We are living in an off-season dominated by one word - money. The market resembles a sort of post-apocalyptic financial cesspit, where even our former castaways are linked with fifty million pound moves. Within all the absurdity, we remain the only Premier League club not to register a new signing this summer.
The result of all this transfer madness, of course, is that value is extremely hard to come by. The market has evolved in such a way that 30-40m moves are the new 15-20m, if that makes sense - bigger clubs are spending such extortionate amounts on players that it has caused a knock-on effect for smaller teams, who not only have more money at their disposal thanks to outgoing transfers, but must also spend to compete. The likes of Stoke, West Ham and Crystal Palace are all spending in excess of 20m on a single signing, which was entirely inconceivable a decade ago. The reality of today's market is that if you want a player, be prepared to pay top dollar for them.
So where do Tottenham fit into such a competitive market? With a new stadium to fund, it's easy to see why we've yet to make a move. There are players that would undoubtedly improve our squad, but the last thing we want to do is repeat last summer's largely ineffective signings. It is a common misconception that waiting until late in the market is disastrous - we signed one of our greatest keepers of all time on deadline day, after all - and that signing a player in pre-season is the definitive answer to success. Vincent Janssen endured as tough an opening season as any, and he joined us on July 12th of last year. It matters little the timing of the signing in comparison with who you sign. Plus, Pochettino himself confirmed new players will be arriving later in the window - I see little reason to panic, especially before our season has started.
Our patience in comparison with our rivals is slightly worrying, though. Chelsea have strengthened their spine with some impressive young signings from across Europe. United have bought relatively well, although Lukaku is no better than Ibrahimovic in my opinion. Arsenal have signed a new striker, Liverpool a new winger, and City their regular two billion influx of talent. We've weakened, if anything, with the loss of Walker. But it makes a lot more sense when you compare how well we're set up in comparison with our rivals. Chelsea's lack of European football stood them in good stead domestically last season, and since they now face the need to rotate in all competitions they will face the same issues we did last year. On paper, our starting lineup is still stronger than any of our rivals. Our problem, of course, is strength in depth.
To me, there's one signing in particular that would make perfect sense: Ross Barkley.
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| Combativeness and guile - Barkley fits the profile. |
Barkley, despite his somewhat extortionate price, fits the profile perfectly. A young Englishman with an abundance of natural talent, Barkley has fallen off slightly the last couple of years after breaking onto the scene. His decision making holds him back more than any lack of ability, so do you know what he needs above anything else? A proper coach. Someone who can teach him when to pass and when to shoot. Someone who can use him in multiple positions effectively and turn him into the world-beater everyone thought he would be by this age. In every conceivable way, Pochettino is the perfect manager to hone Barkley's talent. The Argentine made Ryan Mason an England international in little over a year - imagine what he could do with Barkley. Not only would he provide adequate cover for our dynamic playmakers, but Barkley could also feature as an alternative to Dembele with the right coaching. His skill-set is not too dissimilar to our Belgian's, with strength and dribbling at the core of his game. As soon as he learns how to retain and utilise possession, Barkley will be a force to be reckoned with.
What I struggle to understand, above all, is fans writing off our season before we have even kicked a ball competitively. We finished second last year - our best ever Premier League finish. It could not be more evident that the club is moving in the right direction. There is absolutely no chance of us stagnating this year - we have some of the best young players in the world and one of the best managers around who, believe it or not, knows more about football than any of us. Even if we didn't sign anyone, would I be happy? Of course not. But I trust this manager implicitly because of what he has delivered us already - a team on the cusp of genuine domestic success for the first time in my life. Let him do his job and get behind the team instead of bemoaning every non-entity this transfer market has brought forward. In a market dominated by hefty, largely unwarranted fees, we remain the face of sanity.
In Pochettino we trust.
COYS.
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