4th. Tottenham Hotspur
Last season Tottenham blew another lead over Arsenal and finished beneath their North London rivals for the 18th straight season. Arsenal tend to finish above Spurs no matter what and that might continue next season. But looking at the two squads just now; there is no way Tottenham should be finishing below Arsenal. That could all change if Arsenal can get players in or if Spurs lose Bale but at the moment their squad looks superior. If Tottenham had signed a striker in January last season, there is no doubt in my mind that they would have finished fourth. They finished a point behind Arsenal achieving their highest ever points total. During the second half of last season Defoe was injured a lot and Adebayor couldnt be relied on so quite often they were playing with Clint Dempsey up front, which wasnt ideal. If they had signed a proven goal scorer in January, his goals would have guaranteed Champions League football.
They now have that striker in Roberto Soldado. If Bale departs this summer, Tottenham could become even more of a force, but that would all depend on Daniel Levys ambition. If Spurs get say £85 million for Bale, they could buy four quality players in the positions they are slightly weaker. Those positions would be left-back, centre-back, winger or a number 10 and up front. That would make their team a lot stronger and less reliant on one player. However, I dont think Levy would commit all £85 million to transfers. Theyve already spentnearly £50 million. They would spend some of the Bale money but I cant see them showing real ambition and reinvesting it all into the team. Key player: Roberto Soldado Transfers in so far:
Roberto Soldado from Valencia for £26 million.
Paulinho from Corinthians for £17 million.
Nacer Chadli from FC Twente for £7 million. Possible team to face Crystal Palace in their first fixture: GK: Lloris RB: Walker CB: Dawson CB: Kaboul LB: Rose CM: Sandro CM: Paulinho CM: Dembele RW: Lennon LW: Chadli ST: Soldado