Lewis Holtby: Tottenham Hotspur's squad is more balanced without Gareth Bale

Tottenham Hotspur: Better without Bale?

Tottenham’s Lewis Holtby has admitted that adapting to life in London has not been easy but says he is much more settled at the club now.

Holtby signed for Andre Villas-Boas’ side in January from Schalke 04, and was expected to acclimatise to life in England quickly as Spurs pursued a Champions League spot.

But the Germany star has now found his feet after a summer break, and expects Tottenham to challenge at the top of the Premier League this season. Holtby speaking to Sky Sports said:

“It’s always difficult to join a club in January, especially when there are not many other signings, and I needed a little bit of a break and a pre-season just to get to know everyone better.

“I feel very welcome now. I feel at home here in the team, so now I can show what I’m really capable of, and I think I’m progressing.

“Do we have a more balanced squad now? Definitely. Respect to Gareth who was awesome here, a fantastic guy and a fantastic player, but the new players have really adapted to our team and our style of football.

“The Premier League is very tight and it will be very close at the top. You see how much money all the clubs are spending, like Cardiff, who were promoted only last season.

“But we are fourth now and if we can continue to adapt to each other, then we have big objectives to aim for.”

The 23-year-old has won 90% of his tackles so far this season, an unusual statistic for an attacking midfielder.