Tottenham Hotspur prepare for the 2021-22 Premier League season with yet another new name in the dugout after Jose Mourinho's quest to bring trophies to North London ended in abject failure.
After crossing out unwilling managerial candidates left right and centre, Daniel Levy eventually swooped for former Wolverhampton Wanderers coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who has the unenviable task of trying to turn Spurs into a Champions League-competing club once more.
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While ending the 13-year trophy drought and maintaining a top-four charge will be of the utmost priority, Spurs will also take part in the first edition of the unfancied Europa Conference League, and speculation off the pitch continues to bedevil Nuno's preparations for the new term.
Here, Sports Mole provides an in-depth preview of Tottenham's 2021-22 season and how we think Nuno's first campaign in charge may pan out.
FIXTURES
Tottenham's first game of the 2021-22 league season could hardly be a more daunting one, as Nuno will begin his competitive stint in North London with a home clash against reigning champions Manchester City on August 15.
A quick reunion with Wolverhampton Wanderers follows for Nuno in gameweek two, while back-to-back London derbies with Chelsea and Arsenal will cap off Tottenham's September fixtures.
The festive season also sees Tottenham take on Leicester City and Liverpool in quick succession, while another two clashes in the space of a week versus Arsenal and Chelsea await the Lilywhites on January 15 and 22 respectively.
A welcoming final-day fixture sees Nuno's side welcome Burnley to the capital on May 15, but their two fixtures prior to that are against Leicester and Liverpool, whom they will surely have to battle for the right to appear in Europe once again.
> Click here to see all of Tottenham Hotspur's 2021-22 fixtures
SUMMER SIGNINGS
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In
Pierluigi Gollini (loan, Atalanta BC)
Bryan Gil (£22.5m, Sevilla)
Cristian Romero (£45m, Atalanta BC)
Out
Danny Rose (free, Watford)
Paulo Gazzaniga (free, Fulham)
Kazaiah Sterling (released)
Shilow Tracey (free, Cambridge United)
Juan Foyth (£13.5m, Villarreal)
George Marsh (free, AFC Wimbledon)
Erik Lamela (free, Sevilla)
Toby Alderweireld (£11.7m, Al-Duhail)
Troy Parrott (loan, MK Dons)
Kion Etete (loan, Northampton Town)
Joe Hart (£1.1m, Celtic)
Jubril Okedina (undisclosed, Cambridge United)
Jamie Bowden (loan, Oldham Athletic)
Total spent to date: £67.5m
Total received to date: £26.3m
Net transfer balance: -£41.2m
SQUAD
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Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Pierluigi Gollini, Alfie Whiteman
Defenders: Matt Doherty, Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Joe Rodon, Japhet Tanganga, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Sergio Reguilon, Ryan Sessegnon, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero
Midfielders: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso, Oliver Skipp
Forwards: Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Bryan Gil, Jack Clarke, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min
> Click here for full details of Tottenham's 2021-22 squad
STRONGEST XI
STAR PLAYER - HARRY KANE
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Having been forced to deny reports claiming that he refused to show up for pre-season training, Harry Kane seems destined to lead the Spurs attack for at least another 12 months, in spite of Manchester City's best attempts to prise him away from North London.
Understandably growing frustrated at the lack of silverware on his CV, Kane - now 28 - has been at the centre of a transfer tussle ever since he reportedly voiced his desire to leave the club, although Levy's £160m valuation of the striker could price even the most financially capable sides out of a move this summer.
Kane returns from his tropical holiday after notching up four goals en route to the Euro 2020 final with England, while he also claimed both the Golden Boot and playmaker awards last term with 23 goals and 14 assists from 35 Premier League games.
The Englishman's prolific partnership with Son Heung-min could ultimately only fire Tottenham to a seventh-placed finish last season, but as he closes in on the 250-goal mark for the Lilywhites, the trophies must start coming in lest Levy and Nuno prepare to bid farewell to the England skipper.
MANAGER - NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO
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Certainly not Daniel Levy's first-choice for a Jose Mourinho successor, Nuno Espirito Santo took the reins when Brendan Rodgers, Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte and Erik ten Hag refused to do so, and he has some pretty big boots to fill.
Mourinho was unable to deliver the coveted trophy that he was brought in to secure - while Ryan Mason's one shot at glory in the EFL Cup final ended in failure - but Nuno's winning mentality quickly became evident at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The ex-Porto goalkeeper learned his trade as Panathinaikos's goalkeeping coach prior to spells at Rio Ave, Valencia and Porto before heading to Molineux, where he masterminded the club's run to the Championship title during their 99-point 2017-18 season.
Nuno established Wolves as a fixture of the Premier League and led the West Midlands club into continental competition, but taking the Spurs job represents a step-up of seismic proportions for the 47-year-old, who will be determined to prove that the club's long and arduous search for a new manager has paid dividends.
LAST SEASON - 7th
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin may have condemned Tottenham to the worst possible start to the new season during a 1-0 win for Everton on the opening weekend, but the Mourinho-led Lilywhites would soon claim memorable scalps over Arsenal, Manchester City, and of course, the infamous 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
With 12 games of the season gone, Spurs would find themselves sitting pretty at the top of the pile - a very rare sight indeed - but then-defending champions Liverpool knocked them off their perch with a 2-1 win on December 16, and their final two fixtures of 2020 saw them claim just one point from six against Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Red would soon become the theme for Tottenham, who suffered five defeats from six Premier League games between January and February to drop out of the European places entirely, and a dampening North London defeat to Arsenal would follow thereafter.
A 2-2 draw with Everton proved to be the final nail in Mourinho's coffin, as 29-year-old Mason - the youngest manager in Premier League history - helped to steady the ship and claim a place in the Europa Conference League with a thrilling 4-2 success over Leicester City on the final day.
The Lilywhites did step out onto the Wembley turf for the EFL Cup final but lost 1-0 to serial champions Manchester City, and fans may still be having nightmares about Mislav Orsic after the Dinamo Zagreb man single-handedly knocked Tottenham out of the Europa League last 16.
PREDICTION
Keeping Kane on the books could prove to be the difference between Spurs competing with the big boys or dropping out of European contention entirely, although Nuno has overseen three impressive incomings during his first transfer window.
The pre-season signs are also positive, but taxing midweek trips across Europe for the UEFA Conference League could yet hinder Spurs' bid for a top-four finish, especially if the medical room starts piling up.
Nuno managed to turn Wolves from a Championship side to top-seven challengers, so there is no reason why the Portuguese cannot steer Spurs into continental competition once again, but a top-six finish may be just out of their reach.
VERDICT: Seventh
Ben Knapton
