Season Review: Tottenham overcome Wembley hoodoo to secure top-four place

When it was announced Tottenham would have to spend this season playing their home matches at Wembley while their new stadium was erected, many feared for their campaign. 

Would it prevent them from challenging for the league title? Yes, but the way Manchester City played it’s unlikely Spurs would have got anywhere near Pep Guardiola’s side anyway. 

Would it cost them a place in the top-four and lead to a mass exodus this summer? As it turned out, Spurs adapted to Wembley relatively well and managed to finish third this season. 

Now the concern is whether the money will be available to convince Mauricio Pochettino to stick around this summer. His departure would be a hammer blow for the club. 

SUCCESS - DAVINSON SANCHEZ 

There has always been a concern among Premier League clubs that the success rate of players from the Eredivisie making a successful transition to English football is relatively low.

Tottenham went through something similar with Vincent Janssen not so long ago but that didn’t put them off signing Davinson Sanchez from Ajax last summer.

The 21-year-old has, on the whole, been really impressive for Tottenham this season. His performances have been so good than Pochettino no longer feels the need to fight to keep Toby Alderweireld at the club. 

Alderweireld is regarded as one of the best defenders in the Premier League and the fact Sanchez has made him surplus to requirements says a lot about the impact the Colombian has made at the club in such a short period of time.

FLOP – SERGE AURIER

Kyle Walker’s departure last summer was offset by the arrival of Serge Aurier from Paris Saint-Germain, but the Ivory Coast international has endured a difficult first season at the club.

Aurier has shared the role of being Tottenham’s right-back with Kieran Trippier this season but the latter streaked ahead in the pecking order at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old’s future is also uncertain at the club and it would not be a surprise if Tottenham replaced him before the start of next season.

Aurier’s season will best be remembered for his inability to take a throw on. In fact, the Ivory Coast international committed 17% of all foul throws in the Premier League this season.

Grade - C