Tottenham will not win the Premier League title despite their impressive start to the season, according to Paul Merson.
However, the ex-Arsenal midfielder has outlined why Spurs should still be capable of an “unbelievable” first year under Ange Postecoglou even if they relinquish their early lead atop the table.
A 1-0 win at Luton on the weekend sent Tottenham into the international break top of the pile, by goals scored over north London rivals Arsenal.
“It was a funny game!” he wrote for Sky Sports about the match at Kenilworth Road.
“I was sitting there in the first 15 minutes thinking, ‘If Harry Kane was playing now, the game would have been over,’ given the number of chances they missed.
“Then Spurs did not look like scoring after that, bar the goal. But fair play to them, going down to 10 men and digging in and getting a result, you have to hold your hands up. I know Luton are right down at the bottom, but it is still hard. Spurs gave away a few chances, but in the end I thought they dug in and showed a new side to Tottenham.
“So fair play to them, they are top of the league at the moment - will they stay there? No, but that is not the point.
“If they were to get in the Champions League next season, then that would be an unbelievable season for Tottenham.”
Merson is adamant that Manchester City are still the team to beat, despite their defeat at Arsenal on Sunday - which he sees as good for the league as a whole.
“You look at their squad and it is much bigger than everyone else's,” added the 55-year-old.
“Any side that finishes above Man City this season will be league champions. There is no way two or three teams will finish above them.”
He added: “For Arsenal, it was an unbelievable result. It's also nice for the league as it brings a lorryload of teams into it other than Arsenal.”
