Opinion: Tottenham need a complete overhaul in one position next summer
The Tottenham Hotspur squad is getting stronger with every transfer window, and while Ange Postecoglou’s men have a whole new season ahead of them, it’s already clear what area needs to be improved next summer.
The goalkeepers are not good enough
Let’s be honest, the gulf in class between Guglielmo Vicario and our other three first-team goalkeepers is huge. The Italian is a brilliant number one; arguably one of the best in the league, but he has absolutely no competition or adequate cover behind him.
Fraser Forster has been injured pretty much all year, and even when he is fit, he’s Championship level at best now. At 36-years-old, he’s past his prime and has very little to offer Spurs anymore.
Further down the pecking order, we’ve got two academy keepers in Brandon Austin and Alfie Whiteman.
The latter is unlikely to actually ever play for Tottenham again and I’m not entirely sure why we retained him this year at all. Austin is not a bad goalkeeper, and I do genuinely hope he gets some minutes in the Carabao Cup and Europa League this year.
But, frankly, both of them are only still part of the squad because of their homegrown, club-trained status. Their inclusion in the Europa League squad helped us play by the rules, but beyond that, they serve no purpose in Ange Postecoglou‘s plans.
What’s the plan?
Next summer, I fully expect Forster and Whiteman to be released at the end of their contracts. Austin might survive the cull, with a contract taking him to 2029, but there’s a chance he could be sold.
Personally, I would rather see young Luca Gunter promoted to the first-team to be one of our backup goalkeepers. The 19-year-old has served the youth team admirably, has lots of talent, and would serve the squad as a homegrown talent, too.
Aside from that, if we were to get rid of all three of our current backup options, we would likely look to sign a new goalkeeper to genuinely push Vicario for that starting spot.
Players I would be looking at include Franco Israel at Sporting Lisbon, Dominik Kotarski at PAOK Salonika, or Julen Agirrezabala at Athletic Bilbao. The latter is 23-years-old, while Israel and Kotarski are both 24, meaning they have plenty of potential still to fulfil.
But, all three are already incredibly strong keepers with a decent level of experience, and none of them would really break the bank for Spurs, either. Watch this space, and remember, when we sign one of them, you heard it here first.
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