How Tottenham could line up in the 2021/22 season
By Ross Jackson
It's already been a frantic summer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the club have barely even so much as looked at the transfer market.
Daniel Levy finally secured the permanent successor to Jose Mourinho recently when it was announced former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo had taken the reins in north London, a move which will naturally have ramifications for a lot of the club's current playing staff.,
With plenty of arrivals and departures expected over the coming weeks, 90min has taken a look at how we think Spurs' starting XI could look for the 2021/22 season...
GK: Hugo Lloris
There's been plenty of rumours surrounding the future of Hugo Lloris recently and it's hard to argue that he doesn't drop the odd howler, but Spurs have far more pressing issues than their number one spot right now.
If a quality young goalkeeper becomes available at the right price then expect Spurs to be at the front of the queue, but for now we reckon Lloris will be leading the side out next season.
CB: Joe Rodon
Joe Rodon's time at Tottenham hasn't exactly been brilliant so far, but it's easy to forget that he's still just 23 years of age and has plenty of time to develop.
The youngster has the physical attributes needed to cut it at the top level and his time in Swansea's first team proved he can be a very solid defender.
One of the defining features of Nuno's Wolves tenure was his ability to get the best out of players whose careers seemed to be going nowhere fast, and with the experience of a European Championship under his belt Rodon could thrive under the Portuguese tactician.
CB: Jannik Vestergaard
If there's one area on the pitch that drastically needs addressing for Spurs this summer it's centre-back.
With Toby Alderweireld seemingly on his way out of the club and Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, erm...well the less said about them the better, Nuno needs to bring in some central defenders.
Tottenham have been linked with a move for Southampton's Jannik Vestergaard, and after a rocky start to life in the Premier League the Denmark international is looking a top talent.
CB: Joachim Andersen
Lyon centre-back Joachim Andersen proved himself more than capable of playing in the Premier League during his loan spell with Fulham last season, and after revealing his desire to move back to England a switch to Spurs looks a real possibility.
The north Londoners are already mooted to have opened talks over a deal and he'd be a great buy for a club desperately in need of defensive reinforcements.
RWB: Matt Doherty
If there's one man whose eyes will have lit up at the news Nuno had been appointed Spurs boss it's Matt Doherty.
The Republic of Ireland international looked little more than a competent second-tier right-back for the majority of his time with Wolves, yet Nuno's arrival turned him into a Premier League regular.
Nuno's preferred wing-back system is perfect for Doherty and if he adopts the same setup at Spurs expect the Irishman to be given his chance in the first team.
CM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Last season was a bit of a nothing campaign for Spurs, but one man who did come out of it with a bit of credit was Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
When used in the right setup the Danish midfielder can be a brilliant player at the heart of the team and he's likely to retain his place in the starting XI.
CM: Tanguy Ndombele
On his day Tanguy Ndombele can look an absolute world beater - the only problem is 'his day' hasn't arrived very often since his move to north London.
Nuno will know fine well if he can be the man to release his undoubted potential then he'll have a superb player on his hands, so expect Ndombele to be given his chance in the first team.
LWB: Sergio Reguilon
When Spurs secured the signing of Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid in a deal reported to be worth under £30m, they looked to have got themselves a real bargain - then he was just quietly rubbish for the second half of last season.
Well, rubbish might be a stretch, but he went missing a lot and wasn't consistently at the level Spurs would have hoped he would be.
With a year of Premier League football under his belt and a manager whose style of play revolves around attacking full-backs he should look much better next season.
RW: Son Heung-min
Most of the transfer talk around Spurs right now revolves around their frontline, but one man who is expected to still be at the club next season is Son Heung-min.
The South Korea international has been brilliant since moving to north London in 2015, but he could be asked to move from the left wing to the right next season if Tottenham's reported transfer pursuits prove to be successful (more on that shortly).
ST: Danny Ings
Now then, the big question on every Spurs fan's lips: will Harry Kane be at Spurs next season? Not for us he won't.
If Manchester City really are serious about their pursuit of the England man it's difficult to imagine Daniel Levy rebuffing the huge sums of money that will undoubtedly be involved in any deal, especially given the other areas of their squad in desperate need of strengthening.
Replacing a striker like Kane is nigh-on impossible, though Danny Ings has been recording some quality numbers at Southampton over the past two seasons and given the chance he's shown he knows where the goal is.
LW: Marcus Thuram
The reason Son could be asked to switch flanks is because Spurs are reportedly keen on a move for
Marcus Thuram.
The 23-year-old looks a real top talent and if Levy can secure a deal for him then the goals he'll bring could soften the blow of the loss of a prolific hitman like Kane if he does move to City.