The 2020/21 Premier League season is all set to be just as curious as the completion of the last one. The Coronavirus that has wrought havoc on businesses all over England and top flight football was far from immune. 21st century football’s business model is dependent upon broadcast rights, buy the ‘gravy’ comes from being able to sell game related product to the fans in the stadiums. In Tottenham’s case, the business model of the club pivoted in recently, with the emphasis swinging from the football to the venue itself. The wisdom of this move remains to be seen, however the football team, despite the business model, looks set to mount a comeback.
When looking at which big English teams are well placed to perform through the challenging conditions before them, Spurs will be very well placed to face the immediate future, watching Tottenham in particular for one major reason – José Mourinho.
During Mauricio Pochettino’s reign, the Argentine, in an unprecedented move, told The Guardian “Maybe Spurs need to change my job title” as the then coach revealed that he had no say in transfers. This allegation made lot of sense, given Tottenham’s prevalence for buying players that hopefully could be sold on for a profit at some stage. A strategy that invariably had backfired, as CEO Daniel Levy simply ended up selling the club’s best players – which ain’t quite the same deal!
However, since arrival of the Special One, even the restraints of the market and the club’s owners has yet to prevent the Portuguese from achieving his aims. The acquisition of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is not a typical Mourinho signing in terms of the retail price, yet in terms of what José’s squad needed, the Dane is a superb fit. This is precisely the type of player that Spurs had been crying out for. It was Mourinho’s brilliance at work here that combined a laughably small budget and identifying the right player.
The window has weeks to run and it is heavily anticipated that Spurs will make further deals in this window, which will provide Mourinho with the churn of personnel that was so desperately absent from the squad under Pochettino’s five and a half years. Mourinho in a leaked clip, has already shaken up the club by lashing out at the ‘nice boys’ image that he felt the team had. This attitude, along with the unstoppable desire to win – not compete – but actually win, is set to propel Spurs from being contenders in name to contenders for real.
I guess we’ll find out how key he will be. I find this notion that we only failed to win stuff because we were too ‘nice’ slightly troubling.
True that we have lacked leadership at times on the pitch but winning stuff usually happens when you bring in a manger and give him top players like Liverpool did. This has also happened during Jose’s career, many times.
When you look at PEH’s career as a Bayern ‘B’ player and his loans in Germany before joining Saints it hardly sets the pulse racing, he’s 25. We need characters but ones with a balance of quality too. Would any other side in the top 6 have gone for this guy for their central midfield? Nope…
Does the actual physical elastic armband actually matter in football? It is not rugby where the captain is the only player who can speak to the ref and makes tactical decisions in-play. We need characters on the pitch captain or not. If Hugo likes it, leave him as it, as long as Kane, PEH and hopefully a few more are also “leading” across the rest of the pitch
Agree. Dembele strong & skilful. But a Ray Wilkins, no goals or assists.
I like Winks, but after 3 years I’m not sure what kind of midfield player he is for us. He’s not strong enough to physically boss a midfield, and his forward play seems almost non-existant at times. I feel he plays centre-mid because there is nobody else. I really hope I’m wrong and Mourinho develops him into what they used to call ‘A Schemer’, but i feel his time has passed..
I was hoping to shoehorn in a funny (yes a first for me) about us signing Sicknote Mk2/fighting Lamela for the treatment table but then I read his stats and saw that indeed he did miss 1 game through injury in his 4 seasons at Stains :=((
Good article btw H
I would be amazed if Hugo is still captain next season.He has no qualifications.
Even as France captain he defers to stronger characters on the pitch.
Another one who is too nice.
Dembele was a winger for AZ over here too. It still irks me we sold him 6 months before needing him in a CL final
I can recall (and not just 1 Spurs fool) Dembele being moaned about “get ball do a 360 then pass sideways”.
Of course MacKay, Ball, Stiles, Makelele, Kante, Bremner even Scholes. Who would Mane look up and rather face – Harry Winks or Hojbjerg
Disagree on dier sort of he is like Dawson if he has toby telling him he can put a shift in and save sanchez for big games
I honestly don’t care for pretty anymore the last 18 months has smashed the desire for pretty football out of mw just want to see us do something
To be fair Dembele only started playing a deeper midfield role under Pochettino and I think even that was down to injuries. Sherwood had him playing at 10 and on the wing, even Poch played him further forward for at least a season
All top teams had a top ball winner……who could also play. Lee Cattermole was a kicker in midfield, he couldn’t play though. Hojbjerg is no Clattermole, but he does need to improve. Now it is over to Jose.
Bowen managed 12 games for a shit West Ham team this season – he’s also 4 years older than Clarke.
You could probably say that Dier, Dele, Walker, Rose also came from Tesco’s own brand bargain bin
Hojbjerg has no back-story, beyond Southampton not being tough enough for him.
Time for Lloris to surrender his captaincy.
Isn’t fat😂. It’s a bloody start😂
Agreed with your comments.However he is not inspiring and I think that is what we will get with Mourinho’s choices in this market.
His players will be functional to do a specific job for him.If he gets Levy to buy into his vision in a restricted market then we could,with a pre-season,have the makings of a competetive team.
It may not be pretty most of the time,but the guy is a proven winner,even in his darkest days at Utd.he won trophies.
I will give him the benefit of the doubt and at least one window.
One advantage of Hojbjerg is that he’s ready to go, he’s not injured, doesn’t need two years to adjust to the Premier League, won’t struggle in a new country new language new culture, doesn’t seem to have psychological problems, isn’t fat.
Off topic heard that we were interested in Hulls Jarrod Bowen but somebody wouldn’t pay the price and went for Tescos own brand of cornflakes in Jack Clark, cos he was cheap. One of them plays regularly and one of them is like the invisible man, guess which one we bought. One thing that is different is I don’t think there is any way Mourinho would have agreed with signing Clark.
Happy with the signing of PEH (did he really sign or was that a stand in? – I have my doubts – as his tattoos have changed)
Up front I’m not too worried, we have understudies at worst and Harry will always be picked whether he’s got gout or varicose veins
Midfield is looking strong, PEH, N’Dombele could (yes, could) be sublime if him and Jose can kiss and make up, and Lo Celso. Strength and creativity as a pivotal triangle in the middle to guide and reinforce the upward movement, with Son and Bergwijn on the wings.
Its the back that’s the problem. Dier is not good enough. Toby still is, but the old war horse is ageing and slowing. Davis is meh. Sanchez I like and would like to see him alongside Tanganga, with Sessy on the left and Celik or Capaste at RB
Never mind me mate🌚
PEH is no Dembele who was a special player with the ability to win the ball and dribble past opponents. The only thing they have in common is an inability to score goals. On the matter of our non-existent transfer strategy under Levy, it is all very well lauding him for getting top dollar for excellent players, but he is a lousy buyer and has missed countless opportunities to buy good players at reasonable prices due to his intransigence and inability to strike quickly when other teams are interested in the same player. His methods are outdated and he should have nothing to do with the football side of the business about which he knows nothing and furthermore, he does not even like the game.
Totally agree, and he always made sure the club got top dollar for them
Who are the best players? who Levy sold,that didn’t force his hand.Berbatov,Carrick,Modric,Bale and Walker all gave us no ultimatum. If a player wants to go to a bigger club at the time and we get maximum price I don’t see the problem.It happens to Utd with Ronaldo,Chelsea and Hazard,and Continho at Liverpool. If Levy sold our best players we wouldn’t have had Vertonghen,Kane,Alderweirld,Son,Eriksen,Lloris,Rose and Dembele for as long as we had.
The Amazon doco should have been called ‘All or Nothing – the Demise of the Nearly Men’. Hopefully our team of nice boys will buy into Jose’s “philosophy” and harden up. PEH is a step in the right direction.
Good signing, just what we needed. We are one of the first clubs to make a move in this window! Time to sort a second striker now.
Agreed H, the glaringly obvious hole left by Moussa Dembele’s departure has now been plugged. PEH may not have the skills of MD, but he will win the ball and give it to the ones that do.. I see fans moaning that he is not this and that, but all the great teams down the years have had a top ball winner, keane, Vierra etc etc..
You what?
Me tell you already and will tell you again. “TOTTENHAM COME FE CONQUER”