Tottenham fans are right to be concerned about the club’s lack of a second striker. Tottenham fans are not right to assume this means the club is being “cheap.”
As is often the case with stories in the world of football, the truth in the Tottenham striker debate should be found somewhere in the middle of the two schools of thought. Not acquiring a second striker to provide cover for Harry Kane is neither totally justifiable or the worst thing that’s ever happened at White Hart Lane.
Barring Daniel Levy pulling a striker out of his magic hat, this transfer window is going to end in disappointment for Spurs fans who were convinced the club must add a new striker to cover for Kane. It’s been widely reported that Tottenham have chased a multitude of candidates throughout the month, most notably Saido Berahino and Moussa Dembele, but have not been able to find a suitable deal. That is, a deal that satisfies Daniel Levy’s fiscal requirements and also Mauricio Pochettino’s talent/attitude needs.
Fans who are upset at the lack of a second senior striker in the squad have every reason to be concerned. The possibility of Harry Kane sustaining a knock or simply becoming too fatigued to function at his current level is very real. Such a calamity would likely put an end to Tottenham’s title dreams and could prove fatal to Champions League qualification as well. No one can reasonably claim that finishing the season with just one true striker in the squad is ideal. It clearly is not.
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However, it isn’t necessarily the worst case scenario either. Pochettino has been adamant that he sees his job at Tottenham as a long-term project. While fans are right to point out that this season is a unique opportunity to seize glory, it’s very likely that Pochettino believes he has the club positioned for an extended run of title contention. Would you really want him to feel any other way?
If you assume that he believes he has the squad heading in that direction, then there are a lot of potential negatives that could arise from adding a striker in this window. Certainly, adding a new player could upset the emotional harmony of the squad. In particular, that would seem to be a worry with Berahino who’s rumored to be a problem at West Brom.
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Bringing in a talented player to be a back up is often a difficult transaction to manage. It’s entirely logical for Pochettino to point out the potential pitfalls of adding a disgruntled player to the locker room. It’s not a certainty that this would happen with any player, but there is always that possibility. That risk has to factor into the decision of whether or not to purchase a particular backup striker.
Secondly, Tottenham is not in a position where it can make a significant financial mistake at the moment. With a new stadium coming, Levy is right to be advocating fiscal responsibility at the current time. Again, he’s taking the long view that building a stadium is the real key to long-term title contention. Pushing off the stadium a year or two to bring in cover for Harry Kane now would seem like a short-sighted decision.
What’s really happened with Tottenham’s search for a striker during this window is pretty clear. Levy gave Pochettino a certain price range that he believed the club could absorb when searching for that striker. Pochettino applied that price range restriction to striker he thought had the requisite talent, and character to fit into his Tottenham project.
The number of strikers that fit within the requirements of each man was relatively small. Tottenham proceeded to pursue a number of those targets and were unable to complete a deal. Some of those targets we’ve heard a great deal about in the press, some inquiries we will likely never hear of in the public.
It’s regrettable that Tottenham couldn’t manage to make a deal for any of the strikers that fit in their price, talent and character range. It isn’t indicative of a failure to try to lock up any quality target though. The circumstances around the club just led to a narrow talent pool to chase. That chase, ultimately has proven to be fruitless.
In sum, Tottenham fans have every right to be upset at the lack of striker purchase this transfer window. I, myself, am very concerned about the possibility of Kane sustaining an injury.
However, I’m not going to rant and rave about the failure of Daniel Levy to back his manager. I’m of the clear opinion that Levy chased the targets that fit the vision he and Pochettino share for the club and was unable to complete a deal. Circumstances simply conspired against his ability to successfully land one of those targets. Whether it Jeremy Peace’s stubbornness or Fulham’s relegation battle, circumstances just weren’t in Spurs’ favor.
Tottenham entered the January transfer window knowing that only a small number of striking targets would fit their roster and financial needs. Unfortunately, the circumstances weren’t right to add any of the players who fell into that category.
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The club must now go forward and live with the risk of Kane suffering an injury or from fatigue. They’ve made the choice that risking that is preferable to risking squad discontent or financial malpractice. As a Spurs fan, I’m happy with that choice.