Ange Postecoglou insists that Tottenham have “got a lot of work to do” with their squad and may need three transfer windows to get things where they need to be.
The Greek-Australian has revolutionised Spurs’ playing style in his first season in charge, leading the north Londoners to the top of the Premier League table before injuries to key players affected their momentum.
Tottenham remain firmly in contention for a top-four finish – which would deliver a return to the Champions League – and have welcomed back into the side the likes of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven and captain Son Heung-min in recent weeks.
Postecoglou has earned widespread acclaim for his brand of attacking football and lifting of morale off-field, leading to links with the soon-to-be vacant Liverpool manager’s job.
But he remains focused on the task at hand at Tottenham, where he has repeatedly outlined his appetite for improving the quality in his squad. That sentiment was evident once more at his latest press conference, with Postecoglou insisting that the club will need at least three transfer windows to get “anywhere near” where they need to be.
He told reporters: “We’ve got a lot of work to do still on the squad and I don’t think we’re anywhere near where we want to be. It probably will take a little bit more than three windows to get there, for sure.”
On what specifically needs improving, the 58-year-old continued: “Just in terms of the robustness, adaptability, and compatibility of the squad, I think there’s still a fair bit of change we need to do.
“I certainly don’t think we’re one or two players away from getting to where I want us to be, nowhere near it. Some of that will be natural evolution. Some of it hopefully means we continue to get the improvement we’ve had this year from some of our players. If that happens over the next 12 months, then we’ll be in a great position.
“But you’ve got to remember, a lot of our group are in their first year of the Premier League. A good chunk of them have been ever-presents, we need them to keep improving at the rate they are. We’ve still got a lot of work to do with the squad. I think we’re a long way away from having one or two players away from getting where we want to be.”
Among Spurs’ success stories this season have been Maddison and Van de Ven, as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, left-back Destiny Udogie and versatile forward Brennan Johnson, who arrived from Nottingham Forest last September.
They take on top-four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday, knowing victory would cut the gap to Unai Emery’s side down to just two points.
