Tottenham Hotspur are fresh off a Europa League title triumph and should be running on a high right now, but the reality is that Spurs have made a few missteps this summer already, even if they should be in a better place overall with Thomas Frank at the helm and Mohammed Kudus joining the attack.
The story of Tottenham's transfer window is one with some positives but many more missed opportunities. Whereas the other elite clubs in England like Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City have been spending big and signing blockbuster players, Spurs only real addition thus far is Kudus, who is very talented but is more of a gamble at 55 million pounds than players like Rayan Cherki and Alexander Isak.
Tottenham have also failed to upgrade their midfield, while Chelsea and Arsenal are welcoming some of the finest talents in European football to their sides this summer. And Chelsea are on the cusp of adding another one of those players - someone who can dominate the next decade of the Champions League - at Tottenham's expense.
Chelsea are extremely close
Fabrizio Romano and other insiders have been increasingly reporting that Chelsea are circling closer to a deal with RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons, who was a dream transfer target for many Tottenham fans. Instead of showing urgency to beat Chelsea - and Arsenal - to the punch for the 22-year-old Dutch intenrational, Spurs have proceeded to do precisely nothing to convince Simons of their sporting project.
Now, according to a fresh update from Fab, Simons has given the "green light" to Chelsea and are now the "clear favorites" to land the Bundesliga superstar. Simons is "very keen" on joining the Blues, as the Premier League powerhouses continue to negotiate with Leipzig on a deal, leaving the likes of Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and, of course, Tottenham in the dust.
While Tottenham were the Europa League winners, Chelsea finished in the top five of the Premier League - compared to 17th for Spurs - and also won both the Conference League and the Club World Cup with a 3-0 demolition job of Champions League winners PSG.
There are levels between Tottenham and Chelsea still, and this Simons transfer saga is a reminder that Spurs are frustratingly far behind. And so much of that isn't down to the size of the club or the fanbase or any of that. It's down to ambition. Daniel Levy talks a big game and hypes things up that he will support Frank, but anyone who thinks Levy is out to win the Champions League or even the Premier League is seriously kidding themselves. He's not even out to be better than Chelsea.