Part 2 - midfield.
Lucas Moura - 6. Extremely hard worker, and I only wish his feet kept up with his legs, and with his brain. He seems to know what to do, when to urge the team on with his runs and when to sit and cover, when to press. And he really has a heart - kept going even when others around him gave up many times this season. But his feet just can't execute at the same rate - can barely pass, can barely link up play, and he makes the wrong decision in possession too much.
What to do:
Keep. Useful utility man, will be useful off the bench, always a great hype man to have.
Gareth Bale - 7. Yes, he disappears against top opposition and in big games. But as far as flat-track bullies go, he got 16 goals for us this season, making him our third highest scorer. Not bad for a guy who was out for half a season just getting back up to full fitness. I can't hold anything against him - he's our Gaz, and it was good to see him back again.
What to do:
Ask Madrid for another loan - he's useful to have, and if he's okay with it, why not try for another year if the new coach fancies having him around?
Erik Lamela - 6. Frustrating as hell on the ball, but he's an absolute tiger on the field - fights hard, fouls well, and is a great 'spoiler' to have - especially as he can play a bit. It's been overlooked, but this season, he's been fit more often than not - that's progress for him. Bit too late in terms of his career? Maybe. But I can't hate Erik.
What to do:
Sell. Need the squad space, unfortunately.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7.5. Magnificent opening few months, low middle where he struggled badly, but picked up a bit in the final few games, with the occasional horror show. But still played every minute of the PL campaign so far - true iron-man in that respect.
What to do:
Keep. He wins the ball amazingly well, he's a leader, and he's apparently indestructible. He has severe limitations on the ball, but we need a destroyer, and we should be building around him as a 'Khedira' type - high-presser who ranges up the field, wins the ball and then lays it off to someone who can do something with it.
Harry Winks - 4. Mostly just terrible - never passes forward, gets outmuscled, is out of position, hides from the ball. But, to be fair to him, he wasn't *that* terrible at the end of the season under Mason, although that isn't saying much.
What to do: Please
just sell him and eat the loss. He's a Spurs lad, so no need for rancour, but I hope he moves on because he just isn't good enough.
Tanguy Ndombele - 5. Slow start, great middle, flat end. The thing with him is that he's just mentally extremely weak, and pretty timid to boot - if the game isn't going his way in the first five minutes, he shrinks, makes a ton of errors and disappears. Apparently not the best trainer either. An utter waste of money, imo.
What to do:
Sell, if someone will have him. If not, just keep him and hope - there's enormous talent there, but allied to a truly terrible mentality.
Giovani Lo Celso - 5. Enormously frustrating for Gio. Injured for large parts of the season, and might be our new Lamela in more ways than one. But when he plays...he makes errors, yes. But he tries - runs hard, gets into the wars, tackles and fouls, and doesn't hide from the ball. He's the polar opposite of Tanguy in many ways.
What to do:
Keep. His mentality makes him worth persevering with, and hopefully it works out and he gets over his injuries and shows us what he can do.
Moussa Sissoko - 1. Wish I could give him a zero, honestly. But he trains, I suppose, so he gets the bare minimum of 1 expected for a football player. Absolutely worthless at this point - can't pass, can't tackle, can barely run, loses his marker all the time, can't concentrate, has the footballing intelligence of a peanut.
What to do:
Sell. Please. Just sell, for 10p or whatever we get for him.
Steven Bergwijn - 5. He's tactically intelligent and he works hard - he's just really unfortunate that he had to spend the majority of the season being Mourinho's water carrier, sitting in our own final third. There's a player there - he presses hard, is fast, can pass, can shoot. I hope the new coach gives him a shot.
What to do:
Keep. Better times ahead for him, I hope.
Son Heung Min - 7.5. Magnificent in the first half of the season, and a worthy part of the greatest goalscoring duo in Premier League history. But, second half of the season...GHod, what a decline. *Never* took anyone on, just got the ball, cut back, passed to someone and walked off. Again, and again, and again. I have no idea why, but he just absolutely collapsed in the second half of the season.
What to do:
Up to him, really. I'd
keep him, but if he wants to leave, not the end of the world.
Lad on loan -
Oliver Skipp - 9. This kid was often the only bright spot in a desperately disappointing season. Week after week, he dominated the midfield for Norwich, and I ardently hope he comes back from his injury, smashes next season for us, and captains us one day.
What to do:
Keep, at all costs. He'll be Hojbjerg's backup/competition next season - and GHod knows, we need someone for that. \
Overall thoughts - only four sales here, but two of those four (Sissoko and Winks) are absolute *must sells* - I do *not* want to see either here next season, and we can't get shot quickly enough. The rest were let down by the terrible tactics and approach of Mourinho.
Addendum: I forgot about Dele - shows just how his own season's gone.
Dele - 2. Frustratingly overlooked by that c*nt Mourinho, but it has been coming. Lad's been on the decline for a long time now. His highlight of the season is probably snogging Pep's daughter, which shows his own fall from the kid every team on Earth wanted back in 2015-2017.
What to do:
Sell. His story here seems over, unfortunately.