Stan Collymore has predicted Tottenham to finish outside of the top four in the new Premier League season.
The race for the Champions League spots is set to be a fierce one in the new campaign as Spurs have seen their top-flight rivals strengthen considerably this summer.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are the only team yet to sign anyone in the transfer window and they have sold Kyle Walker to league rivals Manchester City for £50million.
The north London club have finished second and third respectively in the past two seasons, with their young squad edging closer to a first Premier League title.
However, Collymore expects Spurs to suffer a drop off in the 2017/18 campaign and miss out on the top-four positiosn, tipping Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool as the teams who will finish above them.
“Tottenham are as good as anyone 1-11 but it’s disappointing that so far Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t recruited players who can say to Harry Kane and Dele Alli: “Hey, I’m going to take your shirt”,” Collymore wrote in the Mirror.
“Unless you buy top-quality players to create competition and show you are moving forward then you are backpedaling and I fear Spurs may be outgunned.”
Spurs fans will be delighted that they have kept star names such as Harry Kane and Dele Alli, with the pair becoming two of the best players in the Premier League.
They will play all of their home matches at Wembley Stadium while their new ground is developed and will need to adjust quickly to mount a title push.
OPINION
Collymore is not the first pundit to write of Spurs’ top-four chances in the new season and it seems people are forgetting this has been the most consistent side in the past two years. They are going to face the obstacles of a ground switch and may have a thin squad, but in Pochettino they have one of the best managers in the world. Spurs also have arguably the best starting line-up in the Premier League and will feel they have good momentum going into the new season. They have established themselves as one of the division’s best recently and should not be underestimated this year.