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Tottenham are stuck in 17th in the Premier League, so even if they win a historic Europa League title over Manchester United on Wednesday night, there will always be a sour taste in the mouths of Spurs fans after the 2024/25 season officially ends. It has been a historically putrid season in the Premier League from Tottenham Hotspur, signifying a clear need for the club to make sweeping changes to its personnel.

While that will likely begin with Ange Postecoglou's exit, it is even more important for Tottenham to improve their personnel on the pitch. They have a number of potential difference-makers within their ranks of young talent, but they don't have enough current star power. Ideally, Tottenham will sign players this summer who can both make a difference now and in the future.

One of those potential dream targets is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who is just 21 years old but already one of the best players in French football. Cherki has been earmarked for greatness for years, and with a 22.5 million euro release clause this summer, he could be one of the biggest transfer bargains in the summer 2025 market.

Tottenham can sign one of Europe's most skilled talents

Now, Cherki is officially hitting the open waters. According to Fabrizio Romano, Cherki announced to reporters after Lyon's 2-0 win over Angers in Ligue 1 that he intends to leave Lyon, the club that nurtured him, this summer for a bigger opportunity, thanking all those at the club for their influence on his career.

Tottenham need to get involved, fast. Cherki is going to be courted by virtually every club in England, including teams with a lot more current success like Arsenal and Liverpool. But if Tottenham can offer him the right financial package, importance in the squad, sufficient minutes, an ideal tactical fit, and the chance to be a future commercial face of the club, they can go toe-to-toe with virtually anyone with the right approach.

And Spurs do need to pull out all the stops. The sweet left-footed French international has bagged 8 goals and 11 assists in the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season with 2.5 key passes and 1.6 dribbles completed per game, making him one of the most skilled and creative playmakers in European football, especially from a wide position.

Left-footed right wingers are a rare find, and while Tottenham have a good one in Dejan Kulusevski, they need great forwards if they want to truly make the top five every year in the Premier League these days. Cherki is the kind of talent in terms of skill, athleticism, and ingenuity that doesn't often become available for just 22.5 million euros. He's available, and Tottenham need to do their best to fight for his signature this summer.

On Wednesday night in Bilbao, Tottenham will take on Manchester United in the Europa League Final, and they will need a hero to step up in the attacking midfield. All of Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and now Dejan Kulusevski are out for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign, leaving a gaping hole in the creativity and ball progression departments.

Tottenham fans are left wondering what manager Ange Postecoglou will do to fill this void between the midfield and attack, because Spurs are going to need a creative impetus to emerge if they are to secure victory against a Bruno Fernandes-led Manchester United on May 21.

Although striker Dominic Solanke is one solution as the 10, the best possible option looks like young Frenchman Wilson Odobert, though he may be inexperienced. Postecoglou gave the 20-year-old a big opportunity in the starting lineup this past weekend against Aston Villa as Tottenham's No. 10, and Odobert was actually one of the few bright spots in a 2-0 defeat for Spurs.

Wilson Odobert has skills

Appearing on a video posted to the Europa League TikTok account, Tottenham superstar left winger Son Heung-min was asked a series of questions naming the best Spurs player in each particular category. For example, Tottenham's main No. 10, James Maddison, was Son's answer for the Spurs player with the best Football IQ.

Interestingly enough, his ostensible backup, Wilson Odobert, was Son's answer to the question of the Tottenham player with the most skill. And when you watch Odobert play, it's easy to see why. He's the best pure dribbler on the team, especially in short areas, with silky smooth skills and change of direction that allow him to link up with teammates in tight spaces in the attacking third.

That should make Odobert the key as the new No. 10 for this game against Manchester United. It's a bit of a risk given Odobert's lack of experience, but a lot of that is down to his lack of minutes due to injury. Odobert has been a spark and a solid creator when he does play, often creating because of his skill on the ball.

Starting Odobert for Tottenham vs. Manchester United carries higher upside than any other option because of his creativity and skill. He could potentially capture lightening in a bottle for Spurs, and the fact that a player like Son is praising his skill compared to his teammates is a sign that Postecoglou should strongly consider taking this small gamble. There isn't a better option on paper.

Tottenham Hotspur are facing a critical summer transfer window in their history as a club, regardless of the outcome of this coming Europa League Final against Manchester United. Spurs have already sealed the worst Premier League season in their club's history, so, clearly, they can't simply fire Ange Postecoglou and think that everything will be solved with one move.

Going forward, Tottenham have to fundamentally change how they operate as a club, and that begins with building a long-term sporting project around a nucleus of high-upside stars who can gel together and form a winner year-in and year-out. Thankfully for Spurs, they already have several internal candidates to build around.

Homegrown talent Mikey Moore is one of those. He emerged out of nowhere during the current Europa League campaign and is a winger clearly worth keeping in mind as someone to build around. Already, Moore is attracting attention from other big clubs around Europe like Borussia Dortmund, placing even more of an impetus on Daniel Levy to keep him around.

Mikey Moore is going to want Tottenham to put pen to paper

So far, it looks like Tottenham will do the right thing and give Moore a raise to keep him around, but Spurs should feel pressure to make a concrete move soon. According to Fabrizio Romano, Moore has signed a deal with new agents at Unique Sports Group, joining the same agency as Arsenal phenom Ethan Nwaneri.

There are many reasons why a young player would sign with a new agency. Moore may be looking to establish himself with a more prestigious group as his star rises, or he may be joining with a new agency in order to get a bigger contract. Both of these reasons go hand-in-hand, so there is likely a combination of both.

All the same, Moore's move is a smart one for a young, rising baller, and it should put pressure on Tottenham to get to the negotiating table and hammer something out. Moore already signed a new contract with Tottenham last year, but that was just his first professional deal. He's already outgrown that by shining in the Europa League with interest from Dortmund.

Tottenham aren't going to have to make him a highly-paid player, but they are going to have to give him a bump in wages and likely written assurances of playing time and a progression plan in a senior team. That's what any smart player and agency would ask for, and Tottenham are going to have to be prepared to do those things in official format, lest they risk losing a star before he is able to shine brightly in their stadium.

As Tottenham prepare to face Manchester United on May 21 in Bilbao for the Europa League Final, the discussion is increasingly centering on how Ange Postecoglou can line his men up after losing all three of Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Lucas Bergvall for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

These injuries have gutted the attacking midfield, and Tottenham are going to need to find solutions on the fly to replace their best creators and progressors - the talented liasons between an underwhelming midfield and a questionable attack.

Although Wilson Odobert is an early favorite to start as the No. 10 on Wednesday night, the Frenchman's starting status in this position isn't yet a guarantee. Because according to Football.London's Alasdair Gold, Dominic Solanke could be the solution Postecoglou turns to as the 10 against Manchester United, utilizing the England international as a supporting player behind Richarlison at striker.

Dominic Solanke is not an ideal No. 10

Solanke has a solid all-around game, and a big selling point for Tottenham signing him last summer was the fact that he was one of the most well-rounded strikers in the Premier League. From that vantage point, Solanke behind Richarlison isn't the worst idea in the world, as the two forwards are very experienced and honestly effective players when at their best. And Solanke has been massive in the Europa League this season, stepping up in the big games.

The problem with Solanke is he is well-rounded "for a striker". His playmaking as a 9 is above-average, but it isn't necessarily going to be an asset as a 10 against a team like Manchester United that will be tough in a chips-on-the-table Europa League Final.

Odobert has the short-area quickness, agility, and dribbling skills to interchange in the attacking midfield. Solanke is a bigger target who can pass, but that doesn't necessarily give him the skill-set to be a true 10 behind Richarlison, who, himself, may be a more impactful wild card off the bench than someone Tottenham can rely on as the starting striker in a winner-take-all matchup.

Solanke has his positives, of course. He is intelligent, experienced, and economical with his touches in the final third. If he starts vs. Odobert, the Tottenham lineup is bigger and more focused on shooting and static passing rather than fluid exchanges and dribbling with less shooting. A simple decision to start Solanke at striker and play Odobert as the 10 or start Richarlison at striker with Solanke as the 10 could change the entire complexion of the battle between the mercurial Tottenham attack and the Manchester United defense and, in turn, Wednesday's Final.

Tottenham need to sign game-changing attacking talent in order to get out of the current hole they are in as the 17th-placed Premier League team finishing up what is literally their worst domestic campaign in club history.

Replacing Ange Postecoglou with a better coach can help, but it's only a Band-Aid solution if Tottenham don't get better players. Their leader in goal contributions for the 2024/25 Premier League season is a 32-year-old Son Heung-min who was basically a complete non-factor during the second half of the season.

The second-best player was James Maddison, who is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. And although Maddison has been important as a primary creator in the midfield, Spurs are considering replacing him - at least in the starting lineup - with an attacking midfielder the have been keeping an eye on for more than a year.

Tottenham can only hope for an unlikely bargain

Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze recovered from a poor start to the season for both him personally and the Eagles to register 15 goal contributions. A key contributor to a team that just won the FA Cup, Eze is arguably the best available player on the Premier League transfer market this summer.

According to a report from Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Tottenham have begun initial transfer talks with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze. The 26-year-old England international has been one of the best players at the attacking midfield position in the Premier League this season even without Michael Olise on the right wing, averaging 1.7 key passes, 2.0 dribbles completed, and 1.6 fouls drawn along with his seven goals and eight assists.

Eze has a 68 million pound release clause, and based on this reporting from O'Rourke, Tottenham do not intend on submitting a full offer for that clause. Depending on which other teams are interested in Eze and how badly they want the Palace man, it's unlikely Eze will go for that much anyway, though if Solanke went for 65 million pounds last summer, Eze won't come cheap either.

Tottenham don't need an attacking midfielder that badly with James Maddison as one of the team's best players and a host of young players capable of playing in this position, but with Maddison now injured, Eze is of a different caliber to those players in the immediate term and a legitiamte matchwinning player; the kind of player Tottenham don't have, unless Son Heung-min recovers his form.

As an investment, Eze makes no sense at full price. He's a good player but not good enough to be worth nearly 70 million pounds as an attacking midfielder. But should his price fall due to a lack of demand, Tottenham would be wise to submit a cheeky, lower bid and see if they can snap up an unlikely bargain. They should spend more time on other targets, but Eze is one of the few players they could legitimately sign this summer who would make a difference.

One of Tottenham's biggest issues over the years in the transfer market has been targeting the wrong caliber of players. Instead of signing transfer targets who can materially help them secure regular top-four football, they sign overpriced players who are several steps below the standard of peer players at rival top-four clubs in England.

For example, Tottenham signed a decent Premier League striker in Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, but they spent 65 million pounds on a player who is closer to the league average, rather than someone who can compete with the best forwards in the Premier League.

The latest transfer target at striker is a little more exciting, though. According to a report from Joel Domenighetti of L'Equipe, Tottenham have begun transfer talks with Lille star Jonathan David, who is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2024/25 season. And with Liverpool star right back Trent Alexander-Arnold headed to Real Madrid, the Canadian international is now the best free agent transfer available on the world football market in summer 2025.

Tottenham aren't the only big club involved in the sweepstakes

David has a litany of big clubs interested in him, too. In addition to Tottenham, Premier League top-five rivals Aston Villa are also involved, as are Serie A giants Napoli and Juventus. All four of these clubs have aspirations of reaching a higher level than they are currently stuck in, but Spurs, in particular, have the biggest need for a difference-making attacker, as they are 17th in their league.

Over the years, David has proven to be a solid, all-around Ligue 1 striker. He has a consistent goal-scoring record of around 15 per season and uses his frame well to shield the ball and create chances. While David isn't quite as well-rounded as Solanke, he is a much better finisher and is a few years younger at the age of 25.

You don't often see top-class, 25-year-old strikers hitting the free agent market, so David and his agent likely have designs on high wages and bonuses with no transfer fee heading to Lille. Tottenham should be willing to spend this amount, though, because they have a high-revenue generating stadium and are one of the most beloved teams in the Premier League with a global following. They can afford him and have more ammunition than Aston Villa, Napoli, and Juventus financially.

Even if Tottenham win the Europa League on Wednesday night in Bilbao against fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United, there's more than a good chance that current manager Ange Postecoglou finds himself on the unemployment line after two seasons in North London.

Postecoglou currently has Spurs in 17th in the Premier League, and they suffered yet another 2-0 loss in league play this past weekend to Aston Villa. Their 2024/25 season is the worst Premier League campaign in the club's storied history, so it is difficult to envision a road back for Postecoglou when his biggest sample size competition has been so abysmal.

Fulham coach Marco Silva has largely been discussed as the favorite to replace Postecoglou as Tottenham manager, but there are a handful of options in the English top flight at clubs outperforming Spurs who are mentioned as potential candidates.

Tottenham could hire a coach with two major titles under his belt

One of those is Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, a former Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt. Glasner is actually the betting favorite to become the next Spurs manager, and he only increased his stock on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 upset of Manchester City in the FA Cup Final to win yet another important piece of silverware for an underdog club - silverware that, also, Tottenham have yet to win at the time of this writing.

If Glasner was already the odds-on favorite to coach Tottenham, then securing the FA Cup for Crystal Palace surely makes him an even hotter candidate, not just for Tottenham but for other clubs interested in hiring a manager who can take a club higher.

Aside from a failed spell at Wolfsburg, which is one of the most dysfuctional clubs in European football despite not getting much "credit" for their mismanagement, Glasner has overperformed everywhere he's been. At one point, he was even getting shouts as a potential Real Madrid coaching candidate, which is close to the highest praise a manager can get.

Tottenham need to do their homework on Glasner and compare him to both Postecoglou and the other top managerial candidates, such as Brentford's Thomas Frank or Fulham's Silva. But Glasner now has a second compelling reason and an edge above the others, and after this FA Cup triumph over Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, Glasner has slayed yet another European giant in a big game and put himself squarely on everyone's radar. In conjunction with his overperformance at Palace in the second half of the Premier League season, this FA Cup win is a very big deal.

These last few weeks, one of the biggest storylines around Tottenham Hotspur has been the status of superstar forward Son Heung-min, who had been shut down with a foot injury since early April after the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Son had been struggling for form for quite some time, and it appeared that him playing through the pain of a foot injury in order to try and help Tottenham was the main culprit. The South Korean superstar had actually started the season reasonably well for Spurs, but his form had fallen off a cliff in the second half of the campaign, potentially because of this injury.

He returned to the Tottenham squad and got about 32 minutes of pain-free action about a week ago against Crystal Palace in a 2-0 loss. Then on Friday, just days before the Europa League Final against Manchester United on May 21, Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou upgraded Son's responsibilty to starting status.

Ange Postecoglou revealed the key to Son Heung min's status

Son was able to play 74 minutes without incident, and although this match was yet another poor 2-0 loss for Tottenham, the positive of having a healthy Son for almost a full start before the Europa League Final was bigger than a, truthfully, meaningless defeat in an already lost season.

Speaking after the game, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, Postecoglou essentially confirmed that Son is ready to start against Manchester United this coming Wednesday night in Bilbao, “Well, he’s ready and he’s available. He started today. They’re all ready to start, so I think him playing 70-75 minutes today was important."

Even though this has clearly been a down year for Son, he's still a crucial player for Tottenham, especially in a game of this magnitude against Manchester United with both the club's season and overall trajectory on the line. Son can win his first major trophy and put an exclamation mark on his legendary Tottenham career by hoisting the Europa League title to save the club's worst-ever Premier League campaign.

Son once carried Tottenham to a Champions League Final without Harry Kane by his side, and even though he's not quite the same player at 32, he is still Tottenham's most productive attacking player in the final third with seven goals and nine assists in the Premier League this season. Without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall available for the Final, those goal contributions are that much more important.

So barring an unexpected setback, pencil Son Heung-min in your Tottenham starting lineups vs. Manchester United. By getting 74 minutes of action against Aston Villa after his 32 vs. Crystal Palace, he is ready to be out the there and give it his all for the club he loves.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, for years, has been the lion eating the young in North London, selling off players before they get a chance to become stars at the club. With Tottenham sinking to 17th in the Premier League but holding a nucleus of promising players, the fundamental way the club operates has to change, and every single supporter knows it.

Already, Tottenham have shown that there may be some positive changes at the club. They signed Lucas Bergvall to an extension that should keep the Swedish midfielder tied to the club for the foreseeable future with powerhouses like Real Madrid already circling. And Levy himself is now among those banging the table for Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium permanently.

Next up on the list is keeping Mikey Moore. The gem teenage winger was one of the more underrated bright spots in this dismal 2024/25 campaign, shining when he got a cup of coffee in the Europa League. Moore is so coveted that notorious young star snatchers Borussia Dortmund are in on him, but Spurs fans can rest easy knowing that Tottenham aren't going to let another big European club steal him away.

Tottenham can't lose a phenom to another European power

According to a report from GiveMeSport's Danny Rust and Dean Jones, Tottenham have absolutely no interest in selling Moore and consider him unsellable. Amidst the interest from Dortmund, Spurs are working to sign Moore to a contract extension that will keep him away from other club, and they are going to offer him more money as a reward to keep the 17-year-old in North London.

This is obviously great news for Tottenham fans, and it's a deal Spurs have to get done. Moore is paid peanuts and has just two years left on his deal, so if he were not signed to a new contract, he'd be an obvious risk candidate to leave somewhere else like Dortmund, which, despite their own issues this season, have been in a better situation than Tottenham.

Spurs have the selling point of Moore being a possible face of the franchise for a rise back to title contention in the Premier League, but those kinds of "moral victories" don't count as much as dollar signs. Tottenham have to back up their talk financially, and there's something to be said about taking an approach with a young player that makes them feel valued from all sides. Spurs have to make Moore feel valued and keep him at all costs; this report is a positive sign they will do that. These kinds of players should be unsellable assets to Spurs.

Tottenham will face Manchester United on May 21 in the Europa League Final, but they will do so severely short-handed. Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison, and now Dejan Kulusevski have all suffered season-ending injuries, leaving Spurs without their main creative impetus in the attacking midfield.

All throughout the week, there's been speculation on what under-fire manager Ange Postcoglou will do in midfield in what is surely a must-win game with vital implications for the overall trajectory of Tottenham Hotspur.

In a recent press conference after Tottenham's latest loss, 2-0 to Aston Villa in the Premier League, Postecoglou had some praise for the young player he experimented as the No. 10 against Villa, summer 2024 signing Wilson Odobert, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold:

Ange Postecoglou had some high praise after Aston Villa match

“I thought Wilson was good. The issue with Wilson is that he has just missed so much of the season. You can see he lacks match sharpness, but he is an intelligent player...I think with Wilson, at least we have got him some significant minutes again. With the way we are in that midfield area, he might be one we need to rely on come Wednesday, so it’s good for him to play.”

Odobert looks like he's going to be the No. 10 for Tottenham vs. Manchester United. He was one of the few bright spots in another below-average game against Villa, though Spurs weren't really trying to win and were more resting and experimenting.

The Frenchman passed his test, and there really isn't a better option in the 10 role. Odobert has the creativity, feel for the game, and, maybe most importantly, the dribbling skills in the hole behind the striker for this role.

What Odobert needs to do is what he did against Aston Villa this weekend, and that is to link up with the players around him and facilitate play in tight areas. Tottenham just need someone who can combine and string passes together with Mathys Tel, Son Heung-min, and Dominic Solanke in a Tottenham attack that, even with all the injuries, should still be better on paper than Manchester United's.