Positions where Tottenham Hotspur need to improve players and depth
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham needs a winger opposite Son
Before the headlines, for his comments, odds were split on whether or not Gareth Bale will return for a final loan season with Spurs or go back to Madrid. Even if Bale returns next season, he rarely provides the graft, nor the availability to play 3,000 minutes, in a system that requires the wings to get up and down the pitch.
Worse for Tottenham there is not much behind Bale
If Gareth Bale is not playing out on the right, Tottenham alternate between Erik Lamela and Lucas Moura on the right outside of attack. For all the effort and ability, Lamela and Moura both bring – which is considerable on all counts – neither is really a right-wing. Both play best centrally and have a tendency – whether playing on the right or the left – to drift central leaving Spurs without width.
One of the reasons both Doherty and Aurier have had such a time this season is the over-reliance on the fullbacks to create width and forward attack since the wing always cuts inside. This further unbalances the team and frankly makes Spurs both vulnerable and predictable. We can look across the way and see that even Heung-Min Son needs some cover since Steven Bergwijn has not had a good campaign but oddly enough as a true winger and a right-footed player – Bergwijn was born and bred to be an inverted winger.
Finding someone who can get to the right end line and get a cross played into Harry Kane that is NOT the right fullback is an absolute must. As is finding cover for the captain, Tottenham’s fifth area of need.