Goalkeeper is the one position where Tottenham Hotspur have one of their hardest transfer decisions to make this summer.After a gruelling domestic campaign, the need for significant reinforcements in midfield, attack, and defence was obvious for all to see. Tottenham Hotspur’s injury-stricken squad struggled to keep up with the demands of the Premier League, while Spurs’ low technical level was a big reason why the club avoided relegation only by the skin of their teeth.Tottenham were quick out of the gates to make outfield signings, securing the services of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, and looking to add Savinho and Jan Paul Van Hecke before the World Cup. But there is one position where it seems they haven’t made up their mind yet – the goalkeeper.With Spurs’ usual starting goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, attracting interest from clubs in the Serie A, they will almost certainly need to add another goalkeeper to their squad. But as to the kind of goalkeeper Spurs should invest in, is probably a contentious point, with the club having a few options they need to weigh carefully.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramThe goalkeeping situation at TottenhamBoth Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky endured an incredibly difficult season.Under Thomas Frank, Vicario had to play in a system that showcased his worst qualities – his poor distribution, command of the box and passing game. On top of alienating him from the fans, his poor form resulted in one of the worst goalkeeping records out of all keepers in the league.In all of his time at Tottenham, Vicario has never overperformed in terms of his shot stopping, conceding 61 goals from 60.7 xG faced in the 23/24 season and 37 goals from 37.6 xG in 24/25.But this season marked an underperformance that’s impossible to ignore, with Vicario conceding 50 goals from chances that totalled 44.5 xG, conceding 6 more goals than he would have otherwise been expected to, given the quality of the chances he faced.Despite being comfortable with receiving the ball and playing out the back during both of Ange Postecoglou’s seasons (with really respectable records in terms of both volume and percentage of successful short passes), Vicario seemed to have lost his confidence this year, and a move away might be best for all parties.Kinsky, the second goalkeeper at Tottenham, despite living a horror show all of his own, has actually been on the up and up this season.Spurs’ interim boss Igor Tudor looked to make a statement when he decided to give Kinsky a start in their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid. What followed was one of the greatest goalkeeping disasters ever played out on live TV– three goals conceded in quick succession thanks to tragic defensive mistakes and the young keeper getting hooked after 17 minutes on the pitch.But Vicario was forced to undergo surgery to fix his hernia in April, giving Kinsky a second lease at life.Kinsky became arguably one of Spurs’ best players in their end-of-season relegation-defying run-in. His saves definitely played a vital part in keeping Spurs in the league, and Roberto De Zerbi allowed him to keep the number one spot, even with Vicario returning to full fitness.The young Czech offered plenty of upside to Vicario, especially in terms of his confidence on the ball and a much-improved long distribution. Both traits crucial for a goalkeeper in a Roberto De Zerbi system.The question now, in front of the Tottenham board, is whether Kinsky had done enough this season to begin the next one, as Spurs’ number one goalkeeper. This will be decided by the internal expectations that the coaching staff have of Antonin Kinsky’s potential, and we’ll see what the answer was, by the kind of goalkeeper Tottenham decide to bring in this season.So, what are the options, and can we evaluate the most likely scenarios?Tottenham scenario one. The Bart Verbruggen way – £34.5 m (Transfermarkt)Spurs could sign a future-proof, world-class goalkeeper as first choice…Tottenham were rumoured to make a move for a top goalkeeper during regular season, and Bart Verbruggen was among their targets. A keeper like Verbruggen (or to a lesser extent, James Trafford who they were also linked with) offers a clear upside to Antonin Kinsky in basically every meaningful goalkeeping metric.Verbruggen was at the top of goalkeepers in the league for goals prevented and goals prevented per 90. He’s made the most passes in the league for a keeper at 1,178 and sports one of the best successful pass percentages in the league.Playing at the top level for Brighton for a number of years now, Verbruggen offers Premier League experience and could likely fill the role of Spurs’ number one keeper for many years to come. However, Verbruggen would also almost certainly push Kinsky back down the pecking order.Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty ImagesSpurs scenario two. The Stefan Ortega way – £3.2m (Transfermarkt)Spurs target an experienced backup keeper for Antonin Kinsky...Many fans could say, and they would indeed have an argument, that Antonin Kinsky was one of Spurs’ players of the season, and he absolutely has done enough to start next year in goal for Tottenham.Originally brought in from Slavia Praha for £14.25 million pounds, Kinsky was thought as one of the most promising young goalkeepers playing in Europe.While his game certainly still has issues, his trajectory as a player has been positive, giving us no reason to think that the nightmare at the Metropolitano was anything but a freak accident.The 7 games he played for Spurs showed how positive of an impact regular playtime can have on a young player’s development.Kinsky’s shot-stopping was one of his issues earlier during his career, but he had been nothing but consistent and sometimes even outstanding, like in Spurs’ games against Wolves or Leeds.Tottenham could only be certain if Kinsky could grow into a truly world-class goalkeeper, if they give him a chance to play week in and week out, which would be impossible if Spurs decide to bring in another keeper that blocks his pathway.This is why bringing an older goalkeeper like the experienced and proven Stefan Ortega, currently at Nottingham Forest, should be a real consideration for Tottenham this summer.Ortega can support Antonin Kinsky while not providing a significant obstacle for him in terms of consistent minutes, playing the same role at Spurs that Fraser Forster had for so many years.Ortega is an above-average shot-stopper, while his time under Pepe Guardiola’s Manchester City gives him an adequate technical floor to play in a Roberto De Zerbi team.More importantly, bringing in an older and thus cheaper goalkeeper option would free up the crucial resources needed to make additions in more urgent areas.Spurs definitely didn’t find themselves in a relegation battle because of their goalkeeper, and if anything, their North London rivals showed that the keeper position is one of the last signings a team needs to make before really pushing on.It is entirely possible that Kinsky won’t make the step up necessary. But at the very least, he has shown he can perform to an adequate level in the Premier League, which should give Tottenham the chance to reevaluate the goalkeeping situation in January.Tottenham scenario three. The Noah Atubolu way – £21.5m (Transfermarkt)Spurs sign a young keeper to compete with Kinsky…The last option that Spurs can take is to sign a younger, relatively unproven goalkeeper to compete with Kinsky for minutes. Amongst their options could be someone like Noah Atubolu, the 23-year-old keeper for Freiburg. Atubolu, similarly to how Kinsky was back in 2024, is one of Europe’s top prospects, and his name was already linked to Spurs.Atubolu is clearly highly rated amongst Europe’s top clubs and puts in solid numbers in terms of his goalkeeping, short passing game and especially his long distribution, where he shines as one of the best in Europe.Signing a keeper like Atubolu could mark an improvement in terms of their goalkeeping while still giving Kinsky a chance to fight for his spot.READ MORE: Why is De Zerbi desperate to sign Jan Paul van Hecke? The stats behind Tottenham’s bidThe post Four realistic goalkeepers Tottenham could turn to for 2026/27, including Antonin Kinsky - Opinion appeared first on Spurs Web.