Long Form: Assessing Tottenham’s Deadline Failures
By Ryan Wrenn
Does Anyone Compare to Tottenham’s Daniel Levy?
The fact is though that these men figureheads representing an ever-working difference engine that calculates the costs and benefits of each and every moving part within the club. Levy himself is not pouring over player rosters looking for the next great deal. There are men like Paul Mitchell and Mauricio Pochettino and dozens of others who do that work and more, gauging the feasibility of anything the club does. To think it’s anything otherwise is to improperly understand football’s thoroughly-vetted and thoroughly-efficient modern incarnation.
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It would be mostly unfair to liken someone like Levy with Vince McMahon, but the comparison is not far off. The WWE chairman has revitalized professional wrestling and his career by playing the vaudeville villain, making unpopular decisions and play-acting his way through the process of creating a successful ‘sports’ empire.
While it’s absurd to think that Levy or any other football club chairman is doing the same, the comedy of errors that was Tuesday’s transfer deadline makes much more sense through that kind of lens. What was Levy and the club doing but appeasing the fanbase and media’s call for a striker and a defensive mid? Was it really conceivable that the club would spend another £40-50 million on that pair? What about the summer’s prior transfer dealings – so expertly balanced with player sales – made anyone think that such a transfer outlay was part of the club’s financial strategy?
RELATED: Eric Dier Awaits Tottenham’s Judgment
One might point to the poor start to the season as reason for the club to change their tune and spend big. In all honesty though, how poor has it been? Three draws and a loss over four games is nothing to brag about of course, but what has actually held the club back? It hasn’t been that Kane is too exhausted to play, or that Dier has been turning in nightmare performances. Kane’s misfiring can be written off as a statistical anomaly that will be corrected with more minutes played, and besides both Nacer Chadli and Son can play striker if need be. As for Dier, his stellar four games suggest the club – perhaps by accident – already found the best player for that position.
Next: What Can Tottenham Do Moving Forward?