When Tottenham Hotspur opened the new year and, thus, a new transfer window, they had to know that the players at their disposal were not adequate and that the threat of relegation from the Premier League was something to keep in the back of their minds.
But by a combination of hubris and incompetence, Spurs signed just one player of experience in the winter transfer window, overpaying to bring in Conor Gallagher, whom Atletico Madrid had been desperate to sell on a permanent basis for years. Spurs broke their wage structure for a mediocre player jettisoned by Chelsea, spending more money than Aston Villa would have to sign Gallagher from the Rojiblancos. And if they had their way, they would have also brought in Andrew Robertson in a similarly poor decision.
Tottenham are teetering on the brink now, and while the issues at the club were already set before the winter transfer window began, that period of time has to be looked back on as an even bigger disaster with where Spurs are now. And the best word to describe that winter window is "unbecoming", because it was the moment where Spurs passed up on their chance to salvage their season and went full on into doomsday. That window should be an "unbecoming" one for Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham, whose futures at Spurs must be non existent now, regardless of whether Spurs stay up.
Johan Lange messed it all up in January
So much went wrong in that window. Not only did Spurs sign the wrong player in Conor Gallagher, but Johan Lange famously did not bring in anyone else to upgrade this thin and injury ravaged squad because he did not want to panic buy. Well, who is panicking now that his job is on the very line?
It's not just the fact that Tottenham Hotspur somehow got worse at the forward positions after the transfer window rather than better, but beyond the players they did or didn't sign, the biggest screw up of the winter window was in the manager's chair.
At that time, Spurs could have fired Thomas Frank. They should have. Doing so may have spared points in the table for Tottenham, who could have hired Roberto De Zerbi all the way back in February rather than waiting until the spring to do so, and they may not be in this mess right now.
As Ademola Lookman shines for Atletico Madrid and Tottenham's forwards - the ones left standing - continue to struggle to score, Tottenham fans look back even more at January as a huge missed opportunity and the "unbecoming" moment where Spurs truly unraveled into a descent into the rest of England's relegation fodder.
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