Dream Tottenham XI for 2026/27 season features three signings from Premier League rivals

Tottenham need a serious overhaul this summer to challenge for the Champions League places again.

Spurs fought the drop until the final day of the 2025/26 campaign, managing to stay up by two points.

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It was the second straight season they have finished 17th in the Premier League.

The campaign was turbulent, with the Lilywhites sacking Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and eventually settling on Roberto De Zerbi.

The Italian coach managed to revitalise his squad during their survival fight, which was full of players who had won the Europa League only 12 months earlier.

The ex-Brighton boss holds a lot of power at the north London club and has applied pressure on the sporting director Johan Lange, telling him to ‘build a new team’.

After last summer’s bids for Antoine Semenyo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze all failed, will the Spurs hierarchy be able to recruit the players the new head coach wants to attract?

In order for Tottenham to progress up the league, talkSPORT.com has looked at how the starting lineup can look at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next year.

Bart Verbruggen

The north London faithful have debated which goalkeeper should start between the sticks, as last season featured a variation of two goalkeepers.

Guglielmo Vicario has been criticised by the Spurs fans during his tenure in the first team, conceding 170 goals and keeping only 29 clean sheets since he joined in 2023.

However, the Italian has struggled with hernia problems and was left exposed by his defenders multiple times, leading him to face more shots on target than any other team in the Premier League.

Vicario is also likely to leave the club this summer with a host of Serie A clubs interested.

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Antonin Kinsky, who was written off after his disastrous 17-minute appearance in the Champions League, played a key role in their survival.

He played in the final seven games of the season and made huge reflex saves against Leeds and Everton that helped keep Spurs up.

Despite the Czech player’s heroics, De Zerbi is interested in Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as a long-term pillar for the club at only 23-years-old.

While Kinsky impressed in the latter part of the season, the current Seagulls ‘keeper plays comfortably in possession and plays the ball out from the back, making him a natural fit for the Italian coach’s tactical style.

The Dutch keeper has become a staple for a Brighton side which secured Conference League qualification and has managed to secure his spot in the Netherlands’ 26-man World Cup squad.

Jan Paul van Hecke

A double Seagull attack? Funnily enough, there’s another Dutch player who has experience under the Spurs boss.

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talkSPORT understands the Lilywhites have submitted a bid for Van Hecke, but was rejected.

Talks are continuing between the two Premier League clubs, with the Dutchman currently refusing to sign a new contract at Brighton, with only 14 months left on his current deal.

The defender has made 36 appearances for the south coast outfit this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists from the backline.

Van Hecke would be a natural Cristian Romero replacement after the Argentine was lambasted for the various poor decisions he made throughout last season, receiving two red cards for his conduct.

Additionally, it’s doubtful the club’s captain would return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after supporters turned on him when it was leaked that he planned to travel to Argentina instead of watching his team’s crucial final day survival fight.

Though he did end up returning to the capital to see Spurs secure survival.

Van Hecke could be a part of a backline duo with his fellow countryman – Micky van de Ven.

Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi

The Liverpool and Bournemouth defenders are both likely to join on free transfers when their contracts end at their current club.

Despite being new, the pair have not made it to talkSPORT’s starting XI, however, depth within the squad will be crucial after experiencing the highest number of players to miss games across two consecutive campaigns.

Destiny Udogie has had his season ripped apart due to injuries, however, when available, he has looked strong for De Zerbi and could be a better long-term option.

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Additionally, Spurs have carried out a major review of their medical department to see whether the internal staff are contributing to the club’s ongoing injury crisis.

No Conor Gallagher

After the ex-Marseille manager was appointed, Spurs won three games but only due to scrappy Joao Palhinha goals from set-pieces.

De Zerbi will need to employ a playmaker to create more chances for the Lilywhites when attacking.

Gallagher was praised by his current boss after the final day against Everton, however his campaign has been inconsistent since his arrival from Atletico Madrid for £35m.

He only scored one goal in 18 matches, across all competitions.

Instead, Archie Gray has proven his value since joining Spurs and has shown his versatility, playing in defence or being a holding midfielder. However, the Under-21 England international will be hoping to find his role in the Italian’s team next season.

On the other hand, Spurs have failed to win a game while Rodrigo Bentancur was sidelined with a hamstring issue, but after his return, he aided Spurs in securing 11 points, out of a possible 18, from their final six games.

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Savinho

Tottenham have been linked with a move for the Brazilian winger after being unable to complete to transfer last summer.

After he joined Manchester City from Girona for £31m in 2024, the Citizens expect a £60million fee for the 22-year-old.

Savinho is an exciting winger known for his technical quality, directness and speed – something that the Lilywhites have lacked in attack throughout their disastrous season.

For the Manchester-based outfit, Savinho has netted seven goals despite being limited to starting minutes compared to City’s senior wingers.

However, it has urged the youngster to search for a new challenge where he can showcase his ability after he missed out on Brazil’s 55-man preliminary World Cup squad.

Mohammed Kudus and Dominic Solanke

Despite only featuring in 19 games across the campaign, Kudus had the joint-highest number of assists for Tottenham.

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The Ghana international missed out on his World Cup place after he picked up a hamstring injury in January and endured a further setback in April, meaning he did not take to the pitch for a single game under Tudor or the current coach.

With hopefully a big summer break ahead of him, the 25-year-old can have a fresh start at the beginning of the new campaign – Kudus might feel like a brand new signing.

Another player facing a similar issue was Solanke after he joined two years ago from Bournemouth for the north London club’s record transfer fee.

He missed the majority of the first half of this season with an ankle injury and struggled to make an instant impact upon his return.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old suffered another blow after picking up a muscle issue in April, which left the England international overlooked for the summer tournament.

It will be key for Spurs to keep these two attackers fit for the majority of next year to ensure a goalfest for De Zerbi and his side.