Dembélé: “Positive Future” for Spurs

Spurs’ star midfielder Mousa Dembélé is encouraged by the progress he’s seen the team make this season, and believes it can continue.

Prior to this season, Spurs were seen by many to be in the midst of a delicate rebuilding phase, and thus were not expected to achieve much more than another Europa League berth this term. Mauricio Pochettino’s methods took hold quicker than anyone could have foreseen however, and combined with the faltering of teams like Chelsea and Manchester United, Spurs have managed to climb the Premier League table. They currently sit second, seven points behind presumptive league winners Leicester City.

Such heights were a welcome development this season, but they weren’t exactly part of the plan. Mauricio Pochettino’s mandate was to create a team that could be competitive, of course, but also sustainable. With a new era due to be ushered in at the club with the opening of their new, expanded stadium in 2018, a fresh start was needed from the wheeling dealing ways of the recent past. Selling the squad’s best assets to finance ever-more-expensive rebuilds of the squad is simply not the business model of the type of club Spurs aspire to be. They needed a system that would produce talent at a quicker rate than it could practically be bought, while also fostering a cohesion in the squad that could overcome the Premier League’s old guard and their deep pockets.

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Daniel Levy’s trust in Pochettino to be the man to bring about such a dramatic change was perhaps the most pivotal of half a dozen decisions that set the current wheel in motion. The Argentinian brought in a new Head of Recruitment, Paul Mitchell, who helped him bring in the talent to replace the fat cut from the squad over the last two summer transfer windows. Younger and peripheral players were brought into the first team and soon repaid Pochettino’s faith in them. The likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, and Érik Lamela now make up the core of the starting XI.

Perhaps one of the most critical decisions Pochettino made over the last two seasons was to hand a bigger role to Dembélé. The Belgian midfielder might be among the older parts of this Spurs squad, but his relentless energy and unwavering commitment make him the central gear in a well-oiled machine. Few could have guessed that Dembélé would even still be at the club by the summer of 2016, much less be among its most important players.

Seeing as how he’s been with the club since 2012, Dembélé is also afforded a fairly rare perspective of the team compared to his squadmates. He’s able to see just how much change and improvement Pochettino has brought to the side, and what it might mean for next season and beyond.

“Everybody can feel like we’re making a step forward,” he told the Evening Standard. “We’re playing well as a team and we can only do better next year. Next year, the top teams will be stronger but I think we will be stronger as well. You can feel the vibe, there’s a positive future for us.”

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Dembélé isn’t alone in this sentiment. The verbal agreement Pochettino recently announced that will keep him at the club for at least two more seasons is as clear a sign yet that the Spurs project will continue to improve even as the club’s rivals struggle to make up lost ground. There’s reason to believe that the shocking progress made this season is only the beginning. Spurs might be disappointed to miss out on their first title in 55 years this season, but another title charge doesn’t feel too far away.