Are Tottenham finally the club they’ve wanted to be?

Are we finally going to see Spurs flourish into the club they always aspired to be?

For years, Tottenham Hotspur were derided for being ‘Spursy.’ This was the term, derived from the club’s nickname, used by rival fans to highlight the North London outfit’s tendency for losing their bottle at the worst possible moment. It became a tired cliche over time but highlighted Spurs’ all-too-often soft center.

Beat one of your closest rivals in the semifinals of a cup only to lose to a relegation-threatened team? ‘Spursy.’ Lose second place to Arsenal in the final two games of the season having been there for months? ‘Spursy.’ Have a new signing prised from your grasp right at the last moment? ‘Spursy.’

Nobody has called Tottenham ‘Spursy’ for a while, though. Mauricio Pochettino has completely changed the culture around the club, turning them into one of the best teams in the European game right now. Last season’s run to the Champions League final represented something of a watershed moment in Spurs’ modern history.

This has set a new benchmark, a new precedent. Everything Pochettino now achieves as Spurs manager will now be compared to the 2019 run to the Champions League final. There is, however, good reason to believe that last season was just the start for Tottenham, that they might now flourish into the club they have always aspired to be.

For generations, Spurs have existed in the shadow of Arsenal. They had to watch from afar as their North London rivals established themselves as an elite force under Arsene Wenger. While the Gunners collected trophy after trophy, Tottenham went through manager after manager in search of, well, something. Anything.

This was part of the problem. Tottenham were a club without an identity, at least in comparison with Arsenal, not so long ago the most distinctly definable club in the Premier League. Each new coach brought into the fold had new ideas of what Spurs should stand for. There was no overarching ideology. No plan.

Much has changed since then. Spurs have usurped Arsenal as the dominant force in North London, making themselves a permanent fixture near the top of the Premier League while the Gunners scramble around for any hope of dragging themselves back into the top four. This hasn’t happened by accident, though.

Pochettino has become the figurehead of modern-day Spurs, but what we see now is a project led by Daniel Levy, the not so long ago maligned club chairman. Some Tottenham supporters saw Levy as the man holding the club back, of keeping the checkbook closed when others around them spent big. Now, however, Levy’s project is nearing completion.

Spurs have already broken their club transfer record this summer, spending £50 million on Tanguy Ndombele, a highly-rated French midfielder also wanted by Manchester United and Real Madrid. The spending is expected to continue, with Giovani Lo Celso and Ryan Sessegnon expected to arrive in the coming weeks for around a combined £80 million. This comes after Spurs went 18 months without making a single new signing.

Tottenham will also play their first full season in their new stadium after delays extended their tenancy at Wembley into April. The uncertainty over their new home seemed to affect the team on the pitch, with Spurs suffering a number of surprising defeats during their time as Wembley squatters. At the state-of-the-art New White Hart Lane, though, a stadium now widely considered the best in England, they will be a different proposition for visiting teams.

There is a feeling that things have finally fallen into place for Spurs. Already comfortable in their new home and with Levy finally loosening the purse strings, Tottenham’s fantasy is becoming a reality. It has taken them a long time to get here, but they are entering a new phase of their history. ‘Spursy’ could soon have an altogether different meaning.