There were plenty of reasons for Spurs fans to be hopeful of a third place finish today. Firstly, it would've eliminated the possibility of Chelsea crushing our hopes with a shocking result in Munich. Secondly, it would've allowed us to top Arsenal for the first time in a long while, which could've caused them tremendous upheaval in the summer.
However, one facet of the 4th place finish that I think may be even more important is in regards to our potential activity during the upcoming transfer window. With a third place finish, Daniel Levy would've known that he would have had a guaranteed stream of income in the range of 25-30 million pounds. This would've unquestionably allowed him to be more generous with the club's targets and summer spending, and would've allowed us to go after players earlier in the upcoming window.
Let us assume for a moment that Bayern beat Chelsea and we enter the qualifying stages of the Champions League. The transfer window opens in June, and we know that we may need to replace a player or two. Will Levy sanction spending without the club qualifying for Champions League group stages? Many thought he would in the Summer of 2010, and he didn't. We have been very conservative in our spending since then, so one could argue that their should be some cash reserves there (then again, I found it interesting that Levy mentioned the 45 million pound figure in his letter today).
Nevertheless, the same uncertainty that many pinned for recent transfer window activity (or lack thereof) still exists; i.e. doubts about Redknapp's long-term future at the club. Will Levy give him money to spend without knowing if he's going to be around a few more seasons. Does he even want him around a few more seasons?
I think what happens with Jan Vertonghen will signal our intent. If we wrap up a deal and pay Ajax their fee, I expect Levy to be a calculated risk taker this summer. If we lose out due to not meeting their transfer fee, it could be a rather difficult summer for us.
However, one facet of the 4th place finish that I think may be even more important is in regards to our potential activity during the upcoming transfer window. With a third place finish, Daniel Levy would've known that he would have had a guaranteed stream of income in the range of 25-30 million pounds. This would've unquestionably allowed him to be more generous with the club's targets and summer spending, and would've allowed us to go after players earlier in the upcoming window.
Let us assume for a moment that Bayern beat Chelsea and we enter the qualifying stages of the Champions League. The transfer window opens in June, and we know that we may need to replace a player or two. Will Levy sanction spending without the club qualifying for Champions League group stages? Many thought he would in the Summer of 2010, and he didn't. We have been very conservative in our spending since then, so one could argue that their should be some cash reserves there (then again, I found it interesting that Levy mentioned the 45 million pound figure in his letter today).
Nevertheless, the same uncertainty that many pinned for recent transfer window activity (or lack thereof) still exists; i.e. doubts about Redknapp's long-term future at the club. Will Levy give him money to spend without knowing if he's going to be around a few more seasons. Does he even want him around a few more seasons?
I think what happens with Jan Vertonghen will signal our intent. If we wrap up a deal and pay Ajax their fee, I expect Levy to be a calculated risk taker this summer. If we lose out due to not meeting their transfer fee, it could be a rather difficult summer for us.
