What Would Progress Actually Look Like for Spurs This Season?

After everything Spurs went through last season, the temptation is to make 2026/27 about one thing: the league table. Finish sixth and it's a success. Finish eighth and it's a disappointment. Finish fourth and suddenly Roberto De Zerbi is a genius.

But is it that simple?

Tottenham's 2025/26 campaign was about as low as things can get for a club of this size. Thankfully we managed to secure our survival in the Premier League with a 1-0 victory over Everton on the final day, ending a season which the club and fans would like to have erased from their memory.

What we see as progress is particularly important.

🌍The Obvious Target: Get Back Into Europe

Tottenham should be aiming for European football.

That does not necessarily mean Champions League qualification. After consecutive seasons of finishing 17th, expecting Spurs to immediately go from relegation candidates to a top-four side would be an enormous leap. But finishing somewhere in the top six or seven should be a reasonable ambition.

There is also an important distinction between qualifying for Europe and looking like a team capable of qualifying for and playing in Europe.

Spurs themselves have obviously raised the expectations, from both the fanbase and outside the club, by breaking their transfer record, not once, but twice this window, including their first £100m signing, Sandro Tonali.

🎯De Zerbi Needs To Build An Identity

Perhaps the biggest improvement should not even be visible in the table. It should be in the way Tottenham play.

Roberto De Zerbi arrived with only seven games remaining last season and did just enough to secure our place in the top flight. This is his first pre-season and his first opportunity to properly shape the squad to the way he wants to play.

The club have already moved aggressively in the transfer market, bringing in players including Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, with others still expected to come in.

There should be a recognisable structure in possession, better control of matches and, above all, far fewer performances where Tottenham simply look overwhelmed.

De Zerbi does not need to turn Spurs into a finished product in one season. He needs to make them look like his team.

🏟️The Home Form Has To Change

This might be the clearest marker of progress.

Tottenham cannot go through another season where home matches feel like an opportunity for the opposition. Last season was particularly damaging in this respect, with Spurs recording just three home wins in the league.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should once again become an advantage rather than another source of frustration, and a significant improvement in home form would probably transform the league campaign by itself.

🧯Progress Also Means Fewer Crises

This may sound like a low bar. It's not.

Tottenham have had too many seasons where one problem becomes five problems. An injury crisis becomes a tactical crisis. A poor run becomes a managerial crisis. A bad transfer window becomes a squad-building crisis.

If a key player gets injured, the team should still function.

If Spurs lose three matches in a row, they should not suddenly look like a relegation candidate.

If De Zerbi changes formation, the players should still understand the principles.

A good season is not necessarily one without problems, but one where problems do not become disasters.

🏆The Cups Matter Too

There is another opportunity that shouldn't be overlooked: Tottenham need to become competitive in domestic cup competitions again.

There is a difference between throwing every available resource at the FA Cup and treating it as an inconvenience.

A deep FA Cup or League Cup run would give the squad meaningful experience, and give supporters something tangible to enjoy, as a sign of clear progress. And if Tottenham reach a final, or even win one of the cups, suddenly the entire perception of the season changes, with an added momentum onto the next one.

📊So, What Would A Successful Season Actually Look Like?

A realistic hierarchy would look something like this:

The important point is that Champions League qualification should be an ambition, not the only definition of success.

There is a huge difference between expecting Spurs to finish fourth and believing they should be capable of competing for fourth. The latter is realistic.

⏳The Real Test

Ultimately, the biggest sign of progress will be how Tottenham look in May 2027 compared with May 2026.

Last season, the final day was about survival. This season, the final day should be about ambition.

They should have a team supporters can recognise, a manager whose ideas are visible, a squad that looks deeper and more balanced, and a club that feels like it's moving forward rather than constantly repairing the damage of the previous season.

Nobody should expect De Zerbi to turn Spurs into title contenders overnight.

But by the end of this season, it should be possible to look at Tottenham and say one thing with confidence: they are heading in the right direction.

And after recent seasons, that would be real progress.