Tottenham Hotspur Premier League 2015-16 preview: Champions League challenge doomed to fail

Last season

Premier League: 5th

FA Cup: Fourth round

League Cup: Runners-up

Top scorer: Harry Kane (31)

Summer's work

Amid the infatuation of clubs throwing money at hyped players, Tottenham have made the novel move of restricting their business to areas of the team that actually need improving. No squad in the top 13 conceded more goals than the north Londoners last season, a stat that makes the additions of Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier and Toby Alderweireld seem very shrewd. Even more impressively, the club have rid themselves of much of their deadwood, including Paulinho and Etienne Capoue.

Manager – Mauricio Pochettino

No longer a manager solely tasked with the brief of taking clubs from the bottom half of the league into Europe, the Argentine now has to deal with the pressure of breaching the top four. After taking Spurs to a fifth straight top-six finish last season, Pochettino must now show signs of progress with a team that still relies on certain individuals. A disregard for the Europa League remains as well, and should be altered.

Key player – Christian Eriksen

Harry Kane may have enjoyed a stunning breakthrough season, but in Eriksen, Tottenham have their most important player who makes the team tick. The Dane was all action during the first two-thirds of the campaign, but from the League Cup-final defeat to Chelsea onwards he struggled to make a sufficient impact. Eriksen's challenge is to remain influential for an entire campaign and capture a constancy of brilliance that is reserved for the league's finest players.

Expectations

Though many Tottenham fans will have a sense of entitlement in relation to the Champions League, the reality is that the spending sprees of the club's closest rivals will likely mean that a top six placing is the extent of the club's hopes this season. With the move to the club's new stadium next to White Hart Lane looming, and the inevitable financial cutbacks which follow, the next two seasons sadly represent the last realistic chances for the club to finish in the top four.

IBT prediction: 6th

With the Champions League places locked out, Spurs are given a look into the future.