Peter Crouch has said Tottenham are “certainties” to finish in the top four of the Premier League again this season.
The Stoke City striker, who scored 24 goals in 93 appearances during his time as a Spurs player, believes his former club have the ability to qualify for the Champions League for a fourth successive year.
Tottenham have finished in the top three in each of the last three campaigns.
And Crouch, writing in his Premier League preview column for the Daily Mail, has praised the work Mauricio Pochettino is doing to keep Spurs among Europe’s elite.
“How will Tottenham fare? [They are] one of the best teams in Europe, never mind one of the best teams in England. Certainties for the top four,” Crouch wrote.
“All the talk going into the season has been the fact they have not signed anyone. It has led some people to suggest their run of three consecutive years inside the Premier League’s top three will end.
“Unless I’m missing something, don’t Tottenham still have the players who were responsible for getting those results? The best business they could have made this summer was securing Harry Kane to a new long-term deal and that was mission accomplished.
“Initially my concern for them would be the fact they had nine players involved in the World Cup semi-finals and there could be a slight hangover. If you don’t have a proper pre-season, you have to play catch up and it leads to early sluggishness.
“But I don’t have any worries about how they will perform over the campaign as a whole. Mauricio Pochettino is a fantastic manager and the squad continues to improve. If they can add Jack Grealish before the deadline, he has the potential to get into the England squad.”
As Crouch points out, Tottenham are yet to make a single signing in the current transfer window, although a deal for Grealish is expected to go through before Thursday’s 5pm deadline.
As for outgoings, Toby Alderweireld is reportedly hopeful of securing a move to Manchester United this week, while Mousa Demeble is believed to have turned down a £20 million move to Inter Milan.
Whether Spurs are working to bring in any new recruits other than Grealish remains to be seen, but there is sure to be plenty of speculation between now and 5pm on Thursday.
