Final roster update before the season starts!! The long summer nightmare is nearly over and the season is about to begin!
Who we got?
LET’S FIND OUT!
Current Squad
Keepers
Maignan (2026) remains the starter. He had a solid year last year and an excellent summer for France. Sportiello (2027) would be the regular back up but is currently out with a hand injury with an unknown return date. Torriani (2027) is the recently promoted primavera kid who started every game during the US Tour. The kid even won a shootout vs Barcelona! Whether he is temporarily handed the backup job to start the year is yet to be decided but as of right now he’s penciled in as #3 but defacto #2 with Sportiello injured. Personally I would expect a veteran backup to be signed but that’s ultimately up to the diagnosis on Sportiello and Fonseca’s confidence in Torriani. I would imagine the safe route is to round up a veteran. Maybe even re sign Mirante for a short term tour back at the club as an insurance policy.
Defense
Center Backs first. Tomori (2027), Thiaw (2027), Kalulu (2027), Gabbia (2026) are our main returning CBs. While Tomori was a stone cold starter all year both Thiaw and Gabbia put in solid shifts as well. Gabbia was a life saver after cutting his loan short and returning to solve our injury crisis. If I would have told you 12 months ago Gabbia would be our most dependable CB down the stretch you would have thought I was crazy. It’s the truth though! Thiaw also had some excellent appearances down the stretch.
Despite those improvements it was obvious the group needed help. That help comes in the form of Strahinja Pavlovic, a 23 year old, left footed Serbian CB from Red Bull Salzburg. The comparisons to Jaap Stam might be premature but he certainly looks the part. Bald head? Strong in the air? Never smiles? Check! Check! CHECK! I imagine it will take time for him to bed-in, but that makes a very strong 4some at CB. It’s also a young group as they are 26, 24, 23 and 23 respectively.
Fullback we have STILL have Calabria (2025) and Terraciano (2028) on the right. Though we added Emerson Royal (2028) to the mix just this morning. What that means right now is hard to say. The only thing I really know about the guy is that Spurs fans will not miss him at all and are happy to see him go. While that’s not the first impressive nugget I’m looking for I’ll be more than happy to reserve judgment until we see him on the field. Guys flop one place and make great strides at the next stop all the time.
Theo (2026) and Jimenez (2028) on the left. That’s rock solid. No complaints there. We are still trying to give away FBT. No luck yet though. Florenzi (2025) is out with an ACL. Bummer for him but it clears space which is fine.
Kalulu (2027) looks to be on the way out. He was great during the Scudetto run but has been injury prone and not looked the same since. I have not given up on him but this is 2 coaches now that don’t seem to favor him. Might just be time for a change.
Midfield
The current group we have is Adli (2026), Bennacer (2027), Pobega (2027), RLC (2027), Musah (2028) and Reijnders (2028).
That has not changed…yet. There’s been rumors of a DM coming in all summer but nothing is for sure yet. My guess is they are lining up the dominos to move 1 or 2 of those players out in favor of new faces with Adli and Pobega the likely players. Adli really needs the right system around him and I’m not sure we are it. He’s limited in some ways but useful in others. There’s probably a midtable club out there that would really value his services. Pobega is similar. He had a great year at Torino 2 years ago, knows the league and is still young. I’m totally ok with him as a depth guy, but like Adli I imagine we can find him a a better home.
If we do move those 2 on and bring in a young DM then I think we are set. Bennacer, RLC and Reijnders all do multiple things well. I’m especially interested in how Musah is used this year. He played all kinds of minutes last year but always seemed to be in a different spot. I’d love to see him get 30+ games in the midfield. I’m also really excited to see Reijnders second year. He is gonna explode. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him in the 6-8 goal range with a bundle of hockey assists.
Forwards
Th returning group we have is Leão (2028), Okafor (2028), Pulisic (2027) and Chukwueze (2028). Filthy. Add to that the extended Jovic (2025) and you have 48 goals and 25 assists returning just up front. That’s not bad.
Not bad AT ALL.
Then go ahead and add to the mix Alvaro Morata (2028). What did he do last year? Well he just happen to score 21 goals in all comps last year for Athletico Madrid including 5 of them in the Champions League. He might not be the young superstar we were all hoping for when the summer began but this guy is GOOD. DAMN GOOD. He has done it in multiple leagues and also does a great job for the Spanish NT as well. The team that just happened to have won this summer’s Euros. He’s essentially a younger version of Giroud when he showed up here. Another veteran striker who has done it on the big stage again and again. Love it.
EDIT: Sweet Jesus I forgot my man Saelemaekers (2026). Probably because he’s probably not staying. Partially because I’d be thrilled to have him back as he can play multiple positions across the field. Also because if I actually get excited about his return and he later leaves I will once again slip into a dark depression. The more salad the better folks. A great depth guy if Fonseca decides there’s room for him.
Wrap Up
Right now we have 29 guys on the roster. That includes Sportiello and Florenzi who are both hurt. It also includes Jimenez and Zeroli who will probably float back and forth between the youth and first teams. Sounds like we are all set but there’s probably room for one more.
I think we are all hoping for one more big signing and rightfully so. We have managed 2 seasons now without ever replacing Kessie as our DM and we really can’t afford a third. If we don’t address that need I’ll honestly be a little pissed. Get the deal with Fofana done and let’s get going. Do nothing and face another year where the Scudetto is more dream than reality. No thank you.
Other than that we are set at every level with legit starters and reliable backups for almost every spot. Probably the deepest team we have had in years. Talented. We have the second most valuable roster in the league now. Young too. Average age is still only 25.1.
Cheers.
Lisi
*Edited/cleaned up GK section in reference to Nana/Torriani