Tottenham Hotspur saw one of their greatest seasons in recent memory last season. Although we did not progress too far in any cup competitions, our league success was something that many teams envied. A poor end to the season though slightly tarnished our campaign by losing out on second spot with poor performances. It was evident that the absence of Dele Alli and Mousa Dembélé was something that the side sorely missed as we lost twice on the bounce in games against Southampton and Newcastle United. Although Mason and Son stepped into the starting line up for our final games, the dynamic of the team appeared to change showing how the depth is there within the Tottenham squad but is not rich in its strength. With a campaign in the Champions League on the horizon, Pochettino and his staff must assess who is to stay; who is to come in and who is to leave.

It has become apparent in Pochettino’s first two years as Tottenham manager that he is a fan of pragmatic rotation. During the winter period of Tottenham’s season, our regular full-backs of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose were being rotated with Kieran Trippier for every game with little difference to our defensive record. The Argentine was also forced to replace Jan Vertonghen with Kevin Wimmer after the Belgian picked up a knee injury at Selhurst Park in January. Despite this, Wimmer barely put a foot out of place with just 6 Premier League goals conceded when the Austrian started. With high quality rotational players like Davies, Trippier and Wimmer, Tottenham’s defensive depth seems practically complete with the addition of another centre-back perhaps to follow in the transfer window. However, with games against some of Europe’s finest next season, a tight defence must not be overlooked.

The depth is there within the Tottenham squad but is not rich in its strength During cup games against Borussia Dortmund, Pochettino experimented with a central midfield partnership of Ryan Mason and Tom Carroll. The risky moved proved costly with 5 goals conceded over the two legs. With little defensive discipline between the pair, it became clear that this was not a viable central midfield partnership, especially in big games. With Eric Dier being the only truly defensive minded midfielder in the Tottenham squad, it is evident that if Pochettino is to continue his methodical rotation in this area of the park, new players will have to come in. That begs the questions of the fates of Mason and Carroll. Saying farewell to two academy products would be done with a heavy heart but their futures at Tottenham are unclear. If we are to compete in Europe’s most elite competition then the quality of the team must run throughout the entirety of the squad.

Attacking midfielders if something in which Tottenham are blessed with. Although operating alongside Eric Dier, Mousa Dembélé has become the player we all knew he could in a sense of an attacking effort. Spurs fans got familiar with seeing Eriksen, Alli and Lamela playing just behind Harry Kane in our league fixtures this season with each proving to be real attacking threats. All three of these attacking midfielders boasted fantastic statistics last season in terms of their contributions with goals and assists which will prove a great asset in seasons to come.

Despite arguably having a disappointing début season, Heung-Min Son is sure to develop over the next few years into a real attacking threat and a suitable striker when called upon. Pochettino’s talent of making footballers better is rare in managers nowadays and this is sure to rub off on the Korean international; a full pre-season will prove wonders with a talent such as Heung-Min Son. Furthermore, many players have described Son as a character which is an asset to any team’s dressing room. The versatility of players such as Son and N’Jie shows the glimpses of Tottenham’s strength in depth and their development will only progress.

If we are to compete in Europe’s most elite competition then the quality of the team must run throughout the entirety of the squad.

Nacer Chadli proved to be a real impact substitute in the 2015/16 season. After losing his spot as a regular in the starting line up after an injury against Liverpool, Chadli was limited to substitute appearances and a rare start in the league. Scoring goals late on against Crystal Palace and Swansea proved to be important goals in our season but a below par performance in a start at Upton Park proved Chadli too unreliable to start in big games. It was sad to see that he did not step up in the absence of Dele Alli and Mousa Dembélé but the Belgian’s inconsistent performances perfectly exhibited Pochettino’s high demand for regular quality.

There are few strikers in the world like Harry Kane. A 20 plus goal striker is an envy of any team. Tottenham Hostpur played with fire last season by having just one striker. Devastation almost occurred when it was reported that Harry Kane had broken his nose and would be absent for the next few game. Much to the relief of Spurs fans, Kane did not miss a Premier League game all season showing the Englishman’s true worth to Tottenham Hotspur. There are few strikers in the world like Harry Kane. A 20 plus goal striker is an envy of any team so any form of back-up would need to show their quality. With the transfers of Son and N’Jie in last summer’s transfer window, Spurs fans were reassured that they could play as lone strikers but this was something we rarely saw. The temptation to deploy Kane was done carefully last season; the highlight being his last ditch penalty against Leicester City in the FA Cup’s third round. Finding a quality striker who would be aware that they would have to play second choice to one of our own is a difficult job for any managerial team so this could be considered the most important transfer for Tottenham’s summer. The European Championship should provide an excellent scouting ground to find such a striker on the big footballing stage. Pochettino will be bearing in mind the kind of attacking strength needed to compete in multiple competitions next season.

The integration of academy products should not be dismissed next season. The talents of Harry Winks and Josh Onomah mainly featured in Tottenham’s cup competitions with the latter mentioned featuring in the Premier League too on some occasions. This process should and will most likely continue next season with Pochettino being a firm favourite of promoting academy talent. These appearances may come in group games against teams we should be comfortably winning against but it is more likely that their senior minutes will come in the League Cup and the FA Cup. These academy products should not feel disheartened by this however as Pochettino’s nurturing of youth has proved effective with various players such as Harry Kane. It is important that these players proved to the manager that they are good enough and then will get their chance.

Overall, the strength in the depth of the squad must be broken down position by position in order to prepare for next season. Many Spurs fans were disappointed that we, Tottenham, did not put out our strongest team in some of the seasons’ biggest cup games; however, Pochettino’s methods of rotation proves can sometimes dictate choices in the starting line up. The ability to change the starting line up with little impact on the team’s performances would be something to treasure but Tottenham Hotspur must do this bit-by-bit.