Graeme Souness has claimed that Tottenham made a hash of the summer transfer window.
The Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend was unimpressed with the recruitment of the north Londoners as they failed to build upon their second-placed Premier League finish of last season.
Spurs made five senior signings in the summer, with defenders Davinson Sanchez, Serge Aurier and Juan Foyth joined by striker Fernando Llorente and back-up goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Souness believes the underwhelming recruitment has made his former club vulnerable in the race for the top-four spots.
“Two of the big guys are going to miss out on the top four,” Souness told the Times. “Tottenham have been disappointing after finishing second last season. They’ve the ready-made excuses of not playing at White Hart Lane and an injury to Toby Alderweireld, but everybody else tried to strengthen and they didn’t.
“Signing Fernando Llorente from Swansea is not going to move them from second to first, but I rate Davinson Sanchez, the Colombian defender they bought from Ajax.”
OPINION
It is difficult to argue with Souness’ point. Sanchez has been the only unqualified success of Tottenham’s arrivals. The club-record signing has settled in superbly into an already solid defence and looks comfortable in a league that is extremely challenging for young centre-backs. It is testament to the Colombian’s impact that Spurs looked far more robust on Saturday in their 3-o win at Burnley as he returned to the side after serving a three-match suspension.