Biggest obstacle for Spurs 2017-18 Title Challenge

Whatever happens between now and the end of this campaign, it seems reasonable to suggest that Mauricio Pochettino has assembled a side worthy of challenging for the Premier League title for seasons to come.

Delle Alli and Harry Kane have continued to flourish and gain most of the media plaudits but Spurs fans can look at every position and see strong, quick and committed players playing at an intensity rarely matched elsewhere.

The manager has shown great faith in his young players and they have rewarded him with consistently stunning performances which have led many neutrals to consider Spurs as the best footballing side in the Premier League this season. The bulk of the first team squad is aged 26 or younger and there is every reason to believe the side can only get better, especially if Pochettino realises his ambitions to strengthen the squad further this summer.

The Argentine has already expressed his desire to bring in players who can make an immediate impact and is said to be looking at Ross Barkley for an attacking midfield option while Burnley’s Michael Keane and Harry Maguire at Hull are two young defenders highly rated by Spurs.

Not that I’d advocate gambling, preferring the certainty of odds matching at matchedbets.com, but the bookmakers tend to be a good barometer when it comes to predicting a club’s chances of success in the league. Odds have begun to spring up for next season’s Premier League winners and it was surprising to see Spurs are rated fourth favourite at 9/1 behind Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs.

Given the forward trajectory of Spurs and the problems Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are having in getting the most from their squads, it feels a rather pessimistic assessment of Spurs’ title credentials. Do the odds mirror the buying power of the big three or do bookmakers see other obstacles for Tottenham to overcome?

Money could be at the centre of one potential problem for Pochettino. Harry Redknapp has been giving his thoughts on Daniel Levy’s wage structure in the Evening Standard and suggests the Spurs supremo may have to dig deeper if he is to keep hold of his star players. His claim that Dele Alli is only paid £50,000 a week is great in that Levy has tied down one the best players in the league for a fraction of what he could command at Manchester City or Manchester United but a little worrying that Alli’s head could be turned by money talk.

Harry Kane is thought to be on around £100,000 a week and a striker of his potency would expect to earn double or treble that wage at another club. Christian Eriksen is approaching his peak and the £75,000 a week it’s understood he is paid falls a long way short for a player of such quality. Levy has the players signed to long term contracts but it may create issues for Pochettino who must keep them focussed and committed to the team goals.

Another big unknown for Spurs next season is the Wembley factor. Much has already been made about having to play home games at the national stadium. The club’s disappointing results at Wembley are well documented and the Champions League victory against CSKA Moscow is the sole win in nine competitive matches at the stadium.

White Hart Lane has a special atmosphere when the team is on song and is yet to be truly replicated in the vast Wembley stadium. There is no doubt the FA Cup semi-final against was very special in terms of atmosphere but still, the tremendous support was unable to help the team over the line. Pochettino is aware of the Wembley hoodoo and it’s to be hoped his plans to have the players train there as often as possible will reverse their luck and set aside concerns.