Daniel Levy’s words this morning has brought something of a mixed response on the Tottenham forums. Some accuse the Tottenham chief of lacking ambition, while some see him as a realist. I find myself torn somewhere within the middle and see both sides of the argument.
Like most supporters I was extremely disappointed with our failure to secure a top class striker and centre half, and therefore I felt we really missed a trick, considering we actually had the lure of Champions League football. I also figured that qualifying for European football’s elite competition was an unexpected bonus last season therefore the likely revenues of making the group stages should have been made available to give the club every chance to not only compete in the Champions League, but give us a real opportunity to retain our position within the top four. I believe we have played a dangerous game in maintaining faith with last season’s squad and the long-term injuries to both Defoe and Dawson only serves to highlight it further.
I’m not going to criticise Levy, as he has done an incredible job with the club finances and we should be thankful that we have an owner that isn’t willing to gamble on the club’s future. The cost of the new training ground and the proposed new stadium means that the club’s financial belt has to be tightened somewhat in order to ensure that we don’t get saddled with even more debt. Perhaps Levy is right to suggest that there are no guarantees by spending big money, especially given the amount of competition for the top four places.
“I think we all want to stay there but we all have to be realistic. There are only four places in England and there are seven or eight clubs competing.
“There are probably two clubs you could say are guaranteed to be in that top four. You then have two places for six clubs. The odds are stacked against you.
“But what we won’t do is jeopardise the club to challenge to be one of those two. You can’t run the club on the basis of being in the Champions League.”
“Often people say you just need an extra player. It doesn’t work. It’s about the team. I like to think it’s important to run the club in the right way.
“It’s not just about today; it’s about the future generation of fans. You have to protect the club.” (Guardian)
While I understand Levy’s concerns, there is still a big part of me that believes we should have shown a little more ambition in the transfer market. UEFA’s new ruling will ensure that clubs going forward will only spend within their means; therefore this represented one last opportunity to have a real transfer splurge. Levy is right to suggest that it is a huge battle to get a top four place; however I think we are better equipped than most and I believe one or two top class additions will have enable us to cement our place and not make it represent so much of a gamble. That is my view, although there are maybe Spurs fans out there who may beg to differ.
Was the club right to show prudence this summer, or did we miss a golden opportunity to cement our place with the Premier League elite?
Written By Roy James