Tottenham: Figuring Out Pochettino’s Plan
Is there a certain method to Mauricio Pochettino’s madness?
This is an interesting question as it relates to how the transfer market has recently gone for Tottenham. As was discussed yesterday, if Tottenham didn’t sign anyone else would it be considered a failure? A resounding yes seemed to be the answer, but it looked to be more of a quick reaction than anything else.
Let’s review Tottenham’s summer and look closely at what’s going on.
Tottenham Hotspur
Signings: Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld
Losses: Paulinho, Lewis Holtby, Étienne Capoue, Younès Kaboul, Benjamin Stambouli, Vlad Chiricheș
Key addition: Toby Alderweireld
Tottenham lost more players by releasing them and one retiring (Brad Friedel), but for the most part they weren’t big losses. The players who were released weren’t able to crack into the first team, so it was best to just move on and part ways mutually.
So with that said, selling six players and signing three, obviously would make the club weaker at first glance. The problem with that thinking is, that’s not the whole picture. While the big picture is competing for a top four finish and getting into the Champions League, it’s weird to assume that Tottenham can’t fight their way up the table.
If it wasn’t already obvious, Tottenham’s main issue heading into this summer was their defense. That had always been a priority; look no further than who was brought in to the club once the summer began. Both Wimmer and Trippier were quickly signed with Alderweireld taking slightly longer, but was completed after Daniel Levy flew to Madrid and was able to seal the deal with a couple of days.
Midfield, winger and striker are important as well, and yet no one has been signed.
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The fact that many names have been rumored but nothing has been official leads me to believe that Tottenham are simply inquiring about certain players.
They’re looking at potential targets and seeing if a club is willing to sell them for an arbitrary number, a formal bid if you will (£10.6m for Clinton N’Jie for example).
A number of different factors could tell us why Tottenham hasn’t signed any offensive players. Perhaps one of them is that the club could already be set. Mauricio Pochettino has a penchant for bringing in youth players to the first team and Daniel Levy is all about smart and affordable purchases. The core is there, it just needs to be augmented with a couple of more key signings, if it doesn’t happen it’s not a terrible loss.
It’ll make the climb to the top four harder, but it’s always been like that.
For what it’s worth, Mauricio Pochettino is thinking long term rather than short term. Sure the club gets weaker with more losses than gains, but money won’t be thrown around haphazardly on a yearly basis. The only signings that Tottenham should be making are young, high ceiling/potential players, who are easily affordable and have re-sale value if Tottenham decides to move on.
Otherwise, their youth players are more than capable of helping this club out.
Basically, the gist is that spending doesn’t always guarantee success. Tottenham is that kind of club, who won’t spend a lot to compete with the other elite Premier League clubs. It’ll be like this for as long as Mauricio Pochettino is the manager and oversees all of the youth players coming to the first team.