Premier League 2022-23 preview No 18: Tottenham

Guardian writers’ predicted position 3rd (NB: this is not necessarily David Hytner’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position 4th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker) 12-1

Daniel Levy has broken the habit of a lifetime and, in the process, helped to send optimism among the Tottenham support through the roof. The chairman normally likes to wait during the transfer window, hoping for bargains, but he moved early this summer, getting the bulk of the incoming business done by the middle of July. One person was particularly delighted by that and, if Antonio Conte is happy, so is everybody else. The manager had wanted to hit the ground running during his first pre-season at the club, to build on the momentum generated by the surge to a Champions League finish last May and, with a host of new signings bedded in, there is the feeling of clarity and cohesion.

The previous summer seems a world away. That was when Nuno Espírito Santo was appointed as the manager – after a 72-day search, to an underwhelming reaction – and Harry Kane wanted to leave. Conte has transformed everything since taking over from Nuno last November, forcing his will on Levy and the rest of the club. Another gamechanger has been the £150m capital increase that Levy oversaw from the majority shareholder, Enic, at the end of last season.

The squad has quality – headlined by Kane and Son Heung-min – and impressive depth. Thomas Tuchel, the Chelsea manager, believes Spurs have “maybe the strongest team they have ever built”, and he could find his club’s third-place spot from last season under threat. What would be even better for Spurs would be to win a trophy; they have claimed only one during Levy’s 21-year stewardship.

Everyb