Former Premier League and Wales striker Craig Bellamy has pinned the blame on Tottenham striker Harry Kane for why the club were unable to make any signings in attack during the summer window.
The Lilywhites were the first club since the transfer window was reformed over a decade ago not to bring in a single new arrival in the off-season, with Mauricio Pochettino forced to make do with much of the same squad that he had available to him when the last campaign ended.
Speaking about the club’s business, Bellamy says that proposed attacking targets will not want to join Spurs because they know they will not get much game time due to Kane’s almost-guaranteed starting role.
He said on Sky Sports’ The Debate: “What some managers might say is ‘you’d be great for him because you can keep him on his toes and if you play and you train better, you’ll get your chance’.
“I (as a striker) ain’t taking that gamble, because I don’t think Spurs fans would accept it and I know the English media won’t accept it.
“You can’t have your golden boy sitting on the bench, it wouldn’t happen. So I know straight away I’m not being held responsible for that because he’s England’s future, he’s the one they’re all pinning their hopes on, he’s the one that gets goals. This is a battle any forward would want to stay away from.”
"This is a battle any forward would want to stay away from"
Paul Merson and Craig Bellamy insist Spurs' transfer struggles are due to being unable to guarantee top players regular football.
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Opinion
It might come across as a bit harsh to pin the blame solely at Kane’s door but Bellamy does have a point. It must be difficult, if not impossible, for Mauricio Pochettino or Daniel Levy to meet with an attacking player, a striker in particular, and try and convince him to join Spurs with the England striker at the club. He is almost untouchable in the starting XI and as Bellamy says, the Spurs fans would riot if he was left out for any other reason than suspension or injury. Having him in such great form is both a boon and a bane for the Lilywhites, and it is why they were forced to sign someone like Fernando Llorente, who is quite happy to pick up a regular wage without playing, acting solely as back up to Kane. Any top class forward knows they are fighting a losing battle from the minute they step into the Spurs dressing room and that could well be why there were no signings made over the summer. It runs through the whole team too, with the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Davinson Sanchez, Mousa Dembele and Christian Eriksen all nearly-untouchable when they are at their best.