Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images
Former Tottenham full‑back Kieran Trippier has named six Spurs players in his all‑time XI, despite the club’s golden generation ultimately failing to secure silverware.
Tottenham Hotspur are looking to build a formidable team and have splashed close to £400 million this summer on ten new signings to strengthen their squad.
Incomings
Andrew Robertson Free
Marcos Senesi Free
Martin Dubravka Free
Jan Paul van Hecke £52m
Mateus Fernandes £85m
Sandro Tonali £100m
Savinho £85m
Omar Marmoush £60m
Tosin Adarabioyo £12m
Mykhailo Mudryk Loan
Total spent £394m
Outgoings
Luka Vuskovic £50m
Will Lankshear £20m
Radu Dragusin £21m
Alejo Veliz £7.7m
Alfie Devine £6m
Tynan Thompson £8m
Manor Solomon £7m
Cristian Romero £34.1m
Ashley Phillips £20m
Djed Spence £30m
Kevin Danso £25m
Pape Matar Sarr £25.6m
Total received £254.8m
Tottenham’s net spend £139.2m
However, the Lilywhites have quickly discovered that spending heavily is no quick fix, as they sit bottom of the Premier League table after five games this season.
Their new-look team certainly needs time to gel before they can be compared to some of the great Spurs sides of the past.
Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane Tottenham
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Six Tottenham players make Kieran Trippier’s best XI
The 2015/16 and 2016/17 squads remain among the strongest Tottenham sides in recent memory, with many of the players performing at an elite level.
Moussa Dembele, Hugo Lloris, Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen formed the spine of that golden era.
Despite their quality, silverware eluded them, but six of those players have now been named in Kieran Trippier’s all-time XI.
Trippier himself was part of the Spurs squad that challenged for the Premier League title in 2015/16, though he was not a regular starter. He became more prominent after Walker’s departure and featured in the 2019 Champions League final.
Asked to name his best XI, Trippier selected Walker at right-back, Alderweireld at centre-back, Rose at left-back, Dembele in midfield, Son on the left and Kane up front.
Pochettino insists Spurs deserved a Premier League title
It remains unfortunate that this Tottenham side never won silverware despite their undeniable quality. Former head coach Mauricio Pochettino has even argued that his team should have been awarded the Premier League title in 2016/17 after Chelsea were charged with historical breaches of competition rules.
The Blues were fined £10.75 million in March and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban after 74 breaches between 2011 and 2018, involving undisclosed payments by third parties.
Pochettino said: “We should win one title, one Premier League. We should have been awarded it. They were punished, they admitted, so that’s it? The title should be for the team that was second.
“It’s true that we didn’t compete with the same rules. Maybe with the same rules, if we apply the same things, maybe we could’ve signed some players that would have made the team better or scored more goals. It’s not me complaining. It’s the truth. If they admitted they broke the rules, the Premier League title would have been for the second-best team.
“I’m not scared to say the truth. The Chelsea fans will be upset with me because I’m saying this, but if we were at Tottenham and broke the rules, I’d admit the same.”