Now the season is over, it’s time to have some tough conversations as to who stays and who goes from the current iteration of the Tottenham Hotspur squad; or to put it more casually, F***, Marry, Kill, Spurs edition.
In this series, we will work our way through the Tottenham Hotspur squad - covering all players who have seen the pitch for the men’s first team, as well as all players out on loan playing senior men’s football. We’ll also include a couple of known incomings who are not yet “officially” Spurs players.
For each of these footballers, we’ll give you our thoughts as to why they should stay (Keep), head out on loan (Loan), or go (Sell - either via an actual sale, or conclusion of their contract); though there may also be a bacon sandwich that pops up here and there also. Squad building is a tricky process, and balancing contracts, squad needs, and UEFA eligibility rules is not for the faint-hearted - but we will give it our best shot!
Starting with an area that is now reasonably settled for Spurs: the goalkeepers.
Editor’s note: this series and a couple of the pieces in it were nearly completed at time of writing, so we will still cover players whose future has already been confirmed (i.e. released players)
Guglielmo Vicario - Keep
A no-brainer with which to start. Though Vicario has his weaknesses, he is decent with the ball at his feet, and is an elite shot-stopper which is kind of the key component of the role. Could Spurs aim higher? Maybe, but now is not the time, with the squad in desperate need of reinforcement elsewhere.
Antonin Kinsky - Keep
The Czech keeper received a baptism by fire when he transferred to Spurs, thrust immediately into the starting lineup, and acquitting himself reasonably well in Vicario’s absence. There are questions around his shot-stopping ability and footwork, but he’s very young and has time. Has done enough to operate as Vicario’s backup next season.
Brandon Austin - Keep
Club-trained, decent enough to do a job when called upon, and with a contract that runs until the summer of 2029, Austin is the perfect third keeper. Will likely see limited chances, but he seems a good sort around the club so that shouldn’t be an issue.
Fraser Forster - Sell (Release) - confirmed
The gentle giant probably saw the writing on the wall this season. He struggled with the requirements of Ange-ball, with a couple of horror moments leading to Ange Postecoglou giving untested keeper Brandon Austin a go ahead of Forster. With the signing of Kinsky in January, he’ll start the transfer window without a club as his contract concludes.
Alfie Whiteman - Sell (Release) - confirmed
Everyone’s favorite Letterboxd reviewer and DJ will see his time at the club come to an end this summer. He has been usurped in the keeper hierarchy by Brandon Austin, and his loan spells elsewhere have been unsuccessful. At this stage, there is no reason for Spurs to renew his contract (which finishes at the end of this season), so Alfie will likely have to find pastures new if he is to continue his football career.
Josh Keeley - Loan*
*Ideally with a new contract, otherwise a sale could be considered for the right price
Josh Keeley has a lot of bargaining power right now. A talented keeper with a good all-round skillset coming off a very successful loan season at Leyton Orient, he unfortunately came to the club too late to ever qualify as a UEFA club-trained player. As a general rule, it’s bad squad building to have three non-club-trained keepers, which means at a certain point Spurs will likely need to make a choice as to who they keep out of Vicario, Kinsky, and Keeley. The problem is that currently, Keeley’s contract is up in 2027, so if they decided to go with Vicario and Kinsky as the long-term option, that’s a decision that would ideally be made this summer, which doesn’t really give the club a chance to truly see what Keeley could offer at the top level. If, however, Keeley is willing to sign a new contract (which some recent reporting has indicated may be the case), then that will allow Spurs to kick that can down the road and send Keeley out on loan at a higher level next season - hopefully the Championship.
Luca Gunter - Loan
Spurs’ young, age-grade international keeper saw his first taste of senior men’s football this season, as he headed to Wealdstone in the National League on loan in January. He made 14 starts for The Stones, which is pretty impressive for a 20-year-old, and the club will likely want to build on that experience next season. As such, he will likely head out to another club - ideally one where he can play a lot of minutes.
Carey Bloedorn - Loan
Hands up if you know who this guy is? Be honest. I didn’t until I went to write this article, so there you go. Bloedorn is something of an enigma: he was born in Pakistan, grew up in Milton Keynes, and has German citizenship - an interesting combination of cultures - and was scouted as a child from Norwich City’s academy setup. Since then, he has moved his way up through Spurs’ academy ranks, before signing his first professional contract at the start of the 24/25 season. He’s gone on loan to actual adult teams a couple of times as well (which might explain our lack of familiarity - out of sight, out of mind and all), including a spell most recently at National League South team Aveley FC, where he made 19 starts. That is downright impressive for a now-19-year-old, and like Gunter, Spurs will probably loan Bloedern out once more to allow him to continue to develop.
There you have it. Spurs’ goalkeeper cadre really presents as possibly the most settled part of the squad (for now), with no real controversy as to next steps or potential sales. That stability means no real need to address any gaps in the transfer window - one that will already be busy for the club. That will likely change, though, as we work our way through the squad. The defense is up next!