Issues at Tottenham

It has not been all sunshine and roses for Tottenham this season. The club sits in 12th on the Premier League table, and just suffered a home defeat to Stoke, a team they had not lost to since 2011. After multiple years in the top 7 of the Premier League, fans are becoming increasingly upset with management and the players. But, this is a completely different team than the teams of the past.

Every club comes to a crossroads when they have a budding young star player: pay him or sell him. In Tottenham’s case with Gareth Bale, they sold him, big time. There are conflicting reports, but he is either the first or second most expensive footballer sold in history at a price tag between 91-100 million Euros, depending on the source. He was the main headline of the mass exodus of players during the summer 2013 and January 2014 transfer windows. In all, the club released and sold 18 players, while bringing in 7 new players. Along with Bale, the club sold Clint Dempsey and Jermain Defoe to the MLS, as well as Tom Huddlestone and Steven Caulker to EPL teams Hull City and Cardiff City, respectively. Overall, the club saw over a 10 million pound profit for the transfer windows, something they could help attribute to a new stadium.

One of the bigger pieces of news from Tottenham has been in the works for awhile, the development of a new stadium for the club. There we rumors and musings about the club competing with West Ham for the Olympic Stadium at its completion, but the committee responsible gave the bid to West Ham. This helped spur the team to create the Northumberland Development Project. The project will create a new 56,000 seat stadium near the current White Hart Lane, as well as a public square and multiple stores. The new project will be built to replace White Hart Lane, which was built in 1899 and has a capacity of 36,284, but with the way the club has been performing, they won’t need the extra seating.

Everything has not been all doom and gloom however, as there are some bright spots for Tottenham and its supporters. The club secured the signature of DeAndre Yedlin of the Seattle Sounders in the MLS, out navigating AS Roma of Serie A after the young player put on a promising display for the United States at the World Cup. Yedlin will even be able to gain a Latvian passport through his heritage, thus circumventing the usual work permit problems foreign players have coming to the Premier League.

USA's DeAndre Yedlin

Another young star-in-the-making came through Tottenham’s youth system. Harry Kane has spent the last few years on loans at various clubs, but has looked to have broken into Tottenham’s first team at only 21-years-old. He has 14 appearances so far this season and has 10 goals, with 7 of those coming in the Europa League. Erik Lamela came to the club during the 2013 summer transfer window, and the 22-year-old has already given the club some highlight material with a spectacular Rabona goal. This trio may indeed be the future of the north London club.

As for now however, the club is in a bit of a rough patch. Despite only being at the club for a few months, some fans are calling for Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked. He has the backing of other managers in the game however, with US national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann saying he needs time to get players he wants through a few transfer windows before you can judge his coaching. For now he will need to work with what he has available and lift the club back to the top 6 of the Premier League table.

Looking forward, there are three more matches in November, and 8 matches in the month of December before the end of 2014. They share the Group C lead in the Europa League with Besiktas with 8 points. They have a home match against group minnows Partizan, before finishing against Besiktas in Istanbul. A decent showing will see them through to the round of 32. In the Premier League the Spurs have multiple matches against traditional minnows in Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Burnley, and Leicester, which will give them the opportunity to gain some points and places on the table.

Through all the rough patches that Tottenham has had this season, supporters can always remember that it could be worse. They are safely out of the relegation zone, have a great nucleus of young budding stars, and are getting a new stadium to enjoy soon. They also have the opportunity to enjoy Mauricio Pochettino, because Tottenham could have had a manager like Ted Lasso.

 

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