kept St. Totteringham locked in his box.

There was much pleasure to be gained from their performances, too. Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, and Son Heung-Min are all delightful footballers to watch, and one-season wonder Harry Kane had another great performance. Mousa Dembélé and Victor Wanyama are glorious footballers, in contrasting yet complementary fashion. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose are the best pair of full backs and the best pair of wing backs in the league.

Ultimately, this is a well-constructed and well-coached team, and when they clicked, they were brilliant. They also, thanks to a late scoring flurry, finished the season as the Premier League’s highest goalscorers and most parsimonious defense. You don’t get a trophy for that, no. But it’s pretty good going.

For all that the “title race” was supposedly “Spursed up” with a late defeat away to West Ham, the real damage to Tottenham’s league campaign was done early on. Two defeats and six draws in their opening 15 games meant 18 points dropped from the first 45, and gave Chelsea far too much of a head start. The late charge was admirable but the race was illusory.

Also, Europe. It appears that Spurs’ players may be allergic either to the Champions League anthem or to Wembley Stadium, for they looked horribly out of sorts when taking on the continent’s finest. A 1-0 home loss to Leverkusen was particularly drab, as was their subsequent failure to beat Gent in the Europa League. They might want to get that looked at for next season: not only are they back in the competition, but they’re borrowing the stadium for the league, too.

Finally, the transfers. Vincent Janssen contributed a lot of hard work but hardly any goals, while Moussa Sissoko looked completely unsuited to any position he was asked to play.

The most striking thing about this Spurs team is their ages. Kane and Eric Dier are both 23, Son is 24, Eriksen and Wanyama are 25, Rose and Walker are both 26, and Alli is just 21. To be coming so close to titles with such a youthful core is frankly exciting. And the noises coming out of Spurs suggest that they won’t be immediately selling them all off to the highest bidder.

They are also, at least to the outside observer, a team that seem to enjoy their work and one another’s company. It was a former Spurs striker, Steve Archibald, who claimed that team spirit was but “an illusion only glimpsed in victory,” but even if he was right, this Spurs side are probably winning enough to keep the mood buoyant. All told, it’s a pretty good time to be a Spurs fan.

When it comes to buying, to do better than last year. The purchases of Janssen and Sissoko were made with specific purposes in mind — the former to support Kane, the latter to provide a pace alternative in attack — and since neither really lived up to their transfer fee, the need is still there.

Spurs have chased Wilfried Zaha before, and if his late-season form for Crystal Palace is indicative of a newfound consistency, then he’d be the perfect addition. However, given his obvious affection for and loyalty to Palace, who took him back after a disastrous season with Manchester United, he might be a tricky target. Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez could be an alternative.

Elsewhere on the field, there’s no pressing need to upgrade the first team. Some support for Mousa Dembélé might be welcome: the shoulder-dropping midfielder has had injury problems this season, and isn’t as young as many of his colleagues. Ivorian midfielder Jean Michaël Seri, currently playing for Nice, has been mentioned in dispatches.

Going the other way, the rumor mill seems to think that Kyle Walker may be heading Manchester City. If so, then Spurs have two priorities. One, squeeze City for as much money as possible. And two, try and find a replacement: Kieran Trippier is a perfectly decent player and perhaps a superior crosser, but can’t match Walker’s relentless coverage. Juventus’ Dani Alves has been mentioned, which — while just a stopgap — would be extremely good fun. For everybody.

Other than that, Spurs just need to hang on to the rest of their first team and find a way to get Sissoko off their books. Sounds straightforward enough.