Grading Tottenham Hotspur: How did the players, manager, transfers & results stack up? | OneFootball

No one really knew what to expect from Tottenham Hotspur heading into the new season. After a turbulent summer which included a frantic search for a new manager and their star man trying to leave, they came into the campaign in a bit of a mess.

Ten months on, they remain without a trophy since 2008, but have finished in fourth place. It perhaps could have been better, but it also could have been far worse.

Here are our grades for Tottenham’s season.

Players

As we all know, there are two main men at Spurs: Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

The former had a very slow start to the season, registering just one goal and one assist from his first 13 league games. However, once he hit his stride, he was back to being one of the deadliest forwards in the world, and ended the campaign with 27 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

The latter enjoyed what was arguably his best ever season. The South Korean was one of the standout players in the Premier League, winning the Golden Boot with 23 finishes. To make things even more impressive, he didn’t take a single penalty.

Outside of these two, there isn’t much star quality, but there are still a number of players who have made an impact. Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski have enjoyed very encouraging debut campaigns, while the likes of Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have played fairly well.

There are still some weaknesses which will need sorting, but overall, the players have done well at Spurs.

Grade: B

Managers

Nuno Espirito Santo began the season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with expectations fairly low. The Portuguese made a bright start, winning his first three league games. However, that was where the pleasantries ended, and a terrible run of form saw him sacked after October’s 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United.

In came Antonio Conte – a man who has won six league titles in his career. This brought back some of the excitement to north London.

The former Chelsea boss has had his ups and downs this term, with his side often showing quite a bit of inconsistency. It was this inconsistency that led to their exits from the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa Conference League.

But towards the end of the season, things clicked into place. They picked up 26 points from their final 11 outings, scoring 27 and conceding just five. This form took them into fourth place, securing qualification for the Champions League.

Grade: B

Standout results

A bit of a mixed bag, really.

There are some results that stick out for the right reasons. For example, the home and away victories over Manchester City. They won’t be forgotten in a hurry.

Their biggest game of the season came at home to Arsenal with just three weeks of the season remaining. The Lilywhites desperately needed a win to keep their top four hopes alive, and they managed this with a resounding 3-0 victory.

On the other hand, there have also been some hugely disappointing outings. The lowest point was perhaps the 3-0 loss to Man Utd which prompted the sacking of Nuno.

Furthermore, they will have been underwhelmed by their displays in the Europa Conference League and FA Cup. In both competitions, they suffered defeats to sides which they were expected to beat. These defeats have extended their wait for some silverware.

Grade: C

Transfer business

During the summer, Spurs brought in Cristian Romero, Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil, Pierluigi Gollini, and Pape Matar Sarr. The last of the five went back on loan to Metz, and is clearly one for the future. Meanwhile, Gollini was only brought in as a back up to Hugo Lloris.

Gil is also a youngster, but was intended to play some part this term. He didn’t look up to the challenge when he featured, and was loaned out in January.

Emerson has been fairly inconsistent. Under Conte, there have been times when he’s done well, but he’s also had his questionable moments.

As for Romero, he has proven to be one of the signings of the season. The Argentine is without a doubt their best defender, and is being touted as one of the best centre-backs in the league.

But it was in January when they did their most impressive business. Having missed out on Luis Diaz, Tottenham turned to Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede has been a huge hit, scoring five and assisting eight from 18 appearances.

Along with him was teammate Rodrigo Bentancur. He has also made a bright start to life in the Premier League, and could be a key player for them next year.

The north Londoners eventually gave up on trying to get the best out of Dele Alli, and allowed him to depart to Everton in January. Danny Rose also left after 14 years at the club.

Toby Alderweireld, Juan Foyth, Moussa Sissoko, and Joe Hart were all sold, while Erik Lamela went to Sevilla as part of the Gil deal and Serge Aurier was released. Tanguy Ndombele was loaned back to Lyon after getting booed off the pitch in the FA Cup clash with Macclesfield.

One or two of the departing players maybe could have played their part, but none of them would have been essential.

Grade: A

Expectations vs Reality

At the beginning of the season, not many would have fancied Tottenham to break into the top four. It was widely believed that Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea would claim the Champions League spots.

And, while Spurs were way off challenging for the title, they managed to overtake Man Utd and significantly close the gap on Chelsea. This is certainly a positive, and they may fancy themselves to jump above the Blues next year.

But the biggest disappointment was their display in the Europa Conference League. They were supposed to be one of the strongest sides in the competition, but exited in the group stages.

In fairness, they were forced to forfeit their final game, which confirmed their exit. However, they picked up just seven points from their other five matches, falling to defeat against Vitesse and NS Mura.

Grade: B

Overall grade

On the whole, Tottenham fans can end the season with a relative sense of satisfaction.

The league campaign is without a doubt the biggest positive that they can take. There were times when they looked completely down and out, but managed to bring Champions League football back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Of course, that trophy drought remains. It’s not just that they didn’t win anything, but the manner in which they were knocked out of certain competitions will have come as a huge blow.

Nonetheless, there is something to look forward to next season. Should Conte stay, they could be in for an exciting year.

Grade: B

What they need

The first objective for the Tottenham board will be keeping Conte happy. With the Italian in charge, they have a far greater chance of success.

It has been reported that they are set to back him with a £150 million cash injection. Should they spent it in the right areas, Spurs could be in for an exciting season.

The priority ought to be bringing in a new centre-back, with full-backs also being fairly high up the list. More depth in central midfield would also be useful, as well as a natural striker to provide back up to Harry Kane.