Over £834million [Transfermarkt] has been spent by Premier League clubs in the summer transfer window so far, but not a penny of it by Tottenham.
And while there’s nothing wrong with zigging while everybody else zags, you do wonder if Spurs will come to regret their inactivity at the end of May.
Not that they’ve been entirely sedentary this summer: manager Mauricio Pochettino, star striker Harry Kane, formidable centre-back Davinson Sanchez and versatile attacker Son Heung-Min have all put pen to paper on contract extensions.
It’s always good to tie down your talent, but Spurs fans must be left wondering if anyone new is going to walk through the doors at all.
Their top four rivals have all been busy to varying degrees already this transfer window, from champions Manchester City’s capture of Riyad Mahrez to Liverpool’s decision to make Alisson the most expensive goalkeeper of all time (and by some margin, too).
Pochettino’s men secured a creditable third place finish last time out, but their place in that elite Champions League group is in danger of being washed away by the overwhelming tide of cash leaving Anfield and the Emirates.
Jurgen Klopp has spent a gaudy £162million [Transfermarkt] this summer, strengthening a squad that reached the Champions League final with elite level talents Alisson, Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri. Arsenal, meanwhile, have brought in Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Matteo Guendouzi and Stephan Lichtsteiner.
A bounce-back season is expected from Chelsea under new boss Maurizio Sarri, while you can depend upon Jose Mourinho to drag his charges kicking and screaming into the top four. Suddenly it’s starting to look rather gloomy for Poch and co.
Although the club have the opening of their fancy new stadium to look forward to, all that investment will prove to be for naught if they cannot build on the progress they’ve made on the pitch in recent years.
What’s more concerning is that the club aren’t even being linked with many players – Jack Grealish aside. Yes, there aren’t many obvious holes in the side but surely some added depth wouldn’t go amiss at least.
No one’s saying spend money for the sake of it, but Tottenham must be aggressive in the remainder of this transfer window if they are to keep hold of their position amongst the Premier League’s elite.