Tottenham Hotspur will undergo a major overhaul both on and off the pitch after avoiding relegation on the final day of the Premier League season.
The club have been left shaken by back-to-back 17th-placed finishes. In Roberto De Zerbi there is a relief that they do not have to rip up the entire project and start again from scratch, now that he is tied down to a five-year contract.
However, there is expected to be at least one new appointment to the board over the summer. The inquest is also ongoing over the injury crisis that derailed Spurs for a second consecutive season and very nearly plunged them into the Championship.
After the 1-0 victory over Everton that kept his side up, De Zerbi said he had “10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay.” It will be easier to retain top earners having dodged the £200m loss that relegation would have entailed and Tottenham are hopeful of keeping a core group of players on.
Who could stay?
Joao Palhinha has underlined his importance with the winning goals in the wins over Wolves and Everton and his performance away to Aston Villa. He is still only on loan from Bayern Munich but there is an option to buy and making that deal permanent is a priority. Bringing in at least one goalkeeper and another left-wing option are also being explored.
It is hoped the most promising youngsters – Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall – will remain in north London, with Gray a particularly useful asset because of his versatility. Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are recovering from serious injury over the summer, while Dejan Kulusevski will also be continuing his rehabilitation and is not going to the World Cup with Sweden.
Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison are also players De Zerbi is set to build around going forward, along with Conor Gallagher – who only arrived in January – and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Who could go?
Guglielmo Vicario has attracted interest from Italy. He is fit again after a hernia operation but did not play the final games of the season as Antonin Kinsky kept his place.
There is also uncertainty over the long-term futures of Mathys Tel and Yves Bissouma. Randal Kolo Muani is not expected to make his loan move permanent after a disappointing season.
Ben Davies’ contract is up after missing the end of the season with a broken ankle. There has been some suggestion he could stay on in a part-playing capacity, also taking on another role off the pitch but talks are yet to be finalised either way.
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The biggest question comes at centre-back. Cristian Romero has been a long-term target of several Champions League clubs, including Atletico Madrid, and Spurs have no European football to offer next season. Romero also courted anger after flying to Argentina amid reports he would miss the final day of the season to watch his old team Belgrano – though he quickly returned to London and was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch his teammates stay up.
Spurs are in the same boat with Micky van de Ven, who will attract European suitors – but there is a hesitancy to allow them both to leave in the same summer. Kevin Danso has made a huge impression but Radu Dragusin is set to move on, with a move outside of England most likely.
Richarlison’s future is not entirely clear – he missed out on Brazil’s World Cup squad and had previously considered a move away. Dominic Solanke was among those who was unlikely to stay due to his wages if Spurs went down but there is now much more prospect of him staying put.