Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer strategy is beginning to look like it may have overlooked one of the most important areas of the squad.
Spurs invested more than £300 million during the summer, hoping to transform themselves from a team that had endured consecutive bottom-half Premier League finishes into genuine contenders for European football under Roberto De Zerbi. Their start to the campaign has been extremely disappointing, although it is still far too early to determine whether the huge investment will ultimately prove successful.
However, the early warning signs are difficult to ignore. Tottenham have lacked consistency, attacking threat and overall cohesion. That said, plenty of teams have recovered from poor starts, so it would be premature to write off their entire season at this stage.
What can already be questioned, though, is how Tottenham allocated their considerable transfer budget. Looking back at their summer recruitment, one particular decision stands out as a potentially costly mistake.
Building a successful team requires quality throughout the squad, especially with the level of competition in the Premier League. But there are certain positions that can dramatically change a team’s fortunes.
One of them is the defensive midfield position. Every serious top-level side needs a midfielder capable of breaking up attacks, protecting the defence and controlling the space in front of the back four. Some teams even require two players with those qualities.
Tottenham may argue that Sandro Tonali can provide that presence, but it will take more time and a larger sample of matches before his impact can properly be judged.
Tottenham’s results so far
– Brentford 3-0 Tottenham
– Tottenham 5-1 Charlton — Carabao Cup
– Tottenham 0-2 Newcastle United
– Nottingham Forest 0-0 Tottenham
– Tottenham 0-0 Everton
– Liverpool 3-1 Tottenham — Carabao Cup
But there is another shortcut available to teams looking to improve quickly: signing a proven goalscorer.
A world-class striker can transform a team even when other areas of the squad are still developing. Players such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane may have been beyond Tottenham’s reach, but there were other established goalscorers who could potentially have addressed their biggest problem.
Ollie Watkins left Aston Villa during the summer, while Victor Osimhen appeared to be a potentially attainable option. The Nigerian striker had been in outstanding form for Galatasaray and was even described as “the best striker in the world” by Nigeria manager Eric Chelle.
Ivan Toney was another name reportedly on Tottenham’s radar, while Lautaro Martinez could perhaps have been available for the right offer. Karim Adeyemi also moved to Barcelona and has already made an impressive start in front of goal.
Instead, Tottenham opted to bring in Omar Marmoush. He is undoubtedly a talented player, but he can sometimes appear more comfortable operating from the wing than as a traditional centre-forward.
That leaves Spurs relying heavily on Dominic Solanke, who has yet to establish himself as the prolific goalscorer they need, while Richarlison has effectively been pushed out of the picture.
There were certainly some positive elements to Tottenham’s summer recruitment. However, with more than £300 million spent, the club must have recognised that adding a reliable goalscorer could have been the fastest way to improve their chances of securing European football.
Their early results have highlighted that issue.
Tottenham have struggled badly in front of goal in the Premier League and have yet to find the net. That drought will eventually end, but there are already concerns about whether Spurs have a striker capable of reaching the sort of goal tally required to push them towards their European ambitions.
Spending more than £300 million without adding an obvious, proven goal threat is a major gamble in modern football. Goals remain the foundation of successful teams unless a side possesses enough quality to dominate possession and consistently overwhelm opponents, as teams such as Arsenal and Spain have demonstrated.
At present, Tottenham do not appear to possess that level of quality across the pitch, nor do they seem to be building their team around that particular style under De Zerbi.
The biggest concern is that Spurs may have failed to address their most obvious weakness during the summer transfer window. Their lack of attacking firepower is already becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
A signing such as Victor Osimhen could potentially have transformed Tottenham’s attack and provided exactly the kind of cutting edge they currently appear to be missing.
