Tantalising Tottenham XI to lead Postecoglou to promised land and end 16-year trophy wait

Tottenham’s transfer business is already well underway for the summer but Ange Postecoglou is still looking to get two or three more names through the door and could end up with an incredible starting XI to start the new campaign.

Timo Werner is back at the club on loan, while Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are both on board and are already making an impression early in pre-season.

However, Postecoglou is still keen to get another No.9 on board as well as sealing a transfer for Crystal Palace standout Eberechi Eze.

With that in mind, TT takes a look at the Tottenham starting XI that could line up for the Premier League opener at Leicester on Monday August 19. Formation 4-2-1-3.

GK: Guglielmo Vicario

Barring some issues commanding his area, particularly from set-pieces, the Italian had an outstanding first season in north London and will look to go from strength to strength this time around.

Clean sheets were an issue though, with only eight in 40 games in total, while he also conceded 62 times. In fairness, some of that was due to the back four changing a fair bit during the first half the campaign due to injuries and suspensions.

However, at 27 years of age, the Italy international has yet to hit his peak for a keeper and will almost certainly have been working on the aspects that let him down during his first season in English football.

RB: Pedro Porro

Porro went from a bit of a laughing stock when he first arrived at the club in early 2023 to being one of the best attacking right-backs in the Premier League last season.

The Spaniard, who was incredibly unlucky to miss out on his country’s Euro 2024 squad, scored four goals and laid on seven assists in 37 total appearances last term and will start the new campaign as Postecoglou’s first choice right-back again despite the summer arrival of Archie Gray from Leeds.

His €40million fee is already starting to look somewhat of a bargain, especially given that the fact that Porro is still only 23.

CB: Cristian Romero

For World Cup winner now read Copa America winner too after the centre-back tasted yet more success with Argentina, once again proving himself as a key performer at the tournament in the US.

Romero has his faults, with his disciplinary issues costing Tottenham last season, but he remains an outstanding centre-back with strong leadership qualities who is still only 26 and will continue to improve with age.

Romero’s partnership with Micky van de Ven has all the hallmarks of being one of the best in the Premier League but he still needs to curb his aggression going forward and cut out the reckless challenges.

Indeed, Tottenham can ill-afford to lose a player of Romero’s quality from any kind of suspension again next season, even if they do have an able deputy in Radu Dragusin to step up.

DIVE DEEPER: Jonathan David profile: Man Utd, Tottenham, Chelsea all in contention for absolute bargain

CB: Micky van de Ven

There’s a phrase in boxing that ‘speed kills’ and it’s certainly a major asset as a defender too, and Van de Ven has it and then some.

He may not be the quickest over 10 yards but give the Dutchman a chance to get those legs galloping and he will in a foot race 99 times out of 100.

Van de Ven’s game is not all about speed though, his awareness, positioning and quality in possession also make him an incredible asset for a player who could end up costing in the region of £43million.

The Netherlands international also showcased his ability to fill in at left-back too in the final games of last season and looked completely at home in the role.

That’s certainly something for Postecoglou to consider if he wants to hand more game time to Dragusin, while also giving his team more weapons to deal with some of the set-piece issues they suffered from last season.

LB: Destiny Udogie

Another player who excelled in his first season in English football, although injury issues forced him to miss the closing stages of the campaign.

Udogie’s ability to move into central midfield and give Tottenham an advantage in numbers was pivotal early in the campaign as Postecoglou’s men made a flying start.

He was prone to the odd defensive lapse but his threat in attack made him a nightmare for opposing defences to deal with.

Udogie does need to improve in terms of his discipline, however, having been suspended twice last season.

CM: Archie Gray

This is a bit of a punt, given that Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr are probably more likely to start in central midfield ahead of the summer signing from Leeds, but such has been the impression made by Gray that Postecoglou has no choice but to throw him in.

At £30m, the 18-year-old could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer, especially given his versatility to play in midfield or as cover at right-back.

The teenager was even trusted to line up at centre-back in the friendly win at Hearts on Wednesday evening, earning race reviews in the process.

Gray’s calmness in possession and ability to play and drive forward half-turn make him ideally suited to slot into the side as Postecoglou’s defensive midfielder.

The reason he gets the nod over both Bissouma and Sarr is the struggles both endured in the second half of last season after returning from the African Cup on Nations.

Yes, the duo will have had pre-season to try and rediscover their best form, but Gray is a special talent who is too good to sit on the bench despite his relative lack of experience.

Predicted Tottenham starting XI for the new season

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

It was tough for Tottenham fans to not see Bentancur fully back to his best last season after his return from an ACL injury.

The Uruguay international was in outstanding form before his serious knee in February 2023 and did not look his usual self when he finally returned to action.

When fully fit the 27-year-old is regarded as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League, although there could be a major issue on the horizon for Tottenham and the player himself.

Bentancur suffered an injury in the Copa America semi-final loss to Colombia and was then shown throwing bottles into the stands after a brawl broke out between the Uruguay players and a section of the opposing fans.

If the footage is as damning as it sounds the midfielder could up banned, although that will only potentially be from international football.

The injury is a concern though, given that there has been no real update on the problem that forced him off in the first half of the game.

DON’T MISS: Who next? The biggest transfer after every European Championship since Euro 96: Man Utd, Real Madrid signings…

CAM: James Maddison

A real season of two halves for the former Leicester City man, who was signed in a £40m deal in the summer of 2023.

Maddison started the season in spectacular fashion as Spurs topped the table after the first 10 games but then suffered an ankle injury that ruled him out for two months.

The 27-year-old was certainly not at his best when he did finally return and his form tailed off that much that that he ended up missing out on England’s Euro 2024 squad altogether.

Maddison is the sort of character that loves proving people wrong though and he will almost certainly come back with a bang for the upcoming campaign.

Indeed, there is no suggestion that his place is in doubt, despite Tottenham having numerous options to play the No.10 role, including heavily linked target Eberechi Eze.

RW: Eberechi Eze

Speaking of the Crystal Palace man, we expect Spurs to pay his £60m release clause and make the England man one of the marquee signings of the summer.

Eze is made for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou and lit up the club’s stadium with a superb free-kick last season. He is versatile enough to play in either wide position and also as an attacking midfielder.

Having Eze interchange with Maddison and Son and also make space for both full-backs to maraude forward would give Spurs an incredibly potent attack, especially with the addition of a prolific No.9.

However, that is an issue that could still prove problematic. Is Daniel Levy willing to spend £60m on Eze and then likely spend big again on a striker? If he does, having a seat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this coming season could be one of the hottest in the Premier League.

ST: Jonathan David

In terms of landing that quality No.9, Tottenham have been linked with countless central strikers since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich last summer.

Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez and Brentford forward Ivan Toney have both been the frontunners for that role, but news on that pair has gone very quiet of late.

But one link that refuses to go away relates to Lille attacker Jonathan David.

The Canada international has been prolific in France since joining Lille in 2020, scoring 84 goals in 183 games in all competitions for the Ligue 1 side.

David, who is currently available for a cut-price £25m, has the pace to run in behind but also the ability to link play and would be a perfect fit for Postecoglou’s high-octane brand of football.

READ NEXT: Arsenal, Tottenham fight erupts after 23y/o Spaniard dazzles scouts; Real Madrid also in frame

LW: Son Heung-min

The club skipper notched 17 goals last season playing both as a left-winger and central striker but was not always at his best in a slightly inconsistent campaign.

The South Korean started the friendly win at Hearts on Wednesday through the middle again. However, his best position remains on the left wing, where he has excelled during nine seasons in north London.

Son would clearly benefit from having a new central striker to take the heat off, especially when he has the captaincy to burden him as well.

At 32 he is also not getting any younger and would likely benefit from having the attacking numbers to play a slightly more rotational role, especially given that the club is back in Europe again.