Recently named England squad a direct reflection of Tottenham’s downturn

Harry Kane was the only Tottenham player named to England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad, a direct reflection of the club’s recent downturn. 

Gareth Southgate named his provisional squad earlier today, a list of 33 players consisting a lone Hotspur.

Harry Winks, Dele Alli and Eric Dier all missed out on selection, which should come as no surprise to anyone who closely follows the Lilywhites.

Southgate said his conversation with Dier was one of the most difficult, with Spurs’ centre back reportedly not taking the news of his exclusion well.

Dier, though, has nothing to feel aggrieved about. Thanks to Ryan Mason’s interim appointment, Dier, like his English counterparts Alli and Winks, cracked Tottenham’s first team much more regularly.

But his performances were far below club standard, let alone the exceedingly high mark set at international level. The out-of-sorts Dier can have no complaints for being excluded from the Three Lions provisional squad.

Winks and Dele quite frankly never had a chance. Not too long ago Dele, Winks, Dier — and, going further back, even Danny Rose — were all permanent fixtures of Southgate’s starting 11, never mind a 33-man provisional squad.

Southgate’s recent squad announcement is another reminder of how far Spurs have fallen in the last two years. To have only one player named in a 33-man England squad is as sobering as it is humiliating.

I can’t remember the last time Tottenham only had just a single asset named to the national squad prior to a major international tournament. Unfortunately it’s a fair evaluation of Tottenham’s current standing in domestic football.

Winks, Dele and Dier have a Mount Everest-size mountain to climb if they are to ever don the England shirt again.

A couple of questions arise: Will they be able to rejuvenate their respectively sputtering careers and, if so, will those individual redemptions occur while donning the Lilywhite of Tottenham?