Jol in need of fresh faces on pitch and friendly ones off it

It's almost 11pm in the press area at Tottenham Hotspur and manager Martin Jol is putting up a spirited and cogent defence of his team's season little more than an hour after they have been dumped out of the Uefa Cup. But, amid it, amid the words of progress, achievement and moving forward there is an admission. "I felt, I really felt that this would be the year for us," Jol said.

He wasn't the only one. His disappointment is shared, amplified, by the club's board. They believe they have invested heavily and hoped for more than quarter-final exits in Europe's secondary cup competition, the FA Cup and a semi-final defeat in the League Cup. Spurs will also have to make sure they finish strongly, starting today at Wigan, if they are to guarantee a Uefa Cup place next season.

It was Jol's misfortune that he came up against Arsenal, Chelsea and Seville - whom the Dutchman rates as the "best footballing side in Spain" and are Europe's team of the year - in those competitions. But there is unease among some senior figures at the club that he did not manage to negotiate his way through any of those ties. Losing to Arsenal, in particular, still rankles, especially as Arsène Wenger fielded a less experienced side, a luxury Jol feels he has been denied. One director, it is understood, has been all for replacing Jol with Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp. That talk has cooled, for now.

Jol will discuss with the board his strategy for next season, and will argue it may be time to prioritise competitions as Arsenal do. "Maybe it's time for us to gamble," he said. Also Jol wants "one or two additions" to a young and talented squad and it will be the nature of those additions that will not only define Spurs's coming season but, perhaps also, Jol's destiny at the club.

Given that he doesn't have full control of transfer dealings, with the signings handled by sporting director Damien Comolli in consultation with Jol and chairman Daniel Levy, and talk of tensions between the pair, that may prove a little tricky. Comolli, for example, wanted to sign the Celta Vigo winger Nene but Jol has argued he is simply too small.

Jol knows he needs to sort out Spurs's left flank while, in general, there are simply not enough left-footed players in the squad. Top of his wish-list would certainly be Arjen Robben, although he would accept that the Chelsea winger may be too expensive and will probably prefer a move to Spain should he leave Stamford Bridge. But Jol is looking for pace, and power, and is considering moves for players such as Wigan's Henri Camara, West Bromwich's Diomansy Kamara, and may look again at West Ham's Marlon Harewood. It should also be noted how Jol singled out Seville's left-winger Adriano for praise after Thursday's 2-2 draw. The Brazilian certainly has the pace and strength to succeed in the Premiership.

Another key area is left-back. If Robben arrived, for example, he could renew his impressive partnership with the right-footed Young Pyo-Lee but the likelihood is that Spurs will look for a more experienced operator. Another Wigan player, Leighton Baines, could bolster a defence that, Jol admits, undermined ambitions. "If you concede more than 40 goals like we did [last season] you can't be in the top four."

To balance the books, Mido, who was so close to leaving for Manchester City in January, will certainly depart. There is also only so long that Jermain Defoe, given his desire for first-team football, will want to stay now that he has so emphatically been replaced by Robbie Keane. A problem for the England striker is that Spurs will demand a fee of up to £15m for him.

Another key factor for Jol will be the timing of any deals. He was delighted that Spurs acted swiftly to secure Dimitar Berbatov, his prime target, last summer by agreeing to meet the Bulgarian's £10.9m buy-out clause at Bayer Leverkusen. But he had to wait until near the close of the window for another player he identified, Pascal Chimbonda, while the suspicion lingers that £8m Didier Zokora and Steed Malbranque were signings, again late ones, foisted on the manager.

Then there is Michael Carrick. How Jol must have watched with regret as the midfielder he championed scored twice for Manchester United in the Champions' League quarter-final. Despite potentially yielding more than £18m - undeniably good business despite Carrick's strong season - he has not been adequately replaced. Again the timing of the deal, close to the end of August, did not help Jol's preparations, as he had built his team around Carrick, and the two clubs were hardly miles apart when the deal was first mooted last June.

Jol has been denied his captain Ledley King for long tracts of the season, and likened the loss to how Chelsea suffer in John Terry' s absence. There are concerns over Tom Huddlestone, too, despite his undoubted talent. The midfielder's size is a problem in terms of mobility and stamina. Smaller, quicker players simply play around him. Cesc Fabregas's dominance did not go unnoticed.

If he is to come under any pressure, it would appear hugely unfair. He has the fans' backing of the fans. Having booed their team off at half-time against Seville, they did not direct any criticism at the manager. "Martin Jol's white army" was a chant constantly heard. Jol has earned the right to take his team forward.