Tottenham fans can start making their arrangements for the new season after the 2023/24 Premier League schedule was confirmed on Thursday morning. Ange Postecoglou will take charge of his first Spurs league match on Sunday, August 13 when the Lilywhites make their way across London to take on Brentford.
Drawing both of their games at the Gtech Community Stadium since the Bees won promotion to the Premier League in 2021, Tottenham will be hoping it is third time lucky for them in west London. It will not be straightforward at all for Postecoglou and his team, however, as Thomas Frank's side have made great strides under him over the past two years and fared extremely well on home soil.
Brentford only suffered two defeats from a possible 19 in the Premier League last term, with Arsenal and Newcastle United the only teams able to pick up maximum points in TW8. Certainly a tough test for Postecoglou in his first Premier League game, victory against the Bees would send out a big warning to their rivals that the Australian and his team do mean business in the 2023/24 campaign.
A key summer for Tottenham as they look to bounce back from finishing eighth and missing out on Europe altogether, all Spurs fans will be hoping that Postecoglou's XI on the opening day has a fresh look to it. The Lilywhites have an awful lot to do in the transfer market ahead of the new campaign, with a number of incomings and plenty of outgoings needing to take place.
One of Postecoglou and the club's new managing director of football's top priorities this summer will be to bring in a new goalkeeper to replace Hugo Lloris. The Frenchman has already made it clear that he has a desire for new things and this summer represents the perfect opportunity for both parties to go their separate ways after 11 years together, especially with Lloris now set to enter the final year of his Spurs contract.
Linked with a number of goalkeepers over the past few months, Brentford shot-stopper David Raya appears to be the frontrunner to inherit Lloris' gloves. Excelling for the Bees during their first two seasons in the Premier League, a summer move for the Spaniard looks set to take place as he is in the same boat as the Tottenham goalkeeper with his contract expiring in 12 months' time.
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Brentford have already brought in a new goalkeeper in Mark Flekken, thus paving the way for Raya to move on if a club submits a suitable offer. Wanting a reported £40million for the 27-year-old despite the fact he will soon be in the final year of his contract, the Bees may well struggle to obtain the aforementioned figure as clubs will be reluctant to pay that much for a player who will be available on a free transfer next summer.
Raya has wowed in his four seasons with Brentford and he has all the qualities to be a major hit at Tottenham. An excellent shot-stopper and very good with the ball at his feet, something which Lloris has really struggled with, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted that he Raya could "wear the No.10 shirt" after creating a handful of attacks with his passing during Brentford's draw against the Reds in September 2021.
Raya's quality with the ball at his feet was on display in Brentford's win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month, as was his ability to pull off incredible saves after denying Richarlison twice late on in the contest with the ball looking destined for the net. Ticking so many boxes for Tottenham, Raya would also help the club out in terms of their problematic non-homegrown numbers that they have suffered with in the past as he is classed as homegrown after joining Blackburn Rovers as a 16-year-old.
If indeed chairman Daniel Levy can drive Brentford's £40million valuation right down and agree on a price for the Spain ace, Tottenham will have their new No.1 for years to come. Providing that a deal for Raya does go through and he makes the move across the capital ahead of the new season, his Spurs debut will more than likely come on the opening day when they take on Brentford.
If that is to be the case, all eyes will be on the goalkeeper at the Gtech Community Stadium on the first Sunday of the new campaign. Saving Brentford a number of points in their four seasons together, Raya could come back to haunt them if he is to be lining up for Tottenham against the Bees
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