Tottenham

Projected starting XI

Hugo Lloris; Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier; Danny Rose, Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele, Kieran Trippier; Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen; Harry Kane

How do you feel about your club's summer transfer business?

What business? At the time of this writing, Spurs have brought in a total of zero additions to the squad, and their only transfers have been outgoing. The most high profile has been the departure of England right back Kyle Walker to Manchester City for a staggering £50 million, which is a great deal of money, but also a move that weakens Spurs' back line. The football punditry on Tottenham's window has ranged from aghast indignation that Spurs don't seem to be even trying to improve their squad, to proclamations that Pochettino is playing multidimensional chess by improving the squad through keeping (nearly) all of his best players and promoting from Spurs' impressive academy.

That last point is important, though: with the exception of Walker, Spurs have managed to keep ahold of all of its top stars in this offseason, and the club just beat back Manchester United who tried to poach Eric Dier. That's big. Keeping the band together is probably the single most important thing they can do to keep their positive momentum.

Nobody really expects Spurs to make zero signings in the transfer window, but at the time of this writing the only signing that looks likely is Ross Barkley from Everton, whom Pochettino seems to think could be Mousa Dembele's replacement in Spurs' midfield. A lot of Spurs fans aren't happy about this, especially considering Everton have been holding out for a ludicrous £50m fee, and because Ross Barkley is... well, Ross Barkley. He's just OK.

In short, Spurs fans are bracing themselves for another transfer window that could go all the way to deadline day, and are fearful of another Moussa Sissoko-esque panic buy. That doesn't feel too great, but thankfully Spurs are starting with a very high baseline.

Are you happy with ownership? Elated? Cautiously optimistic? Furious?

It's safe to say that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy divides opinion. Spurs have steadily improved under his stewardship, progressing from a club that was well outside of contention for Champions League places in the 1990s to a club that has made a title run for two straight years. In addition, Spurs are building the newest, biggest, and best club stadium in England, which will open in fall 2018. That new stadium is expected to greatly increase the club's revenue in upcoming years, which will hopefully put the club on more equal footing with the biggest clubs in the league, and allow it to offer better wages and transfer fees to its players. This is all due to Levy's leadership, and he should be commended. The club is focused around a core of young, inexpensive, and extremely talented players, and there's a great deal of optimism about the Tottenham's overall direction.

But it's transfer windows like this one that raise the ire of supporters and further Levy's other reputation for being a tough negotiating, penny-pinching miser who doesn't listen to supporters and who won't just open up the pocketbooks and sign good players.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Levy has been undeniably fantastic for Tottenham, but for some no matter how high Spurs go he'll always be the person who simultaneously ended "the way the club used to be" and is holding back the club from reaching it's true potential.

What's the highest reasonable goal your team has and what needs to go right to get there?

After two top-three finishes, and especially after finishing second last season, you'd forgive many fans for expecting Spurs to push for their first league title since 1961. But as always, Spurs' status as financial minnows compared to the whales of the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool make that prospect difficult. Spurs may retain the overall best starting XI of last year's Premier League, but they haven't done a thing to improve it. It's a long season, and winning the league is hard.

Still, that's one heck of a starting XI. With players like Harry Kane, Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-Min, and Dele Alli, it would be extremely reasonable to expect Spurs to finish in the top four and play Champions League football again in 2018-19. Anything above that would be gravy.

What are you scared of that might derail your season?

Injuries. Tottenham's first choice team is amazing, they have the best back four in the league returning (minus Walker), and they should be able to hang with any team in the league. But if one or more of their best players go down with injuries, there isn't an equal amount of talent waiting in the wings. If two-time golden boot winner Kane misses significant time this year like he did last year, Spurs will be relying on players like Vincent Janssen, Moussa Sissoko, Kevin Wimmer, and Georges-Kevin N'Koudou. Considering their output last season, that's concerning.

The other wildcard is Spurs' year at Wembley Stadium. White Hart Lane is now completely gone while they build their new ground, and Spurs will play all their home matches at England's national stadium, a place where they haven't had the best of luck in recent years. The hand-wringing about playing a season at Wembley may be overblown, but Spurs were undefeated in the last season at the Lane, and it's always tough to adapt to playing in a new place. A few clunkers at "home" next season could force Spurs off the rails.

Who will be your team's MVP this season, and why?

Harry Kane. He is Tottenham's talisman, their home grown superstar, and the best striker in the Premier League two years running. His scoring output is a huge part of Tottenham's success, and next season should prove no different. Plus, this is his chance to prove to the rest of the league that he's more than just a three season wonder.