Window closed for Spurs?

Rewind four years and Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur were all that stood between Leicester City and the most unprecedented Premier League campaign ever. In a blood-bath stalemate at Stamford Bridge, later dubbed the ‘Battle of London’, Spurs’ faint hopes for Premier League glory slipped beyond reach. In ultimate Spurs fashion, the Lilywhites even surrendered 2^nd placed to their arch-rivals Arsenal. Back-to-back defeats to Southampton and Newcastle capped off another frustrating season for English football’s perennial ‘what if’ side. One year on, Spurs bettered themselves, topping Guardiola’s City (3^rd) and Klopp’s Liverpool (4^th), to finish seven points behind Antonio Conte’s Chelsea in 2^nd. Fourth place finishes soon became routine for Spurs fans. For four consecutive seasons Tottenham Hotspur rubbed shoulders with European football’s most high-profile clubs. Their Champions League fortunes peaked in May 2019 when Lucas Moura poked in a dramatic 96^th minute winner to complete his hat-trick and silence the awestruck Ajax crowd. A 3-2 victory in Amsterdam was enough to cancel out Ajax’s 1-0 win at the brand-new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a fortnight prior. An emotional Pochettino charged to the away enclosure upon the ref’s final whistle to share the historic moment with the travelling Londoners. Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool awaited Spurs for an all English final in Madrid. Goals two minutes into the match and two minutes from time saw the Reds on their way to a 6^th European Cup win, bestowing more heartache on Tottenham’s supporters.

Fast forward fifteen months and life in London is quite a severe contrast. Firstly, Pochettino is nowhere to be seen. Three wins from twelve in the league, a humiliating EFL Cup exit at minnows Colchester United and a 7-2 schooling at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stages all culminated in the departure of the Argentine. In five seasons at White Hart Lane Mauricio Pochettino sparked life into an organisation that had been living in the shadows of their fierce North London neighbours. Despite vast improvement under Poch, Tottenham failed to add any silverware in this ‘successful’ period. The announcement of Pochettino’s sacking was met with disbelief. The consensus amongst the Spurs faithful was further frustration with Daniel Levy and the club’s board. Pochettino transformed the club’s mindset and ambition. When he took over as manager at Tottenham in 2014, Pochettino had just guided Southampton to their best finish (8^th in the Premier League) in over ten years, whilst Spurs were just off the back of a 6^th place finish. Pochettino’s 5^th place finish in his opening campaign would turn out to be his lowest with the Lilywhites. In a statement of intent by the club, Jose Mourinho (three-time Premier League winner and two-time Champions League winner) was appointed Pochettino’s successor. Who’d have guessed that eight months down the line, ‘The Special One’ and his coaching staff would be elated at a 6^th place end to their Premier League season, a season once again without silverware for the white half of North London. With Liverpool and Manchester City setting such a high benchmark at the top, has the window of opportunity slammed shut on Tottenham Hotspur? From the sacking of Pochettino to their infamous transfer abstinence of 2018/19, it seems as though the train has left the station for Spurs and any Premier League accolades.

Questions are still raised regarding the handling of funds from the lucrative (then world record) transfer of Gareth Bale back in 2013. That summer saw Tottenham generate £29.5million in the sales of Steven Caulker, Clint Dempsey, Tom Huddlestone, Scott Parker and Jermaine Defoe. Incorporating the £85million received from Real Madrid for the Welshman, Spurs cashed in over £100million in the 2013/14 campaign. Seven players were drafted in with the ‘Bale money’, just two of which Spurs’ supporters would deem successful. Erik Lamela was the largest sum at £30million from Roma, although the Argentine winger has not become a stellar squad member, he has provided a very adequate option off the bench in recent seasons. Had it not been for the signing of Christian Eriksen from Ajax for just £11.5million there would be a warrant out for the Spurs accountant. The Danish playmaker was a key component to the Spurs revival, with double figures in assists in each Premier League campaign he featured, the fee paid for the great Dane made amends for an otherwise embarrassing transfer window. Of the seven arrivals of Summer 2013, just two were sold for a profit. Regrettably Eriksen was one of those to depart, with the midfielder switching to Italian outfit Inter Milan in January 2020 for £17million, a £5.5million profit for Daniel Levy and Spurs. Winger Nacer Chadli was the other acquisition to generate a profit, purchased for £7million from FC Twente in Holland, the Belgian failed to live up to expectations and was sold three years later, joining West Bromwich Albion for £13million.

PLAYER:	FEE PAID:	ACQUIRED FROM:	FEE RECEIVED:	DEPARTED FOR:	LOSS
Paulinho	£17mill	Corinthians	£9.9mill	Guangzhou Evergrande	-£7.1mill
Roberto Soldado	£26mill	Valencia	£10mill	Villareal	-£16mill
Etienne Capoue	£9mill	Toulouse	£6.3mill	Watford	-£2.7mill
Vlad Chiriches	£8.5mill	Steaua Bucuresti	£4.5mill	Napoli	-£4mill

 

This disastrous transfer saga did eventually bear fruit in North London. Following a sub-par start to the season, manager Andre Villas-Boas was relieved of his duties just a fortnight before Christmas. In stepped Tim Sherwood, the local lad who had enjoyed a four-year stint as a player at White Hart Lane took charge until the end of the season. Despite introducing a promising young Harry Kane to the world for the first time, Sherwood did not receive a contract extension at the Lane and opened the door for 42-year-old Mauricio Pochettino to take the reins.

Right from the off Pochettino outlined his objective, bringing in English duo Eric Dier (£4mill from Sporting Lisbon) and Dele Alli (£5mill from MK Dons) along with promoting Harry Kane to a first-team regular. Kane’s performances throughout the season validated his manager’s faith, finishing the season with 31 goals in all competitions and helping guide Spurs to their first final since 2009. A John Terry inspired Chelsea pipped Spurs to the League Cup in the final in March 2015. All in all, Pochettino’s maiden campaign at White Hart Lane was considered a step up from the previous year, in which Emmanuel Adebayor’s 14 goals led the side to a 6^th place finish. Year two under the Pochettino regime Spurs flourished, eleven points off Leicester in 1^st place, the closest a Tottenham side has come to an English title in 49-years. In his most productive transfer window Pochettino cut loose the clubs’ dead weight, Lewis Holtby, Younes Kaboul, Roberto Soldado and Aaron Lennon to name just a few. In came Heung-Min Son for £22million along with Toby Alderweireld for £11.4million and Kieran Trippier, £3.5million from Burnley. With three fixtures remaining only Spurs could halt the relentless Leicester. A draw at Stamford Bridge ended the chase. A 2-1 defeat at home to Southampton followed by a 5-1 drubbing at Newcastle ensured Arsenal would leapfrog Spurs for second place. To this day Gunners goad their neighbours at the fact they ‘came third in a two-horse race’. The following campaign Spurs did secure second, but once again their activity in the transfer market tried and found wanting over the course of the year. £17million was paid to AZ Alkmaar for Dutch forward Vincent Janssen, intended to offer some respite for Harry Kane. Six goals in three years (with an unproductive loan spell at Fenerbahce in-between) drew curtains on Janssen’s career in English football. Three years after joining the club he was escorted out, signing for Mexican side Monterrey for £6.3million, accruing a near £11million loss.

In a period in which Tottenham teetered incredibly close to Premier League glory, a spell in English football history that saw Leicester City defy 5000/1 odds and win the title, it’s a tough pill to swallow for Spurs supporters that silverware eluded them. When divvying up the numerous factors as to why Poch and co failed to succeed, I continuously find myself back to the matter of squad depth. Or lack of squad depth in Tottenham’s case. The Clinton N’Jie experiment fell flat, another forward flop to add to the loss column, signed for over £8million, sold for £6million. Forwards Vincent Janssen, Fernando Llorente, Georges Kevin-Nkoudou came and went, each rendered little support to Pochettino. Quite frankly Tottenham struggle to operate without vice-captain/talisman Kane in the starting line-up. Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son are generally considered fruitful inclusions to the squad, each played crucial roles in the sides Champions League run of 2018/19, yet neither can sustain the centre forward duties that Kane operates so impeccably. Back-up does not appear to be an issue in the defensive department for Spurs, with plenty of options at their dispense, music to the ears of Jose Mourinho and his conservative style of play. However, in midfield, problems persist. Mousa Dembele, Moussa Sissoko, Victor Wanyama, Harry Winks, without sounding too disparaging, not the kind of players who will enter Premier League folklore. Dele Alli often displays flashes of a man worthy of a Premiership medal, Christian Eriksen may well be on route to a deserved Europa League winners medal with Inter Milan, yet aside from the pair, Spurs lacked quality and leadership in the midfield to pull off what those before them have. So perhaps it’s not a question of depth after all, what if it’s simply poor recruitment? But if there’s anything more infuriating than squandering a hard-earned transfer budget, it’s surely not taking a shot at all. Can you imagine your club just simply refusing to sign anybody? Spurs supporters don’t need to. That’s exactly what that anguished bunch experienced in the 2018/19 campaign. They weren’t left empty-handed, don’t get me wrong, a spanking new state of the art stadium allowed fans to find slightly more comfort in their despair. With construction of the stadium valued at roughly £1billion, the personnel budget was rather restricted going into the season. Tying Harry Kane down to a long-term deal was welcomed like a new signing but Tottenham’s main man was still offered no support. To rub salt in the wounds, deals were crossing the line left, right and centre around the league. James Maddison, an enthralling young attacking-midfielder renowned for creating goals and big chances, was snapped up by Leicester for £25million. Neighbours Arsenal splashed out £27million for belligerent Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira. Title challengers Liverpool confirmed the signing of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig for £52million. Cross city rivals Chelsea acquired Jorginho in a £51million deal and Manchester United agreed a sizeable fee for Brazilian Fred from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. As others upgraded, Daniel Levy reclined in blissful ignorance, surely knowing that his jaded squad who had hovered closer to a 5^th place Europa League berth than a Premier League winners medal lacked the enterprise or character to pack a punch. Although Daniel Levy insisted to eschew expenditures, the club qualified for the Champions League for the fourth consecutive year, with a narrow 4^th place finish, one point ahead of Arsenal. Tottenham’s final league position may have been their lowest since Pochettino’s arrival but that same season Spurs advanced further than ever before in European football’s most coveted competition. Spurs weathered-the-storm in a Champions League ‘group of death’ that included Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven before comfortably overwhelming Borussia Dortmund 4-0 on aggregate. The define intervention of V.A.R aided Spurs in the Quarterfinals at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to set up the Semi-Final with Ajax. After toppling the Dutch side, Spurs fell at the final hurdle, at the hands of Liverpool. The 2-0 defeat to Liverpool was just the second cup final appearance for Spurs since Mauricio Pochettino’s first season in 2014/15. The twelve and a half year wait for silverware continued for Spurs. For as long as trophies escape them, Spurs will continue to distance themselves from England’s larger, more decorated clubs.

Going from the brink of Premier League and Champions League glory to their Round of 16 exit to RB Leipzig this season and a 6^th place finish, has the window slammed shut on Tottenham’s time at the top? Whilst Spurs pushed Leicester to the edge in 15/16 Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola were still duelling in Germany, Arsene Wenger’s illustrious career was drawing to a close, Jose Mourinho’s final bridge was burnt at Chelsea and Louis Van Gaal… Less said about that experiment the better. Tottenham had a golden opportunity to take advantage of others in transition and promote the club’s image by flaunting silverware, an opportunity that surpassed them. Not so much as a League Cup. In the most exciting spell in recent history for Spurs, the bittersweet truth is that rivals Arsenal added three FA Cups to their honours board in the Pochettino era.

The only saving grace in sight for Spurs is that Jose Mourinho is a serial winner. Eight league titles in four countries, a treble with Inter Milan and a Champions League with FC Porto. Latterly ‘The Special One’ hasn’t been looked at with such high esteem. His infamous ‘treble’ at Manchester United (Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League) are a testament to his monotonous playing style. Notorious for a nitty-gritty defensive play style, known as parking the bus, Jose does grinds out results. Whether or not a League Cup would seduce Harry Kane and their other star players in staying put is a question only those individuals can answer.

The Premier-ship is sinking. Lifeboats have been deployed to the top sides. Liverpool and City are safe. Bruno Fernandes is keeping United afloat as, I imagine, will Werner and Ziyech for Chelsea. Aubameyang, the captain of his ship, seems to have Arsenal on a steady path and Leicester City have a healthy band of youngsters to accommodate their senior stars such as Vardy, Evans etc. All six have shared recent success.

TEAM:	MOST RECENT SILVERWARE:	TROPHIES IN THE LAST 5 YEARS:
Arsenal	19/20 FA-Cup	x2
Chelsea	18/19 Europa League	x3
Leicester City	15/16 Premiership	x1
Liverpool	19/20 Premiership	x4
Manchester City	19/20 League-Cup	x7
Manchester United	16/17 Europa League	x3

 

          Jose Mourinho has been quick to add some depth to the squad in the form of free-agent goalkeeper Joe Hart, an experienced back-up to support Hugo Lloris. There are further options out there in the free-agency market; Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Mario Gotze amongst several others. But one transfer buzzing around social media is the potential re-signing of Gareth Bale. Bale has expanded his golfing skills more in the last 24-months than his adept footballing ability. Shunned out of the picture at Real Madrid by manager Zinedine Zidane, Bale’s time in Spain has been a foregone conclusion for over a year now. The Welshman’s wage bill might startle Levy and his board of directors, but Bale still possesses that cutting-edge that can make all the difference. Mourinho and Tottenham have a vital summer ahead, Bale or no Bale, Spurs must recruit adequately if they’re to shake off the shackles of the Europa League and get Pochettino’s vision back on track.