With the transfer window well underway and the rumour mill in full swing, we've taken a deep dive to determine exactly where the focus needs to be for new Head Coach Thomas Frank and Technical Director Johan Lange over the next three months.
Tottenham Hotspur have already been somewhat busy in the early stages of the summer window, confirming that an obligation to buy in Kevin Danso's loan deal was met, meaning the Austrian defender, who played a big role in the latter stages of games in their run to winning the UEFA Europa League, makes a permanent move from RC Lens to North London.
Winning that European trophy means extra funds are available due to securing a place in the UEFA Champions League for the 2025/26 season, and that has led to negotiating a lower fee than the £45m option in the original loan deal with Bayern Munich, to secure a permanent move for young Frenchman Mathys Tel, too.
Elsewhere, they are close to completing a £5m deal with Japanese outfit Kawasaki Frontale for highly-rated 20-year-old defender Kota Takai. The centre-back will be a part of the first team squad at Hotspur Way during pre-season, where his new Head Coach will assess him before a decision is made on whether he hangs around in the ranks or goes out on loan.
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Areas to strengthen
Spurs are in the market for a versatile attacker to bolster the ranks, and whilst they have swapped their attention from Crystal Palace star Ebere Eze to West Ham winger Mohammed Kudus, there are still plenty more options out there for The Lilywhites.
There is a known interest in Xavi Simons, who has informed RB Leipzig that he wants to leave this summer, and the Dutchman is also favouring a move to the Premier League, which could aid Tottenham if they decide to pursue a deal.
The former PSG man can operate in a deeper midfield role as well as in the number ten position, as well as being able to play off the left-hand side in a front three, making him an ideal candidate to fit the bill of a "versatile" attacker.
Elsewhere, names such as Tyler Dibling - who impressed in his debut campaign for relegated Southampton last season - and Antoine Semenyo have been thrown around, although the latter has just penned a new deal with AFC Bournemouth, almost definitely ruling out a move away from the south coast this summer.
Kyle Walker-Peters is another contender to be donning Spurs colours come the beginning of the new campaign. The former Tottenham man could return to his boyhood club to help ease homegrown issues in the UEFA Champions League, whilst he would also provide much-needed cover at full-back.
The Englishman has the ability to play on either flank and has bags of experience at Premier League level, whilst he is available on a free after he left Southampton upon the expiry of his contract at the end of June.
Daniel Levy could well be licking his lips at the prospect of this deal, whilst if it isn't Walker-Peters who is pursued, it could be Dennis Cirkin - another academy graduate now playing his trade at Sunderland - with Spurs holding a sell-on percentage on the player.
Tottenham may also look to strengthen in the holding midfield area, with plenty of speculation around the future of Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Christian Norgaard, who worked with Thomas Frank at Brentford and boasts a wealth of experience and leadership, was a player of interest before fierce rivals Arsenal swooped in, whilst they have also been linked with younger talents such as Lucien Agoume (23), Angelo Stiler (24) and Nicolo Pisilli (20), of Sevilla, VFB Stuttgart and AS Roma, respectively.
Whilst it is still unclear exactly who Frank's side will target, there is clear knack for some experienced leaders to join a youthful side this summer, however, only time will tell as we see whether or not the North Londoners reach agreements with their targets and secure deals as quickly as possible so the incomings can have a full pre-season.
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Priority signing
One issue that needs attending to during the summer window is the depth available to Thomas Frank at centre-back.
Last season, Ange Postecoglou saw the heart of his backline decimated by injury, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both facing long spells on the sidelines, leading to a partnership of 18-year-old midfielder Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin being frequently used.
Although Kevin Danso was signed in January on an initial loan that has since become permanent, Spurs could do with a left-footed central defender to provide some much-needed cover for van de Ven, whilst Dragusin is also expected to miss a fair chunk of the coming season as he recovers from an ACL injury he picked up in Janaury.
There have been some links, albeit not advanced at this stage, to versatile AFC Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite - however, he is set to sign a new contract - and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, who has interest from Liverpool, making a deal unlikely.
Even though The Lilywhites have highly-rated youngsters Luka Vuskovic and Kota Takai arriving this summer, signing a ready-made, experienced leader at the back who can provide suitable cover for Micky van de Ven could be key if Spurs are to compete on all four fronts.
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Possible departures
Despite offloading a number of out-of-favour players last summer, it could prove to be yet another summer of wholesale change at Tottenham, with Thomas Frank to assess the squad during his first pre-season in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Several younger players, such as Mikey Moore and Callum Olusesi, could be set for loan moves, whilst fellow youngster Damola Ajayi has already left on loan to Doncaster Rovers. George Abbott, Jamie Donley and Josh Keeley all had impressive spells away from the club during the 2024/25 season and could be set for a move further up the pyramid in the new term.
Yves Bissouma has been linked with a move away from North London, as has Heung-Min Son, with Cristian Romero also attracting plenty of interest from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
The Argentine, who is one of two vice-captains in N17, has previously expressed his desire to play in La Liga, with Atleti Manager Diego Simeone also publicly expressing his admiration for the battling centre-half. However, Daniel Levy will, as always, play hardball with his asking price, which is rumoured to be around £60m-£70m, making a deal unlikely at present as Los Rojiblancos deem that to be too high.
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Expiring contracts
Notable first-teamers Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon have already left the club upon the expiry of their contracts, with the focus now on potentially shifting players for a fee before it is too late, as their contracts are also up next summer.
Aflie Whiteman, who's only competitive senior football for Tottenham came from the bench in a UEFA Europa League group stage tie against Ludogorets Razgrad in 2020, also departed following the culmination of his contract.
Just 48 hours after Ange Postecoglou had been sacked, Spurs triggered an option to extend Ben Davies' contract by an additional year, although there has been some talk of him still departing.
The main speculation, much to everyone's surprise, is around Captain Heung-Min Son - clubs in Saudi Arabia hold a long-standing interest, and the South Korea winger, who captained The Lilywhites to their first trophy in seventeen years, is unsure whether he wants to remain in North London for the final year of his deal.
Tottenham are not against him departing, with the idea of cashing in before he leaves on a free transfer, but Son's final decision will be based on conversations with the new Head Coach, Thomas Frank, when he returns for pre-season next week.
The focus will also be on midfield duo Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur as they enter the final twelve months of their deals. Whilst Bissouma's future is up in the air and will likely be based on assessments by Frank in pre-season, the club are known to have begun early negotiations with his Uruguayan midfield partner, who has looked more like himself in recent times after a horrible eighteen months plagued with injury issues.
