Moves Tottenham Hotspur Should and Should Not Make in the Summer Transfer Window

Transfer windows have usually been particularly active times of the year at Tottenham Hotspur. 

Often, many players are signed and many more are sold as the squad changes drastically from season to season. 

There was some stability in the later years of Harry Redknapp's managerial reign at White Hart Lane, though, and that appears to be the direction that the club is once again heading under Mauricio Pochettino. 

Pochettino is well known for his insistence that players can be improved through coaching and that academy graduates can be groomed for success. 

The focus on in-house development of talent means that Tottenham are unlikely to make significant moves in the coming summer window, but there are particular pitfalls that the club must avoid and smart moves to make.

Transfer windows can make or break clubs. Spurs are not far from being a genuine top-four contender, and some key improvements could help them take that step. 

At the same time, the wrong decisions could see them slip out of the top-six berth in which they have been ensconced for several years.

What Spurs Should Do This Summer

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After a season under Pochettino, Tottenham have emerged with a strong, young core of players and significantly improved levels of optimism among their supporters.

In Harry Kane, Spurs have a reliable goalscorer and the talismanic player they've lacked since the retirement of Ledley King robbed the club of having a local lad in the first team.

Hugo Lloris continues to be the division's finest goalkeeper, and the midfield tandem of Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb showed its quality in wins over Arsenal and Chelsea. 

However, there is a significant portion of the squad not pulling their weight. Players such as Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue and Emmanuel Adebayor should be the first to be sold in the summer. Given the substantial wages Kaboul and Adebayor command, their exits should be the priority, but Capoue has failed to convince Pochettino and will likely also be sold.

Having shed some of the less useful players, Tottenham need to bring in players in two distinct categories.

First, they must find players who have great potential, such as Dele Alli, to fit Pochettino's system and grow into international-quality players. 

Then, and more crucially, Spurs need depth across the entire team. They need to find legitimate starting-quality players to compete with the current first team and replace the players that have been judged to be below standard.

As explained in detail here, Simone Zaza would be a solid addition to Spurs' strike force and would likely be available at a reasonable price. This article explains how players such as Will Hughes, Luciano Vietto and Matteo Darmian would also improve the quality of Spurs' squad without breaking the bank. 

The specific names matter less than the sort of players that are brought in. Memphis Depay would be a dream, but Spurs need a forward with pace who can play with or instead of Harry Kane. Depay fits the bill, but there are others.

Another centre-back with experience to play alongside Jan Vertonghen is also a must, and if DeAndre Yedlin is not yet good enough, a legitimate rival to Kyle Walker must be sought. 

Spurs are in the difficult position of not being able to afford the top-level stars. Even the signing of Erik Lamela, supposedly for a huge transfer fee, included numerous unlikely clauses that will bring down the eventual payments.

This means that Spurs must take gambles where appropriate. That is the key thing the club must do to improve in the summer transfer window: take calculated risks. Whether that means signing not quite fully proven players or selling before replacements are lined up, the north Londoners can grow this way. 

What Spurs Must Not Do This Summer

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Tottenham have been undone in recent transfer windows by losing key players. The departures of Luka Modric, Ledley King and Rafael van der Vaart in a single transfer window was devastating.

Gareth Bale's remarkable emergence as the Premier League's best player kept the team far above the level that they would have slipped to, but his sale laid their weakness bare. 

The sale of Hugo Lloris would shatter the team and their aspirations. The Frenchman will likely be named club captain next season and must be the foundation of plans going forward.

Mauricio Pochettino now has a stronger team than Andre Villas-Boas' Bale-led side. There is greater balance and far more potential among the players.

Pochettino has brought youth to the fore while bringing out the best in players such as Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli.

His gradual approach to bringing in his preferred players should be the model for Spurs in this transfer window.

Trying to do too much in one window is fruitless. A club that spent the entire Bale bonanza in one window should know that better than most. 

Spurs will not fix all their problems in one transfer window, and they must not try to do so. 

Utilising the skills and contacts of head of recruitment Paul Mitchell and technical director Franco Baldini, Spurs must identify key targets and ensure an overall improvement of the squad.

The Bottom Line

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Tottenham already have much of what they need to become a routine contender to qualify for the Champions League. 

The spine of the team is young, talented and committed to the cause. 

Their manager is a true coach, a man that has improved virtually all of his players in just one season in charge. 

His recognition of the value of Spurs' academy only reinforces the belief in him among Spurs fans. 

If the club understand his vision and shape the squad appropriately ahead of next season, he will be able to cultivate the team and grow them far beyond their current level. 

The club must avoid major mis-steps in the transfer market but they are not far from being one of England's top teams again.