Mauricio Pochettino haunted by lack of summer signings

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino is missing fresh faces that should’ve been acquired during the summer transfer window.

Tottenham Hotspur’s relative lack of activity throughout the majority of the summer transfer window made sense at the time. After all, Spurs had a young and talented starting XI in place back on July 1. No available player, in theory, was taking Harry Kane’s spot in the lineup. Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen and others were all staying put under manager Mauricio Pochettino for at least one more season.

Fast-forward to the end of November, and Tottenham’s lack of signings are haunting Pochettino at a time when players have lost their form and, seemingly, some belief as it pertains to league contests. Pochettino can only blame himself and his staff for players sleepwalking during the opening portions of certain games, but other woes hovering over the squad could’ve been avoided with a handful of positive transactions.

Davinson Sanchez very much so looks the part, to the point that he’s made shouts for additional playing time when others in defense are fully fit. Assuming the 21-year-old who never played a second of Premier League football until joining Spurs could fill the gap created by an injury sidelining Toby Alderweireld was always foolish and unfair to Sanchez. After all, Alderweireld is one of the best center backs in the country.

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Serge Aurier has resembled Kyle Walker in that the new Tottenham right back has experienced ups and downs during his tenure, which is ironic considering the man he replaced. Aurier took Walker’s spot in the squad instead of signing for Tottenham to push the England international, and the reality of the situation, several months into the season, is that Kieran Trippier has offered more than Aurier as it pertains to playing at both ends of the pitch.

Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga was always meant to be a project and a potential future starter if Spurs were to lose Lloris before 2019. Juan Foyth isn’t ready to play weekly Premier League football and Champions League fixtures. Youngster Kyle Walker-Peters has flashed some promise, but his time to shine in the Tottenham squad will come after the current campaign concludes.

In fairness to chairman Daniel Levy, striker Fernando Llorente seemed a good deadline buy. Llorente proved himself to be a dependable goal-scorer at Swansea City, and the hope was that the 32-year-old could provide both cover for Kane and sparks when Spurs struggled to break opponents down.

As well as Llorente played versus Real Madrid, that performance was, to date, more of a one-off than a sign of things to come. Llorente has accumulated a handful of horror misses over a short period of time, to the point some Tottenham supporters are already comparing him to flops Roberto Soldado and Vincent Janssen. It’s not yet December, but there are already concerns Llorente will never locate confidence and shooting boots wearing Tottenham Lilywhite.

Llorente failing to meet expectations doesn’t account for Levy not providing Pochettino with the depth required to compete in the Champions League, Premier League and cup competitions. Conversations about wage demands and squad spots aside, it now feels as if Levy, and maybe even Pochettino, to a point, simply assumed everyone in the XI would remain at elite levels for the better of ten months.

Alli has been lackluster and even poor, and his dedication to the cause has been called into question by more than a few supporters. Eriksen is one of the better attacking midfielders when at his best, but Spurs have nobody to play in his place when he’s having an off night. Spurs not splashing cash to land Ryan Sessegnon hurts more each time Danny Rose plays a bad cross or opens his mouth in front of a reporter.

Every squad needs fresh faces each season to provide needed depth in case things go wrong and also to push those above them. Who, within the Tottenham team, is pushing Alli to improve? Name the person Pochettino can insert into the lineup in the event he’d want to drop Eriksen for a match. Spurs being without either Vertonghen or Alderweireld is a nightmare Tottenham will only escape when Alderweireld returns.

It’s the same old story for Spurs during this current run of bad results. Tottenham undeniably possess quality, but the lack of talent outside of the first-choice team is costing Spurs points they can’t recover. Both Levy and Pochettino must review the club’s summer policies before the new stadium opens next August.