Whatever league Tottenham end up in next season, certain gaps in their squad will remain. Some of these problems don’t disappear with promotion or survival — they just get more expensive to ignore.
The Centre-Back Problem That Refuses to Go Away
Spurs have been patching their central defence for two seasons running. Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both spent significant time injured in consecutive campaigns, and the club responded last summer by making Kevin Danso’s loan permanent for £21m and adding teenage prospect Luka Vuskovic. That sounds like activity. It isn’t quite a solution.
Romero, according to multiple reports, is frustrated with the club’s direction and has attracted interest from Real Madrid. Fans eager to track every twist of the deal do a 1xbet login to monitor the transfer odds as rumours move fast — and with half the back four’s futures hinging on one conversation in Madrid, you can see why. If Romero goes, Spurs lose their most experienced and authoritative defender, and Danso, for all his physicality, has made just 15 appearances since joining.
The depth chart at centre-back heading into summer 2026 raises legitimate concerns:
- Romero’s future at the club is uncertain amid reported Real Madrid interest
- Van de Ven attracts Chelsea admiration, per reports from Joe Cole and others
- Danso has barely 15 Spurs appearances to his name
- Vuskovic is on loan at Hamburg, nowhere near Premier League readiness
Two first-choice defenders with injury records, two backups who are question marks. A new signing at centre-back isn’t just desirable — it’s borderline mandatory. Thomas Frank identified this as a priority as recently as August 2025, and the situation has only grown murkier since.
A Reliable Striker: The Wound That Keeps Reopening
Tottenham paid £65m for Dominic Solanke in 2024. He has spent portions of both subsequent seasons injured. Randal Kolo Muani arrived on loan from PSG and, by most accounts, struggled to justify his reputation. Richarlison, meanwhile, has been offered around in transfer conversations and is widely expected to leave. That’s three strikers, none of whom Spurs can confidently build around for next season.
Sound familiar? This is a club that still hasn’t fully filled the Harry Kane-shaped crater left in 2023. Spurs have been linked with Dusan Vlahovic, who could leave Juventus as a free agent, and interest in Porto’s Samu Aghehowa has reportedly escalated to bid stage. Whether either arrives depends on far more than money. It depends on where Spurs are playing their football. Champions League football attracts a different calibre of yes from a striker’s camp.
What Spurs need from a new striker this summer, practically speaking:
- Genuine Premier League experience, or proven top-flight goals in another major league
- Availability for the full season — not a body who spends October in the treatment room
- A profile that complements Solanke rather than doubling his weaknesses
Free agent options shrink fast in summer. Fans who track every twist of these negotiations often rely on the 1xbet app to monitor the odds as deals edge closer to conclusion. Spurs need to move early and decisively, rather than waiting until late August and picking up whoever is left.
Full-Back Cover: The Thin End of the Squad
Thomas Frank said last August that he was comfortable with Ben Davies and Djed Spence at full-back. That answer prompted visible discomfort among supporters paying attention. Davies turns 33 in the summer. Spence is better than his reputation, but he’s not a guaranteed starter at a club with European ambitions. Destiny Udogie, the first-choice left-back, has already suffered injuries in back-to-back seasons.
When Udogie goes down, Spurs are essentially running on fumes at left-back. The club reportedly shelved plans to sign a full-back last summer on the assumption that existing options were adequate. Given that Udogie was injured before a single competitive ball was kicked in 2025/26, that assumption did not age well.
The full-back position deserves attention for three concrete reasons:
- Udogie’s injury history makes adequate backup non-negotiable
- Davies’ age limits his usefulness as a long-term solution
- Spurs’ attacking system demands full-backs who can push forward — a quality Spence offers inconsistently
One genuinely good full-back signing, capable of covering both sides in an emergency, would cost somewhere between £20m and £35m at current market rates. For a squad that spent close to £150m in a single window, that’s not an extravagant ask. It’s a basic structural repair.
The pattern here is consistent. Spurs identify positions they need to strengthen, discuss them openly, and then either move late or not at all. This summer, with a new era potentially beginning and Champions League money on the table, the club has the least excuse it has had in years to get this right. The questions aren’t complicated. The answers just need to come before September.
Supporters have seen this film before. Let’s hope Levy has not booked the same seats.