Tottenham Hotspur are currently at a very curious juncture within English football. They sit ahead of 87 league clubs yet they look on enviously at a quartet of sides who have got what they want, but effectively can’t have.

After a brief dalliance in the Champions League last season, Spurs had themselves set for a concerted break on the top four but that notion was bludgeoned by Manchester City’s swift catch and pass to effectively slam the door shut.

As Spurs spent the summer pondering life in the Europa League, their shortcomings were compounded by having to watch the sides above them once again lavishly restrengthen their playing resource whilst Roman Abramovich personally attempted to bankroll a coup for their best player by offering financial and playing incentives Tottenham simply couldn’t match.

Luka Modric’s initial preference for a move to west London was only partially based around money, with Chelsea threatening to dwarf his current salary above and beyond what Spurs could offer him. But also, taking the cynicism away from footballers intentions revolving around money, Chelsea – by default in trying to sign Modric – were showing the sort of intention to move forward which Spurs desperately wanted, but were unable to do.

Through Daniel Levy’s tenacious refusal to sell Modric, the player remained at White Hart Lane but with him so did many of the problems of how Spurs are to progress from here.

The bottom line is that Tottenham, with their limited capacity and lack of an oil-rich benefactor, simply do not have the financial resource to sufficiently strengthen their squad akin to one of the sides they aim to displace. With a wage structure ceilinged well below what the other clubs are paying peripheral squad members and a lack of disposable transfer funds to try procure the players that matter, Spurs are faced with the prospect of falling further and further behind where they have aspirations to be.

Something had to give and earlier this week it was revealed that Tottenham have outlined a deal for Modric to sign a contract extension worth £100,000 per week, and with it smash the wage barriers the club had previously imposed. A new lucrative, long-term contract was needed to once again keep the suitors away from the Croatian schemer and keep the player at the club, and by releasing the salary shackles, Levy has now effectively tapped into a player pool who would previously have been out reach.

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