Best Teams of EPL: Can Tottenham Hotspur Go Up The Ladder?

Tottenham Hotspur finished in fourth place last season, with the likes of Liverpool relegated to seventh.

Can the Spurs go any further way up the Premier League table?

In fact, they are identically placed this year as Chelsea were in 2004-o5 when they won for the League for the first of three times.

White Hart Lane last saw title celebrations 49 long years ago, a year in which the Spurs won the double, the league and the FA Cup.

Manager Harry Redknapp talks of aspiring for a League title this season, but realizes that maintaining their fourth place position will be hard enough for the Spurs, given the billions being invested by the Arab owners of Manchester City, their closest rivals on the league table.

Late last season, the Spurs beat Manchester City, 1-0, to take fourth place and a berth in the Champions League.

Manchester City manager Robert Mancini is on a spending spree this time round. Take a look at the bill: £26 mn for Spain’s striker, David Villa, £19 mn for left back Kolarov, and he is said to be angling for Internazionale’s Mario Balotelli, with a bait of £180,000 a week, in wages.

Contrastingly, Redknapp is strapped for funds and has failed to snare free agent, Joe Cole. Redknapp is in the position of having to sell players to raise money and wants to put Robbie Keane on the market, against the player’s inclination.

But Redknapp will have his way in trying to put together a perfect combination of players he can feel confident with.

So Keane is likely to go, and so is Eidur Gudjohnsen, obtained last season from Monaco on loan. Gudhohnsen’s likely destination is Fulham.

After Martin O’Neill’s leaving the club, Redknapp is said to be looking at Aston Villa’s Ashley Young as a possible replacement, although there is no confirmation to the effect. Redknapp is also looking at Loic Remy, of Nice.

But together, Young and Remy could cot upward of £30 mn, and that could make Redknapp decide to forgo one of the two.

The midfield is okay with Gareth Bale and Luka Modric. The real problem is in defence, with injuries to King and Woodgate, and Redknapp needs to fix the lack of back ups for Sebastien Bassong and Michael Dawson, quickly, as the transfer window will not stay open beyond the end of August.

Arsenal’s William Gallas and Fulham’s Brede Hangeland are plausible options.

So Redknapp appears to be wavering between conviction in his existing team and the need for four imports.

So, what do I think the Spurs can do in the upcoming League? They should be lucky to hold off the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton.

My prediction: they will probably end up fifth.

Tags: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Balotelli, Chelsea, EPL, Everton, Fulham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Prediction, Spain, Tottenham

Category: EPL, Football