Tottenham Hotspur are perhaps the most frustrating big club in English football. Unlike Leeds United and Newcastle United, they have solid ownership even though the decision making of Chairman Daniel Levy, who runs the club, has been questioned.

The 2013 summer spending spree yielded little in the way of success during the 2013-14 season. Of the summer 2013 signings only Christian Eriksen who came for £12 million and Nacer Chadli for £7 million have really settled.


Those two signings were two of the least expensive the club made over that summer. In 2010, 2011 and 2012 drama and upheaval filled the Spurs side as transfers in and out of the club were frequent occurrences which consumed every transfer window. 

The summer of 2014 saw more changes and the 2014-15 season under a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino,ended up being a rocky road. Spurs made the League Cup final, but at times seemed to be a mish-mash of players bought under multiple regimes. The club limped through much of the Premier League campaign. Still the late collapse of Liverpool and Southampton's struggles with injuries and depth allowed Spurs to finish an improbable 5th, after looking wobbly all season long. Spurs fell short of UEFA Champions League qualification again, but a sense of optimism began to permeate the club and its supporters for good reason. We will get into that in a few moments. 

For years, I have discussed “Spurs Syndrome” — the underachievement of Tottenham Hotspur  when compared to its local rivals Arsenal and Chelsea partly due to poor and inconsistent management.

The failure time and again of big name players to replicate the form they have at other clubs at the North London-based side. This “syndrome” as I term it began in the 1997-1998 season when the club had to bring  and has generally continued since with the exception of two very good seasons under Martin Jol. Even under Harry Redknapp, I would argue Spurs under-performed at the most critical times.

"Spurs Sydrome" is a real thing, but this season, I sense things could be very different. The reason is simple - Mauricio Pochettino is a Manager who combines a faith in youth, with a tactical sense and a good relationship with players. Simply put, he's the leader an adrift club with grand ambitions like Spurs have long needed. 

Prior to his shock appointment by Southampton in January 2013, Pochettino was best known in England for committing the foul for Argentina in the 2002 World Cup that allowed David Beckham to convert a penalty and carry the Three Lions to the knock-out stages of that World Cup. But at Southampton, he quickly earned a reputation for mixing eye-pleasing soccer with the defensive organization and shape the Saints were previously lacking. The club achieved safety in the 2012-13 season and then finished a surprising eight the following season.

Coming off a season filled with player and manager intrigue as well as multiple embarrassingly lopsided results against top sides, Spurs badly needed a change. The 2013-14 season was one of epic failure for a Spurs squad who entered the season with high hopes. Before the season began, the talk was of Spurs finishing in the top 4 and potentially having an outside shot at the title. It was widely assumed the Spurs would finish ahead of Arsenal in the league for the first time since the 1994-1995 season. Yet Tottenham lost three times to the Gunners during the season, dropping both league meetings and losing in the FA Cup Third Round. Tim Sherwood, a former Spurs player was appointed Manager in December 2013 to stop the bleeding but his prickly style and media outbursts led to his sacking. 

Following Southampton's strong 2013-14 season and Spurs comparative failure, Levy made his first logical managerial move in sometime. Pochettino's reputation for bloodletting youngsters yielded success in his first season as Spurs Manager. Both Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason played an important role in the club's midfield, improving as the season wore on. But the biggest breakthrough was of Harry Kane, a lifelong Spurs fan who had been largely ignored by previous managers, and whose loan spells at Norwich and Leicester could be deemed as unsuccessful. 

The 21 year-old Kane scored 21 league goals last season, a total only eclipsed by Manchester City's Sergio Aguero. While through the years we've seen many young English players follow up strong seasons with underwhelming ones, Pochettino is the right manager to continue to get the most out of Kane. 

The signing of Toby Alderweireld is one of the best under-the-radar pickups of the summer thus far. The Belgian International will help solidify a backline that at times has been pulled apart with ease the last two seasons. Rumors continue to circulate that Saido Berahino could join Kane on Spurs front line. Such a move would add a perfect foil for Kane, a quick, pacey striker with good finishing ability. 

Liverpool has completely uprooted its squad and will need time to reach optimum performances. Manchester City and Manchester United both still have question marks despite both making major summer moves of note.  That elusive top 4 spot and UEFA Champions League qualification  for Spurs are not completely out of the question despite the the quiet summer. 

Tottenham remains a very strong squad player-for-player and now has a manager who has proven he can maximize results in the Premier League. Pochettino has the chance to place his stamp on this side finally, with many of the underwhelming players he inherited being shipped off. The lack of drama and upheaval this summer for the first time in years means Spurs will be a well-drilled side and ready to perform when the first kick comes in two weeks.