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Emma de Duve

Ben Davies and Son Heung-min shine whilst Harry Winks and Lucas Moura have big decisions to make

Arguably the biggest winner of the season is Tottenham as a club and Daniel Levy. After a poor start to the season under Nuno Espirito Santo, the chairman, no matter what fans think of him, went out and got Antonio Conte to N17.

Since then, the improvement on and off the pitch has been incredible. The Italian's influence has had a major impact on individual's performances, the team's morale and that has been evident in the results.

This meant Spurs finished the season in fourth, securing Champions League football for next season. Tuesday's announcement of the £150 million cash injection from ENIC gives an added boost in the runup to the summer transfer window, which everyone is hoping will be a successful one, to help strengthen Conte's team.

READ MORE: The 15 Tottenham players awaiting Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici's final transfer verdict

There are those who have had great successes this season and those who have faced massive struggles. However, I think some do lie somewhere in the middle. Davinson Sanchez is one of these players.

The Colombian was pushed out of the starting line-up under Conte, with Cristian Romero slotting in at right centre-back. However, Sanchez stepped up, in the final three games of the season, with the Argentine picking up an injury.

This took the defender to 32 appearances for the season and although he would've liked more, he stepped in when needed and did what he had to do. Romero is another I would put in this middle category.

The 24-year-old has been a solid addition to the Tottenham squad and it is mad to think he only arrived last summer. His impact has been so positive and given his age, he is likely to improve even more.

However injuries have held him back and it meant missing the final three games of the season, including the crucial North London Derby just a couple of weeks ago. It was hard not to put the Argentine in the winners' category but I think if he can stay fit next season, he will cause even more of a danger to opposing sides than he already has.

Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon I would argue are the final two in the 'middle' category, due to their injury setbacks. Both have produced a mixture of performances this season, with the former seeing a major improvement before his absence.

Doherty missed the final month and a half of the season, after picking up his knee injury in the 4-0 victory over Aston Villa. Just a few games later and Reguilon's season also ended prematurely, with neither being included in the matchday squads for the final stretch of the season.

Winners

Now onto the winners and perhaps an unusual group I would add to the list are the academy players. The likes of Dane Scarlett, Alfie Devine, Harvey White and Brandon Austin have been some of those included in training most weeks and have featured in a number of the matchday squads.

Of course, like every footballer, they would've liked to be playing on the pitch and helping the Tottenham side win games. However watching top players week in, week out and training with those who have been in the game for years, is invaluable experience.

Learning from the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will have taught the youngsters so much. A number of them may now benefit from loan spells elsewhere, to give them that regular game time which will hopefully help their development and mean they can return as even better players, who will hopefully then break into Conte's regular team.

Kane and Son have continued to come on leaps and bounds this season. From breaking the Premier League record for the most combination goals to Son sharing the Golden Boot award with Mohamed Salah on the final day of the season, it will be a campaign the duo never forget.

It was only earlier this year that Hugo Lloris signed a new contract with Tottenham, something fans had been waiting for, for a long time. Not only has the skipper continued to be a leader in Conte's squad, but Lloris has also made crucial saves for the Lilywhites and continues to be a consistent and reliable goalkeeper.

Perhaps Spurs' two biggest successes of the season have been Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur. It's crazy to think that the duo only made the move to north London in January.

The short time it has taken them to settle into not only their new life in the capital but also the Premier League, was exactly what Conte needed from the new arrivals. Kulusevski in particular has created a dangerous front trio, alongside Kane and Son and one that is only likely to get better next season.

In the middle of the field, credit has to go to Pierre Emile Hojbjerg. Before Bentancur's arrival, the Dane was forming a strong partnership with Oliver Skipp in the middle of the field.

With the 21-year-old's injury keeping him out for the season, Hojbjerg also had to adapt to build a new bond with the Uruguayan. The 26-year-old doesn't produce perfect performances week in, week out, but he always puts in 100 per cent, is a leader for Tottenham and has improved under Conte.

Wing-backs are one of the most important roles in an Antonio Conte set-up, something which took Emerson Royal a while to adapt to. The Brazilian and Ryan Sessegnon have had some key opportunities to impress, in the final couple of months of the season, with their competitors picking up injuries.

Again two players who could still do with improvement and don't produce solid performance every week. However the duo have stepped up in crucial times to help Spurs get fourth place and although I would argue Royal could go in the 'middle' section, I would say, overall, they have had a successful season.

The final two winners of the season I would say are a duo who go under the radar and don't always get the recognition they deserve. Ben Davies and Eric Dier have been two key players in the Spurs back three this season.

Davies comes across the back line to support his players defensively when needed and also gets up the pitch when he can, making an impact at both ends of the field. Dier's improvement has been massive under the Italian and has been the vocal leader Tottenham need, to protect Lloris and stop attacks that are thrown their way, making many question why he still hasn't made the England squad.

Losers

Now onto those who haven't had as much of a successful season in N17. The one thing Harry Winks, Joe Rodon and Pierluigi Gollini have in common is the lack of game time.

Gollini's absence from the starting XI is most understandable, as the Italian was brought in as Lloris' backup and he has had his opportunities in cup competitions. Rodon's lack of match minutes has perhaps been more unlucky and it hasn't been helped by the back line's consistent performances.

Winks has had his fair share of opportunities and has previously expressed his love for the club and playing for Tottenham. However, when given the chance, the 26-year-old has failed to impress enough to replace someone in the regular line-up.

Gollini is in north London on loan, so his Tottenham future is potentially easier to decide. Rodon has shown potential when given the opportunity and when playing for Wales, however he is young and I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to move somewhere where he was given regular game time.

Whether this is a loan spell, so he can come back and have shown his quality, which could help him battle for a spot in the starting XI or whether he decides his Spurs chapter is over, only time will tell. Winks also has a big decision to make.

The midfielder has been at the club since he was a child and it wouldn't be easy for a player like him to up and leave. However if he wants to be playing regularly and continue to develop as a player, it could be best for him to exit this summer.

Skipp and Japhet Tanganga find themselves in this category due to their injuries. Skipp was having a solid season, upon his return from his loan spell at Norwich, but his absence for the second half of the season makes it hard to see it as an overall success.

The defender was producing a mixture of performances in the first half of the season, before his injury at the start of the year. Of course, their injuries can't be helped and they will hopefully come back stronger ahead of the next campaign, but I don't feel they had enough time on the pitch to make their season a great success.

Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn I would argue are two of the most difficult decisions Tottenham have to make this summer. Bergwijn won goal of the season for his winning goal in the thrilling 3-2 victory over Leicester and that is a game that Spurs fans will never forget.

This shows the impact the Dutch international can make, even from the bench. However with the quality in Conte's front three, his impact at the King Power Stadium wasn't enough to earn him a regular spot in the starting line-up, which even he was shocked about.

"I thought I would get more playing time after that, but unfortunately that didn't happen," Bergwijn admitted. Moura has also shown his impact as a substitute, someone that is often the first to be called up from the bench.

Even at Carrow Road on Sunday, the Brazilian got an assist for Son's first goal of the game, in Tottenham's 5-0 victory. The Brazilian brings energy and pace to a game and can always add a fresh pair of legs when needed.

However both players are also not getting the game time they would want and if the attacking trio continue to improve and make an impact, it isn't likely that Bergwijn or Moura will find it easier to get regular game time in the league next season. With Spurs' involvement in the Champions League and various cup competitions they will be a part of, Conte will need to make rotations, which is where the duo could be given match minutes.

Despite this, both players will have to decide whether they want to be playing week in, week out or if they are happy to only get opportunities in certain matches.

A mixture of a season for many players but an overall success for Tottenham. Some big decisions to be made to help strengthen Conte's squad for next season, hopefully climbing the Premier League table and ending the Lilywhites' 14-year trophy drought.

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