Premier League Preview: Tottenham

Last Season: 6th

Pre-Season Prediction: 6th - A better season in store providing that Levy keeps himself as far away from the action as possible.

In a backhanded way, it's pretty impressive how far Tottenham have come that a season with 69 points and European football once again has been looked at as such a disappointment. Albeit, last year was a shambles. Villas-Boas wasn't having a terrible season but was playing some dreadfully dull stuff whilst his successor, Tim Sherwood, had a fairly solid short reign with a more interesting but naive style of play (as well as a terrible dress sense. Gillet anyone?) The Europa League was again an unrewarding distraction and the summer spending binge turned out to be an almost wholly catastrophic failure but all of that aside it was not as bad as it could have been.

Spurs have been careful to ensure they did not replicate the mistakes of last year, keeping their business quiet but intelligent. A player exchange has seen Ben Davies and Michel Vorm join from Swansea with Sigurdsson going in the opposite direction. The only other signing has been the much unknown English centre-back Eric Dier who has been plying his trade abroad at Sporting throughout his career thus-far. Aside from this they have, so far, lost more or less none of their first team squad and will perhaps be seeking to see if they can get a better second season out of any of their signings from last summer.

In that sense, some players from last year may almost feel like a new signing. Erik Lamela and Etienne Capoue in particular spent large portions of last season through injury and will be looking to prove themselves this year. That is not to say some more investment is not needed. Adebayor, Soldado and Kane have all proven themselves unreliable and a potent striker is needed with Bony on the cards. Spurs also seem interested in both Rodriguez and Schneiderlin but a deal is looking increasingly unlikely this transfer window. On paper though, Spurs do not necessarily need any more players as they have decent squad depth. Now they just need to hope Pochettino can get them all fully firing.

So far his record at the helm has been unbeaten after a healthy pre-season coupled with an opening day victory against West Ham which will see the fans feeling fairly happy with the start he has made. Albeit the 1-0 victory against the Hammers was fairly lucky but in some ways, a scrappy victory is a great way to start the season because it can only get better from there. Perhaps the highlight has been the marvelous pre-season form of their most expensive signing, Erik Lamela, and hopefully he can replicate it in the League.

It's a bit of a difficult one predicting Tottenham. Everything is pointing towards an improvement this season but then where do they go because I also don't see them eclipsing the teams above them. A quiet improvement coupled with a period of stability may be the perfect platform for a launch at the top four again next season, because it looks unlikely this year. Reducing the number of goals conceded and pushing ahead of Everton should be the main objectives, especially considering the Toffee's are back in Europe as well. Expect a quiet but positive season on the whole for Spurs.

Key Man: Hugo Lloris - The sole player to have appeared in every minute of the Premier League from the Tottenham squad, Lloris is a world class goalkeeper and provides a huge amount of stability behind a still wayward defense. He is prone to the odd error due to his sweeper-keeper tendencies but is undoubtedly one of the very top goalkeepers in the world, let alone the League. With rumours of him wanting Champions League football, Spurs may have to savour what could be their last season with the French international.

One to Watch: Erik Lamela - It may seem a very predictable choice but that is because there are simply a lot of eyes on the Argentine. Still the most expensive player in Tottenham's history, he has a lot to prove after a series of disappointing performances before spending much of the second half injured with a back injury. However, Lamela will no doubt see his first season in North London as a learning curve and will be hoping it is a case of second time lucky. With a decent pre-season under his belt and having significantly bulked up from when he first arrived expect Lamela to be an eye-catching player for Spurs. Eventually.

Best Signing: Eric Dier - Defense has been a problem at White Hart Lane for a few years now and is still not necessarily one that has been solved in the short term. Yet the signings of the 20-year-old pair Ben Davies and Eric Dier have certainly gone some way towards assuring a long-term stability. Dier looked competent alongside Kaboul against West Ham and will have pleased fans with his last minute winner. Whether he will start every week is another question once the full team is fit again but he has certainly injected a renewed sense of optimism into this back line.

Premier League Preview: Tottenham

Bale, Bale, Bale - three words that have dominated Tottenham this summer. In amongst all the Welsh drama, Tottenham have actually made solid signings. After missing out so narrowly on Champions League football once again, Andre Villas-Boas will be looking to correct that, with top four the top priority.

Putting the Bale saga aside, Tottenham have still had a busy summer. Finally they have signed a clinical striker in Roberto Soldado as well as strengthening their midfield with three midfielders, Nacer Chadli, Paulinho and Etienne Capoue. Alongside that is the return of long-term absentee Sandro to bolster the midfield. With another defender they really do have a lot of quality in depth and, with or without Bale, will be no lower than fifth.

Bale staying could be the difference between top four and missing out again. Either way though, Tottenham have strengthened and, should Bale be sold, they will have plenty of money to reinvest in the squad. Expect Tottenham to push on again this year and do not be surprised if they make it into the top four. That, however, would also be largely dependent on Arsenal's dealings before the end of the transfer market. 

Key Man: Jan Vertonghen - With Bale's future in doubt, the key man status falls to the Belgian Vertonghen. Making the PFA Player of the Year last year, Vertonghen is one of the League's best defenders who also has goals in his system. Last season the media were frequently describing Tottenham as a one man team, but Vertonghen did everything possible to prove this wrong.

One to Watch: Paulinho - Whilst Soldado has stolen the limelight for solving the striker problem, Paulinho is a very good signing. Alongside Sandro in midfield Paulinho is a strong a powerful player. Scooping the third place player award at the Confederations Cup as well as making the Brazilian League Team of the Year in 2011 and 2012, his presence will certainly add another dimension to the team.

Best Summer Signing: Roberto Soldado - The missing link to Tottenham over the last few years has been a clinical striker and Soldado solves this problem. With twenty-four goals last year in La Liga he is a proven goalscorer and will provide guaranteed goals. With the creative potential in the midfield, Soldado could be one of the top goalscorers in the League as he will definitely have the chances.

Last Season: 5th

Pre-Season Prediction: 5th - The battle for fourth will remain in North London. I think Arsenal will just pip it if they make some marquee signings.