Spurs Blogsville

Opinion: January swoop for world superstar could give Tottenham mercurial talent to win the league

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Tottenham fans can count themselves very, very unlucky not to have a Premier League title to look back on and savour from the days of Mauricio Pochettino. From 2015 to 2017, the Lilywhites were the best team in England, yet they came up short in the league in both the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

The first season, 15/16, was obviously the year of the fantastic Leicester City, and the Foxes had talent all over the pitch. However, the man of the hour for Claudio Ranieri’s side was the individually brilliant Riyad Mahrez, who without his combined 27 goals and assists (Transfermarkt) the Foxes would have earned 29 fewer points, which would have put them 8th.

Then, the next season when Chelsea came to be the side to win the title in Antonio Conte’s debut season in England, the two things that won it for them was clear. The first was the way Conte stumbled upon his 3-4-3 system and the second was the talent and flair of Eden Hazard.

Much like Mahrez, the Belgian is an incredible dribbler, has an eye for goal and can turn games on his own. He’s another who has the mercurial talent and, also like Mahrez, he won the PFA POTY award during his title-winning season as he bagged 16 goals and five assists (Transfermarkt).

During those two seasons, Tottenham had the best defence in the Premier League and the Golden Boot winner in Harry Kane, yet they came up short, finishing 3rd and then 2nd. That can only be put down to lacking a mercurial talent like Mahrez or Hazard during that time.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City have won the league twice since those years, and the Spaniard’s team are a well-organised machine who don’t need someone to step out of the system to help win games. However, should Tottenham add a player of that calibre and style, they could well challenge again.

That’s where these rumours come in. Tottenham could bring back Gareth Bale. The Welshman was the mercurial talent that Spurs needed in 2012/13, and if he can make his way back to the club in January, as has been reported by B/R Football, then next season, with serial winner Jose Mourinho in charge and Bale in the side, anything can happen.

Could Mourinho and Bale deliver Tottenham a Premier League title?

Yes

No

The majority of the Spurs side from those 2015-2017 years is still at the club, but added to it is a manager who wins everywhere he goes and a player who has the ability to pull magic moments from nowhere, seemingly the two things the Lilywhites lacked in their peak years, so the 2020/21 season could be something spectacular.

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