LONDON - It is safe to say that Tottenham Hotspur had a rough season this year. Finishing in eighth place, Tottenham missed out on European soccer for next season. In the summer transfer window, Tottenham needs to rebuild and come back stronger for next season. Their first major signing, Leicester City’s James Maddison, is a good signing for Tottenham, but he is not what Tottenham needs. 

Tottenham’s biggest problem was not their attack. While Harry Kane did score a large number of Tottenham’s goals last season, he was not doing it all by himself. In terms of attacking talent, Tottenham has Heung-Min Son, Ivan Persic, and Dejan Kulusevski. And although Tottenham do not have a true attacking midfielder, they do possess players that are capable of playing the role. Persic, who has had success on the left side, could play the attacking midfield role. He led the team in assists, providing eight in the Premier League this season. Granted, Persic is 34 years old, but Tottenham also have Kulusevski who they can use in the attacking midfield role as well. 

Their roster is not the only reason why I don’t believe Maddison is the signing Tottenham need. This past season, Tottenham scored 70 goals, which is on par with what they scored in the previous five seasons, and in all five seasons, Tottenham managed to qualify for Europe. What’s not on par with the previous five seasons? The number of goals Tottenham conceded. This season, Tottenham conceded 63 goals. They haven't conceded that many goals since the 1992/93 season, a season in which they conceded 66 goals. Their goal differential was at a measly plus-seven this season.

This chart shows how many goals Tottenham conceded per Premier League season from 2018 to 2023. Per the chart, there was a noticeable increase in goals conceded in 2022-23.

As the numbers show, this is not a team that needs attacking prowess, this is a team that needs a defensive rock. James Maddison is a good signing for Tottenham, no doubt, but Tottenham’s next signing must be a defender, otherwise, the club will continue to slide down the Premier League table.