Tottenham will not win a title without making transfer market splash

It’s naive to think Tottenham can win a Premier League title without making a significant splash in the transfer market, with Harry Kane’s latest injury setback further highlighting the club’s personnel needs.

In his earlier press conference, Mauricio Pochettino said that he thinks Spurs can “cope” with the loss of their iconic talisman. Coping is something adequate, middling teams do to deal, to survive.

Having to merely cope – regardless of whom is lost to injury – should never be a reality at a club with clear title aspirations.

For years supporters have pleaded, even demanded, that Tottenham find cover for their deadly marksman. Yet season upon season have elapsed with the club no closer to finding a forward who can replace and prosper in Kane’s absence.

The fact that Spurs haven’t splashed out in the transfer market is even more disconcerting when investigating the repetitive nature of Kane’s injury woes.

Kane’s ankle ailment history

Tottenham’s top goalscorer, in the past three years, has missed numerous prolonged stints due to his susceptible ankles. The first time Kane damaged his right ankle ligaments came in a match in September 2016 against Sunderland, which saw him miss five matches.

In 2017 against Millwall Kane suffered a similar, yet less serious, injury to his right ankle. This time Spurs’ talisman missed three matches.

A year later, in March 2018, Kane went down with another right ankle injury, this time occurring away to Bournemouth in the lead up to the World Cup. Showing his ability to rehabilitate quickly, Kane returned to action as a substitute in his side’s 3-1 away win over Chelsea less than a month later.

Which leads us to Kane’s latest disparaging injury setback: Kane, after rolling his ankle against Manchester United at Wembley last week, is expected to miss up to six weeks. It’s the first time his left ankle has been affected by such an injury.

Below are the matches Kane is touted to miss:

Jan 20: Fulham (away – PL)
Jan 24: Chelsea (away – League Cup)
Jan 27: Crystal Palace (away – FA Cup)
Jan 30: Watford (home – PL)
Feb 2: Newcastle (home – PL)
Feb 10: Leicester (home – PL)
Feb 13: Dortmund (home – CL)
Feb 16: Potential FA Cup fifth round
Feb 23: Burnley (away – PL)
or Feb 24: Potential League Cup final
Feb 27: Chelsea (away – PL)
Mar 2: Arsenal (home – PL)
Mar 5: Dortmund (away – CL)
Mar 9: Southampton (away – PL)

Surely the club’s top brass should have entertained the possibility of losing their top goalscorer yet again. If that assumption is correct, why no contingency plan?

Coping without Kane

Historically Spurs have coped relatively well without Kane, but those absences weren’t compounded by the loss of other influential players. This time around Spurs will have to navigate the next few weeks without Son Heung-Min, arguably the club’s most valuable player this season.

Title winning sides, aside from Leicester’s improbable 2016 run, have proficient cover at every position on the pitch. Though Spurs are equipped with an adequate bench, the same cannot be said about the North Londoners.

Too often Spurs sit idly by while their direct competitors splash out in the transfer market.

And with Kane’s ankle ligaments proving continually unreliable, the impetus to reinforce the squad has never been more stark. Relying on backup forward Fernando Llorente is not an option for a team looking to progress on four fronts. And the thought of recalling Vincent Janssen smells of desperation.

The spotlight is beaming down on Spurs as they approach the business end of the season without a bona fide frontman.

Can Spurs come through the next month of their season unscathed, or will their lack of activity in the transfer market derail their promising campaign?

While Spurs cannot compete financially with the likes of Manchester City, Daniel Levy – even with the financial burden of the new stadium – needs to loosen his purse strings in the transfer market.

What Pochettino has accomplished in his tenure with the club’s comparatively spendthrift financial strategy is nothing short of miraculous. But when does the taste of playing second or third fiddle become too sour?

Inactive transfer periods have hampered Spurs’ title chances, and Tottenham’s run without a league title will perpetuate until Levy financially frees Pochettino and provides him with the platform required to bolster his squad.

Otherwise Pochettino may be tempted to join a club that does offer the financial freedom required to facilitate the maestro’s first Premier League title. Spurs supporters shudder to think of that ever-growing possibility.