There is no question that we are at a critical juncture in Tottenham's history at the moment. Daniel Levy has taken a bold risk by sacking Harry Redknapp, and we are heading into what is the most critical summer for us as a club in years. The wrong appointment made, coupled with a poor transfer window, could see us set back a decade, if not more.
The most crucial question for me this summer is whether the club have the financial resources to back the new man with the transfer funds necessary to keep this team a top 4 contender. Firstly, we are in desperate need of at least two new strikers, one of which needs to be a proven goal-scorer. Those don't come cheaper than 15 million pounds, and the second striker needs to be a 10-goal scorer at a minimum, as well. Our outlay on them alone would potentially be in the 25 million pound range. Secondly, we'd still need a top flight centre-back, which will cost us another 10 million pounds, plus another player on the wings to challenge Lennon. If Modric leaves, then we'll need a capable replacement, which again, won't come cheap, and we could use an upgrade at the goalkeeper position, as well. Our total outlay for remolding our squad and keeping it at the level it was last season is likely to be a minimum of 50 million pounds, if not more.
Considering the fact that the club has spent a total of 26 million pounds in the past 4 transfer widows, what are the chances the new man gets double that in the transfer kitty for this summer alone? It's tempting to think that Levy has purposefully withheld funds from Redknapp, given his previous history with reckless spending. But given the trainining facility expenses, lack of Champions League, stadium building costs, lost value on players like Bentley/Bassong, and legal fees associated with the OS bid, do we have the liquid cash to make multiple expensive deals happen this summer?
Given all of the above, what will the manager Levy appoints say about the state of the club financially?
One of the reasons I'd be rather pleased to see a proven, older winner like Van Gaal announced is that there is no way someone in his bracket would sign on without assurances that he'd be backed with cash to improve player personnel immediately. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I fear an appointment of Moyes or Martinez may signal leaner times ahead at White Hart Lane, which is problematic when you're desperately trying to build a top team around 3 world class players, who are all coveted by other clubs with the ability to invest in better talent and pay them more to boot.
In the end, we're going to learn a great deal about the financial state and ambitions of ENIC this summer. I want to believe they've learned from these past two seasons, and given the boldness in which they dumped Redknapp, have serious ambitions to push us on as a club.
The most crucial question for me this summer is whether the club have the financial resources to back the new man with the transfer funds necessary to keep this team a top 4 contender. Firstly, we are in desperate need of at least two new strikers, one of which needs to be a proven goal-scorer. Those don't come cheaper than 15 million pounds, and the second striker needs to be a 10-goal scorer at a minimum, as well. Our outlay on them alone would potentially be in the 25 million pound range. Secondly, we'd still need a top flight centre-back, which will cost us another 10 million pounds, plus another player on the wings to challenge Lennon. If Modric leaves, then we'll need a capable replacement, which again, won't come cheap, and we could use an upgrade at the goalkeeper position, as well. Our total outlay for remolding our squad and keeping it at the level it was last season is likely to be a minimum of 50 million pounds, if not more.
Considering the fact that the club has spent a total of 26 million pounds in the past 4 transfer widows, what are the chances the new man gets double that in the transfer kitty for this summer alone? It's tempting to think that Levy has purposefully withheld funds from Redknapp, given his previous history with reckless spending. But given the trainining facility expenses, lack of Champions League, stadium building costs, lost value on players like Bentley/Bassong, and legal fees associated with the OS bid, do we have the liquid cash to make multiple expensive deals happen this summer?
Given all of the above, what will the manager Levy appoints say about the state of the club financially?
One of the reasons I'd be rather pleased to see a proven, older winner like Van Gaal announced is that there is no way someone in his bracket would sign on without assurances that he'd be backed with cash to improve player personnel immediately. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I fear an appointment of Moyes or Martinez may signal leaner times ahead at White Hart Lane, which is problematic when you're desperately trying to build a top team around 3 world class players, who are all coveted by other clubs with the ability to invest in better talent and pay them more to boot.
In the end, we're going to learn a great deal about the financial state and ambitions of ENIC this summer. I want to believe they've learned from these past two seasons, and given the boldness in which they dumped Redknapp, have serious ambitions to push us on as a club.
