How Will Tottenham React to Their Own Success?

There are two easily imaginable paths for Tottenham this summer in regard to transfers.

The first involves staying the course. Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham have streamlined the squad as a whole, brought in new and exceptional talent to fill in the cracks and look dramatically better for it.

That all this was possible over two summer transfer windows while also keeping the books balanced is one of the least talked about accomplishments of Pochettino’s brief reign. It’s a model for how clubs of any size can operate effectively without having to break the bank each summer.

The problem, at least from the perspective of Daniel Levy’s pocketbook, is that it’s worked a little too well.

Pochettino turned a ragtag, unbalanced bunch of players into a machine so well-oiled and full of youthful verve that it actually competed for the Premier League title as the season drew to a close, not to mention the fact that it qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2010/11 and for only the second time in the club’s history.

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Suddenly, Tottenham find themselves in a unexpected position. They are back competing in Europe’s most highly regarded club competition while also coping with the pressure of being among the favorites for next year’s Premier League title.

Improving the squad can no longer be a long-term goal measured in gradual benchmarks. Tottenham need to compete with the best clubs in the world much sooner than they might have anticipated — and not just on the football pitch.

Tottenham have turned a £6.3 million profit in Pochettino’s four transfer windows with the club — something virtually unheard of in English football. That’s been possible thanks to some generous fees received for under or un-used players combined with finding diamonds in the rough in the form of Eric Dier and Dele Alli.

Entry into the Champions League gives Tottenham access to a new tier of players, but also dramatically increases the asking prices of said players. Tottenham can and will continue to hunt for both bargain and younger players, but to create a reliably deep roster of experienced players for Pochettino to choose from will almost inevitably mean breaking with tradition.

What’s more, the fat available to cut from the squad currently doesn’t stand to provide nearly the profit of previous selling sprees. How much can Tottenham reliably expect to get for Ryan Mason or Nacer Chadli? Will it be enough combined for them to buy even one of the £20+ plus rated stars they are linked with?

Michy Batsuayhi, Adam Lallana and the like would all improve Tottenham’s ability to simultaneously engage in a Champions League push and the Premier League title race, but how practical is it given the realities of the club’s situation?

The timing of all this presents a unique problem to Levy and the club’s owners. Ground has been broken on Tottenham’s new stadium, set to open in 2018. Balancing the books is as much a protest against the increasingly absurd reality of transfer fees and as a practical matter related to financing that stadium. Breaking with the recent past and going into the red on transfers might hurt the club in the long run.

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But how could Levy justify not taking a chance now? Tottenham are ascending at a moment when several of their Premier League rivals are rebuilding. If there ever was a chance at a title — and thus a chance at establishing the club as a perennial contender — it’s probably going to be next season.

Tottenham’s burdens might be heavier than ever, but they are still far from a small club. Money can and will be spent as needed, but the club can’t forget the revolution they helped create.

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