Yes, Tottenham Can Win the Premier League This Season

If you had told Tottenham fans back in July that they might be looking to fight for more than just a top four finish this season, they’d have laughed.

There was, among a myriad of disappointing moments elsewhere in the FA Cup and the Champions League, a humiliating loss away at Sheffield United and uninspiring matches drawn against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

Jose Mourinho’s men managed to salvage qualification for the Europa League as Tottenham narrowly avoided missing out on European football - had they failed to finish sixth in the Premier League table, it would have meant a first season without competing in either of the two major European competitions for the first time in ten years. Going into the 2020/21 campaign, there was trepidation - as is usual when it comes to Spurs - and a real sense that there was a lot hinging on the coming year.

In fact, if you’d told Spurs fans on the opening match day - which consisted of a flat performance, sullen faces on players, and a 1-0 loss at home to Everton - that, in just a few weeks, their team would be at the helm of one of the worst defeats Manchester United have ever suffered at Old Trafford and would be home to one of the most increasingly dynamic duos to grace the Premier League, they might have laughed then, too.

But the shape that Spurs have taken since the first weekend of the new season is not to be underestimated. Since then, they have, by and large, put the Everton loss behind them and begun to demonstrate just what a commanding side they can be when they want to.

There is no denying that the first seven matches have presented problems that Tottenham are yet to iron out, including a frustrating and familiar tendency to give away two or three goal leads or to crumble at the last minute to only come away from a match they dominated with one point - but it is also impossible to ignore what this squad are capable of.

Much has been made of the return of Tottenham’s golden boy Gareth Bale following his initial departure in pursuit of European glory back in 2013, but all eyes thus far this season have been on the magnetic, almost telepathic, connection between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

Their astounding partnership has been on full, emphatic display in almost every game they’ve played so far. They've already combined nine times for goals and devastated both Southampton and Manchester United with confident, controlled attacks that centred around their understanding of one another’s positioning and an unwavering trust in one another’s ability to make clinical finish after clinical finish.

Elsewhere on the pitch, there is a growing feeling that there is a team within this extensive Spurs squad that could clinch silverware this season - perhaps in the FA Cup or, if we dare to dream, in the Premier League itself.

Many of the signings Tottenham made in the late summer have already begun to prove themselves as valuable assets to a new vision and this does not even necessarily include the star power of Bale. In midfield, the arrival of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has brought qualities that Spurs have already benefited from greatly and will only continue to do so as the Dane settles into the side.

Not only is he capable of making effective, intelligent, and successful passes in every match but he also has the aura of leadership. He has already been seen coming to the defence of his fellow midfielders and seems intent on spurring everyone on; bringing a sense of urgency to proceedings that Spurs have previously lacked over the past few seasons.

In the left-back department, it may well transpire that Bale is only the second most exciting signing Tottenham made from Real Madrid this year. Sergio Reguilón is fast becoming an essential member of the team. He is a rapid player, with an astute ability to cut out attacks before they pose any significant problems, who can also whip an excellent ball into the box when needs be. On Sunday, he provided the much-needed assist that was met by Bale’s header and resulted in the winning goal in what was a tough match against a battling Brighton.

Reguilón has impressed in every top flight match he has appeared in so far, not to mention assured performances in the Carabao Cup win over Chelsea in September and in the Europa League. At just 23, he looks to be an exciting prospect for Spurs who will only improve with time as he begins to hit his stride - and it is quite possible that he and Bale could bring dynamism forged in Madrid to their partnership in north London.

Consider this wealth of talent alongside the delightful transformation of Tanguy Ndombele, whose relationship with Mourinho appears to be fully mended following the fractures it suffered last season, and the promise already shown by new striker Carlos Vinicius.

The latter may be yet to make his debut in the Premier League but over in Europe - despite the 1-0 defeat to Antwerp last week - he has shown evidence that he could serve as a worthy back-up for Kane when the Englishman needs to rest, almost 18 months after Fernando Llorente left something of a gap in Tottenham’s centre forward area.

There is real quality in this squad and it is really quite something that Spurs are able to bring so many young and efficient players off the bench - and this is without even mentioning the talents of Giovani Lo Celso.

Clearly, despite the occasional fumble at the last minute, there is a great deal to be excited about at Spurs right now. Some might say that a challenge for the title by Tottenham this year is the thing of dreams - but in a season where nothing is off the table and in which Mourinho looks poised to unleash one of his famous, highly successful second seasons at a club, to dare is to do.