Summer signings help Spurs make a strong start to the season

Ange Postecoglou’s Lilywhites have made a strong start to the 2023/24 Premier League season, and new signings have played a crucial role.

Tottenham Hotspur announced the appointment of ex-Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou as their new Head Coach to succeed Antonio Conte on Tuesday, 6th June 2023. The 2023/24 season will be the Australian’s first full season in charge of the Lilywhites, and he will be looking to guide the club back to European football this term.

Optimism is high amongst the Tottenham fanbase, which has come from the very positive start to the season that the club has had with Postecoglou at the helm. The season for Spurs began with a trip to the GTech Community Stadium to face Thomas Frank’s Brentford.

Cristian Romero gave the away team the lead, and it was summer signing James Maddison with the assist (11’). Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa both scored in the space of 9 minutes to give the Bees the lead (27’, 36’), only for Emerson Royal to equalise with a venomous shot in first-half stoppage time after receiving the ball from Maddison (45+4’). It finished as a 2-2 draw.

The Lilywhites’ first home game of the new Premier League season saw them welcome Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Erik Ten Hag’s Red Devils are one of Spurs’ rivals for European qualification, and it was an occasion that was handled superbly by Postecoglou’s side, who won 2-0. Pape Matar Sarr (49’) and an own goal from Lisandro Martinez (83’) either side of half time secured all three points for the North London side that day.

A trip to the South Coast to face Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium came next for Spurs as they looked to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2023/24 Premier League season. It was another 2-0 victory for Spurs, and Maddison was on the scoresheet in the opening 20 minutes (17’) before Dejan Kulusevski scored to ensure the victory midway through the second half (63’).

Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur were ruthless against newly promoted Burnley, beating Vincent Kompany’s side 5 – 2 at Turf Moor. Son Heung-Min scored a spectacular hat-trick (16’, 63’, 66’), with Cristian Romero give his side the lead in first half stoppage time (45+2’). James Maddison was on the scoresheet again to make it 3 – 1 as he continues to make a positive impact following his transfer to the club from relegated Leicester City (54’).

Following three wins and a draw from their opening four matches of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Spurs sit in 2nd place with 10 points. They are only 2 points behind league leaders and reigning Champions Manchester City.

With the 2023 Summer Transfer Window now closed, here is a roundup of the signings Spurs have made as they look to secure a return to European Football. Firstly, the loan deals for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski from Sporting Clube de Portugal and Juventus were made permanent. Porro signed for a fee of £40 million, whereas Kulusevski joined the club permanently for a fee of £25 million.

And now, in no particular order, let’s round-up the other seven signings Spurs made this summer, starting with Manor Solomon. The Israeli forward joins the club on a free transfer upon the expiry of his Shakhtar Donetsk contract. Last term, he was on loan with fellow Premier League side Fulham, with whom he made 24 appearances, scoring five goals.

Central defender Ashley Phillips signed for Spurs from EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers for a reported fee of £2 million in August 2023. After a spell with Curzon Ashton, Phillips joined Rovers’ academy in 2017, signing a professional contract with the club on 20th September 2022.

This followed his league and cup debuts for the club. He was named in the Starting XI in a 4-0 Carabao Cup victory against Hartlepool United on 10th August 2022. His league debut against West Bromwich Albion saw him play 71 minutes in a 2-1 victory on 14th August. After impressing in the 2022/23 season, he signed for Spurs in the 2023 Summer Transfer Window.

Alejo Veliz, a 19-year-old Argentinian forward, was another player to sign for the Lilywhites this summer. Before joining the club from Rosario Central, he had found the net 11 times in 23 top-flight appearances in the 2023 season. Veliz signed for Spurs for a reported fee of £13 million in August 2023.

Italian Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has signed for Spurs to replace the long-serving Hugo Lloris, joining for a fee of £17.2 million on 27th June 2023. Vicario joined from Empoli, where he had just kept seven clean sheets in a Serie A season which saw Vicario and Empoli finish in 14th place with 43 points.

VFL Wolfsburg’s Dutch defender Micky Van de Ven has come in to strengthen the Tottenham defence. He made 33 appearances, scoring a goal and two assists as Wolfsburg finished 8th in the Bundesliga after accumulating 49 points last season. He signed for £34.5 million.

The previously mentioned James Maddison, who is one of the club’s most in-form players so far this season, signed on 28th June 2023 for a fee of £40 million. During his five years with Leicester City, the midfielder made 203 appearances, scoring 55 goals and getting 41 assists in all competitions.

Former Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson was Tottenham Hotspur’s final 2023 Summer Transfer Window signing. The Wales international had settled in perfectly in his first top-flight campaign last term, where he was the club’s second-highest Premier League goal scorer with 8. He also got three assists.

James Maddison has made the most significant impact of all the new signings, with two goals and two assists in his first four Premier League appearances for Tottenham. He, alongside the other new signings, will hope to help their new club qualify for European football come the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to come face to face with newly promoted Sheffield United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their next Premier League fixture.

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