Welcome back to our mini-series looking back at Tottenham Hotspur’s exciting preseason campaign. I kicked things off yesterday with a look at a few of the players who thrived and seized opportunities with both hands (or feet, as the case may be). Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at some of the unanswered questions from Spurs’ preparation for the 24/25 Premier League.
Today, though, we get to dwell in misery on the lowlights and negatives: the players who struggled in preseason and who have failed to improve their chances of being a key cog in Ange Postecoglou’s plans this season.
Strap in for a rocky ride.
Richarlison
Through no fault of his own, Richy didn’t play a minute of preseason. It’s pretty concerning though that the reason for that absence was an injury that was initially expected to keep the Brazilian out for only a month at the tail end of 23/24, a season where he missed 10 matches due to various knocks.
Though he was arguably very good when he did play, it’s starting to feel less and less like he can be relied upon, and the move for Dominic Solanke feels like some pretty damning evidence to support that assertion. Respect to him, though; he’s said he wants to stay and fight, and I can’t help but love the man. I hope he can stay fit – but my prediction is his starting opportunities could be limited going forward.
Manor Solomon
It’s often argued that Solomon is possibly the best fit for the winger position in Ange Postecoglou’s system, with some stating that he was part of Postecoglou’s preferred XI before his injury that ruled him out of most of the 23/24 season. This assertion is incorrect, with Solomon only starting 2 out of 7 matches against relegation-bound sides – plus a start in Spurs’ early exit from the League Cup – but this preseason was a chance to prove the doubters wrong.
Unfortunately, he completely failed to do so, struggling to impress against Hearts, QPR, and Vissel Kobe, before failing to even see the pitch in the remaining fixtures, as Postecoglou preferred to give youth players minutes over the Israeli winger. It seems pretty clear he’s not in the manager’s plans, and he’s now linked with a loan move away.
Ashley Phillips
With Spurs arguably lacking in depth in defense, and Phillips possibly the most talented center back coming through the youth system, he had a huge opportunity to prove himself after a successful loan last season to Plymouth Argyle. Unfortunately, an injury while on Spurs’ preseason tour ruled him out of the majority of preseason when the fourth center back spot was potentially up for grabs.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Phillips, but I believe he’ll still get a chance – just probably not this season, with him likely to head out on loan instead. Here’s hoping he can regain his fitness, and continue to develop with a view to potentially integrating into the senior team next season.
Pape Matar Sarr
Possibly the most controversial inclusion on this list, as I wrestled between including Sarr and another player who will be in the next piece instead. The reality is that Sarr is potentially the most “expendable” player in Spurs’ midfield three, with Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Oliver Skipp, and now Lucas Bergvall all options at his position.
That meant he had to really step up through preseason to cement his place in the XI, and though Ange was full of praise for Sarr’s running and effort, his limitations on the ball were painfully obvious as he was a clear weak link in a number of mixed midfield performances. Sarr’s obviously still young, so it’s not a big deal at this point in his career; but I had hoped he could build on the great strides he made last season. Without that improvement, it feels like a matter of time before Bergvall or Bentancur displace him in the XI, and that’s without taking into account the numerous links to all-action 8’s through the transfer window.
