A rash of Daniel Levy mistakes have caused Tottenham regression
By Gary Pearson
Complete transfer inactivity
I’m sure you’ll vividly remember the summer of 2018, like most Spurs supporters, for all the wrong reasons. The usual hype and rash of transfer rumours promised a fruitful summer. That escalated hype gradually subsided and ended on a whimper. Tottenham became the first club, since the summer transfer window was introduced in 2003, not to make a singe move.
No buying, no selling. Nothing. Radio silence. By the way, that ignominious title of only club not to make a single move remains intact.
Levy assured supporters the dormant transfer period wasn’t down to being stretched too thin with the financial obligations of repaying the new £1 billion stadium. But we all know better. Instead, he put the club’s inactivity on Pochettino, saying:
"“Mauricio Pochettino didn’t want to sign someone for the sake of it. He felt there were sufficient players in the squad, and that those coming back from injury would be like new signings. “Concerning budgets, the stadium won’t directly impact on the transfer policy. There is a certain amount earmarked for transfers and the club can only spend what is available. “He also said that transfers were complicated with several variables so it was not possible to work out in advance how much you could spend in a given window.”"
Yes, transfers are complicated. But not complicated enough to remain completely dormant throughout the entire transfer window. That summer had a knock-on effect, the residual debris from the mess is still haunting the club. It was the headline act of a failed transfer policy.
Supporters, pundits and anyone not directly involved with the club repeatedly asked, even begged, Levy to reach into the club’s comparably deep pockets to strengthen the team. He didn’t and now you can see the tangible damage of such negligent inactivity.