Tottenham Hotspur have been underwhelming this season, and the pressure is on manager Ange Postecoglou to get the team heading in the right direction.
The Australian made a promising start to life at Tottenham, but his tenure has unravelled in ways not even he could foresee, leaving fans with a familiar feeling of disappointment.
After narrowly missing out on a Champions League berth at the end of last season, many people expected Tottenham to reestablish themselves in the Premier League top four.
However, Spurs are miles off achieving their pre-season target, although the club continues to bet on Postecoglou’s ability to deliver success.
Read on as we look at what 2025 has in store for Spurs, before assessing whether the club can live up to its billing as one of the Premier League’s big hitters.
The Transfer Windows
It will be difficult to completely resolve Tottenham’s underlying issues in the January transfer window, but they can do enough to stop the bleeding before fully going under the knife next summer.
The backline has been a major concern for Spurs this season, with first-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven struggling to shrug off fitness issues.
Their recurring injury problems has forced Postecoglou to field a makeshift backline more often than he’d have liked, and it doesn’t help that Radu Dragusin has failed to provide adequate cover.
Signing at least two centre-backs should be at the top of Tottenham’s shopping list. Postecoglou needs defenders who are comfortable playing his outrageous trademark high line, and his current crop has shown they are not up to the task.
His first-choice pairing is injury-prone, and the players who have been asked to step up have crumbled under pressure – this issue needs to be addressed in the January transfer window.
Shoring up the defence will go a long way in helping to stabilise a Spurs side that have been leaking goals this season, but they will need more reinforcements next summer to avoid a repeat of this season.
Tottenham also need another holding midfielder. Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur are simply not good enough, and Pape Matar Sarr has struggled when asked to deputise for his colleagues.
They must sign a ball-winning specialist who can adequately protect the backline and at least one reliable winger to provide cover for Heung-min Son and Brennan Johnson on the flanks.
Postecoglou’s Second Season Silverware Target
Postecoglou shot himself in the foot when he willingly offered his history of winning silverware in his second season at previous clubs earlier this season.
While the record books back up the Australian’s claim, things have gone wildly off script since he made that comment following a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal.
Tottenham have tumbled down the Premier League standings and lost their grip at the summit of the Europa League table, although the bookmakers rate them as one of the favourites to win the latter tournament.
Many of Postecoglou’s army of fans in Australia have backed Spurs to get the job done in Europe, using betting sites that accept PayPal deposit to wager on the team.
While they will be delighted with the smoothness of the innovative digital payment option, Spurs’ inconsistent form will be giving them some cause for concern.
Wagering on Tottenham to win the League Cup may be a more sensible approach for Aussie punters, although the odds favour Liverpool in their upcoming semi-final.
However, Postecoglou will believe he can defy the bookies’ forecast by guiding Tottenham past the Reds and into the final at Wembley Stadium.
Ending the Tottenham Trophy Drought
Tottenham still have a chance of ending their trophy drought this season, but their penchant for falling short when the pressure is on is a major issue.
They will stand a better chance in 2025/26 when they’ve poured significant investment into the squad, and Postecoglou would have no excuses – assuming he is still in charge.
Tottenham’s first order of business next summer should be discarding deadwood, including Timo Werner and Richarlison, although it will make little difference if they don’t sign the right players.
Tottenham’s scouting department has come under plenty of criticism in recent times, but next summer gives them a chance to build a squad capable of playing Postecoglou’s highly demanding gung-ho brand of football.
There are enough signs that it can be deadly when implemented properly, but it is absolutely crucial to recruit the right profile of players.
If Tottenham play their cards right next summer and show ambition by improving every area of the squad, there is no reason why they can’t get their hands on major silverware.