Tottenham have a new manager leading the ship in Ange Postecoglu, who arrives in North London at just the right time. Postecoglu earned a reputation for putting the fans, players, and club first at Celtic. He got the most out of his young talent and provided an environment in which they could thrive.
Although Antonio Conte is one of the best managers of his time, the impulsive and demanding coach never quite fit what Spurs needed. Postecoglu, on paper, is perfect for the project Tottenham want.
Already, Spurs have made two signings in Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Leicester City star James Maddison, spending 40 million pounds to secure the signature of the latter to upgrade a talented-but-inconsistent attack.
The most recent signing of Maddison is perhaps the most intriguing, given the fact that he scored a career-best 10 goals with 9 assists in the 2022/23 season despite Leicester’s status as one of the worst teams in the Premier League.
So how might he fit Tottenham and Postecoglu’s philosophy in the context of the squad? Let’s take a look at a possible starting lineup that includes both Maddison and Harry Kane. Although the latter is the subject of great transfer interest, including from Bayern Munich, Spurs do not seem interested in selling the superstar striker.
Defense
GK Guglielmo Vicario
LB Destiny Udogie
CB New signing
CB Cristian Romero
RB Pedro Porro
Tottenham signed Vicario for just 19 million euros from Empoli after he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A over the past two seasons. His reflexes and consistency surpass Hugo Lloris’, whose best days are clearly behind him.
Spurs have also added two more defenders in recent transfer windows. Destiny Udogie joined last summer, actually, but was loaned back to Udinese for an additional season. That served him well, as Udogie improved further for the Friulani in the 2022/23 Serie A season, averaging 3.3 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per game with 3.3 combined tackles and interceptions per match.
Another potential masterstroke of a signing from the Italian top flight, Udogie is just 20 years old and has the quality to rule the left flank in North London for a decade. Tottenham got in the door for this wonderful player early.
The same can be said for new right back Pedro Porro, who did join last winter and made an immediate impact as a right-sided midfielder in the Conte scheme. Porro was the best young right back in the world for Sporting CP and could have played for a club like Real Madrid, so major props to Spurs for making such a strong and affordable signing. Porro should be even better in his first full season with Spurs.
As for the center back position, that situation is more difficult to solve. Cristian Romero has the quality to be a great starter in a back four, but because he plays so aggressively, Spurs have to be careful about who they sign next to him. Really, they need two center backs, because they also need a quality backup in case something happens to Romero or the other new signing.
Nobody in the current squad is worth penciling in as the starter next to Romero. Tottenham need to go out and sign one of the top options available, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba.
Midfield
CM Yves Bissouma
CM Rodrigo Bentancur
AM James Maddison
Now let’s discuss the midfield in detail, because this is where the main new signing, James Maddison, figures into the equation. There are a couple of decent midfielders who will get minutes in the roles behind Maddison in the attacking midfield, as the ex-Leicester City man needs to be played closer to the forwards so he can truly affect play in the attacking third.
However, the best midfield duo behind Maddison should be the box-to-box duo of Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma. Bentancur is out with a serious injury, but when he returns, he should be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. Bissouma has the quality to play at the highest level, too.
Maddison could rotate minutes with Richarlison or even Dejan Kulusevski in this attacking midfield role, but Postecoglu recommended his 40 million pound signing for a reason. The 26-year-old is “the guy” for all intents and purposes. His technical quality, eye for goal, and eye for the killer pass are exactly what the likes of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane need to play off of and increase their own attacking class further.
Kane, for example, reached 30 goals but only had three assists last season despite averaging a healthy 1.5 key passes per game, which is a world-class average for a No. 9, especially a striker with 30 goals. Having someone like Maddison who can score double-digit goals in a season will help Kane’s creativity result in goals for Tottenham.
The best thing is if Tottenham can get Maddison into shooting positions in the left half-space and also take advantage of his roaming creativity. Give him the freedom to score goals and utilize Udogie heavily on the overlap so that the trio of Son, Maddison, and Udogie can combine to create shooting opportunities.
Forwards
LW Son Heung-min
ST Harry Kane
RW Dejan Kulusevski
There isn’t too much of a need to discuss the front line in detail, because this trio is pretty much set and should honestly be one of the best in European football if Tottenham can manage to hold onto Harry Kane.
Dejan Kulusvski hasn’t quite put it all together, but he clearly has the quality to start every game on the right wing as one of the best left-footed wingers in the game today. Son didn’t have the best 2022/23 season, but he showed signs of turning it around at the end of the campaign. There is no question that he is one of the most talented footballers in the world and should be backed to have a better season with a freshened-up squad (and likely a better managerial fit).
Finally, there is the titanic Kane. Because of his all-around play and his sheer importance to Tottenham, it can be argued that he was the best player in the Premier League last season and not Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. Maddison’s consistency and end product could be the additional threat that eases significant pressure off Kane’s shoulders.
