We go again

Honestly, I didn’t see this coming. I am not someone to get too excited or angry about transfer windows; there’s so much conjecture, so many assumptions, so many reasons why sources would have information aside from that information actually being the reality of a situation.

But after Spurs didn’t sign anyone in the summer window, I felt sure that we’d have something in mind for January. Perhaps, I thought, we’d missed our target in the summer but we have faith that we can get it over the line in January. Or maybe we’ll ‘do a Lucas’ and sign someone for next year but give them the next few months to bed in. Alternatively, we’ll snap up a couple of young lower league talents and send them out on loan to continue their development, ready for a run in pre-season.

The recent injury crisis didn’t change anything in my mind — it would be lunacy for a club that has already got itself into a pickle by bloating its squad with poor signings to make short-termist moves, designed to fix issues that will fix themselves within weeks or months. But there were and are long-term problems that need addressing in our squad. Not only that, we have two key players seemingly on their way out in the summer, in Toby Alderweireld and Christian Eriksen. That will require some serious scouting and some serious investment. In leaving all of our business to the summer, we are putting a huge amount of pressure on ourselves to fix multiple problems at the same time.

Mauricio Pochettino had repeatedly argued that he wouldn’t sign just anyone — that potential incomings had to improve the squad. I think that’s an intention we can all get behind. It pre-supposes, though, that there aren’t players available who are attainable and who wouldn’t improve our squad. I struggle to see how that can be the case.

Part of me is kind of bullish about this; the stubbornness of our transfer committee is admirable in many ways. ‘We have a good squad, any additions are just gravy’. I still believe that we have a squad capable of finishing in the top four this season, but I also believe that we have put a huge amount of pressure on key players to keep turning out — straight after a World Cup, and with limited rotation for the Champions League. This causes weaknesses in muscles, it creates greater risk of injury and that has been borne out.

When the Champions League starts up again we are going to have to hope that our injury woes behind us if we want to progress any further, and we are really going to need key players to step back in and hit the ground running immediately if we are going to secure another top 4 finish.

One things for sure, you’re hella ballsy, Spurs.