In the January transfer window Spurs signed 3 first team players and 3 academy players too. Keeping it brief, for Danso I’ve already read reports from the fan base, “he did ok” or “not too bad”. I think this is where we are at now with our expectations, as he has done little to impress me so far and why would he considering he was a third choice signing after the other defenders rejected us. For Tel, if you get past all the hype, he was just an out of favour youngster who nobody else was willing to take a gamble on. Maybe he will come good but I am not buying into the hype and will believe it when I see it. And then there’s Kinsky, well his erratic performances so far have certainly been entertaining, he fits in well doesn’t he!
So as another transfer window closes let’s take a look at Enic’s transfer stance.
It’s no secret Enic has not been interested in those big name signings we all dream of. With over 20 years of transfers the data is very clear on that. In fact Levy himself has always admitted Tottenham would not break their wage structure to bring in any superstars.
So where has that left us?
I doubt any Spurs manager under Enic will say they were ever fully backed in the transfer market yet Spurs have always maintained their aspirations of European qualification each year. Some may argue Enic has enlisted new players to achieve just that and nothing more. In the 24 years since Enic’s reign began we have managed a top four finish 8 times and qualified for Europe a total of 16 times. 16 out of 23 doesn’t sound too bad but at the same time Spurs have never looked capable of achieving anything greater than that if we’re honest.
Over the years we have become accustomed to signing mediocre players from unknown teams from a land far far away. I believe it was Danny Rose who pointed out that you needed to Google these players names who Enic were signing just to find out who they were. More recently Romero has also spoken out of his frustrations on Spurs transfer policy and we all remember Contes speech in regards to the clubs lack of ambition. In fact both Conte and Mourinho suffered the same fate after questioning the quality of players in the Tottenham squad.
So what is the logic behind Enic’s transfer policy?
Well if we say a world class player would cost in excess of 100 million, Enic have opted instead to buy 4 or 5 average players for the same kind of value combined. You might ask why would they buy 4 or 5 average players if they can buy a superstar for the same price. Well, the key difference between these players is the superstars wage demands.
Even with 4 or 5 of these average players on the books it still costs considerably less on the wage bill compared to that of a world class player. Whether you agree with Enic or not, that is their policy and not even the brand spanking new stadium with its incredible additional revenues seem to make any difference when it comes to Enic’s transfer stance. You would be a brave man to argue against Levy when it comes to finances and clearly he has built a sustainable model.
However, my only counter argument would be the commercial value that comes with a world class player, does that not counter the players additional wage demands? I really don’t know the answer to that but you only have to look at Sonny to see what a player can be worth to the club globally. When you sign a Ronaldo or a Beckham, that commercial value with merchandise and sponsorships etc must be worth a fortune and so I wonder why Enic have not been a little bit braver in the transfer market now that they have the resources to pursue these options if they wish.
Regardless of what I think we have continued to see relatively unknown and unproven players that offer potential to develop into something greater. Sure, sometimes this works, if you buy 20 unknown players eventually one of them is going to come good. I wouldn’t call that good scouting or particularly useful if you are trying to build a successful football team. But every now and then you are going to get lucky.
So what happens when we do get lucky?
Well we sell them of course for a tidy little profit. Now in all fairness Levy doesn’t necessarily want to sell these players and more often than not he has no choice but to cash in before losing them on a freebie (his wallet is still stinging from Sol Campbell). The problem we face is that when we do find ourselves with a world class player, they want to win things in their career and unfortunately that just doesn’t match with Enics current model. Any top player knows that if they want to win things they have no alternative but to leave Spurs because you’re not going to win trophies with 20 average players who you need to google.
We have seen these top players come and go over the years as they do their best to carry a bunch of nobody’s but their efforts always come to nothing as the cavalry never arrives to back them up. Kulusevski is the latest victim to this since Kane passed on the ‘baton’. Eventually these players grow weary of Enic’s long term plan and seek a move away as let’s be fair, a footballer’s career is relatively short and so you can understand why a player may not be so patient to wait for this long term plan that Enic have adopted for the last 24 years.
There are several players on that list who chose to leave Spurs to achieve their dreams, Walker, Carrick, Berbatov, Bale, Modric, Eriksen and of course last but not least Harry Kane. With the exception of Kane (let’s hope that changes this season for him) they have all gone on to win majors including league titles and even champions league success whilst Spurs of course have won none, so their moves were justified they could argue. You cannot begrudge a player for having ambition and if Tottenham don’t match this ambition the inevitable will keep on repeating.
So with such a transfer model how can we expect to ever build anything?
I would say after 24 years it is clear we cannot. This could be one of the reasons why we are now seeing Levy back Ange and provide additional time to turn things around (beyond what we’ve previously seen with other managers) and promote more of our academy players. This appears to be a change in strategy from the top and we have seen several signings in recent seasons to build a stronger academy.
Players including Archie Gray (paid 40 million aged just 18 years), Lucas Bergvall (paid 8.5 million at just 17 years old), Min-hyeok Yang (paid 4 million aged 18 years), Ashley Phillips (2.3 million aged 18 years), Alfie Devine (500k when aged only 16 years), Vuskovic (paid 11 million when he was just 16 years old).
In the latest transfer window we have seen the acquisition of 3 more academy players in the names of Dan Batty, Luca Furnell-Gill and Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny which emphasises the ongoing strengthening of the youth setup.
We know clubs like Chelsea and Man City have achieved great success by acquiring world class players but it doesn’t have to be the only way to achieve a successful team. Clubs such as Ajax have been famous for developing young players and maintaining high levels over the decades. If it’s done correctly it can work there’s no doubt.
The question is, are Levy and Ange the right men for the job?
It’s ok buying these young players but if they are not developed correctly we may never see the rewards on the pitch, at least not in a Spurs shirt. Lets use Alfie Devine as an example, he signed for us back in 2020 aged just 16. Like a lot of youngsters there was much hype and excitement around him but the most I have probably seen of him has been in an England shirt U19/20. Despite becoming the youngest player to have played for Tottenham in a senior game at the age of 16, we have seen very little of him since.
However, he is now on his 3rd loan spell and currently enjoying his football in the Belgian Pro league. These 3 loan spells have brought in approx 10 million to Spurs which is a pretty good return on the transfer of 500k when he was signed from Wigan. So in Enic’s eyes, does this make Alfie Devine a success story? This is my concern, are we being led up the garden path once again or is this investment in youth players a genuine attempt to build something long term on the football pitch?
Sure, at the moment we are seeing the likes of Gray and Bergvall getting a very good run out but don’t forget, before all the injuries they were both sitting on the bench week in week out getting very few minutes. We have seen so many young players join us in recent years but they have all struggled to get game time in a Spurs shirt, with most being loaned out before finally offloaded for good. At present we have the likes of Bryan Gill and Alejo Veliz loaned out because they couldn’t get game time at Spurs. Jack Clarke was another young player that had to leave Spurs to get an opportunity in a first team, resurrecting his career now at Ipswich. Juan Foyth struggled for opportunities too but that 10 million investment gave Enic a return of over 30 million in loans and a transfer. So is this youth development really a new and improved football model to bring us more stability on the pitch for years to come? Or is it simply another business model that Enic are more than happy to profit from?
With our current injury list our younger players are getting a lot more opportunities but how much will they learn and develop under Ange’s current system. Will they benefit in future years from this time under Ange or will it do more harm than good? It is frustrating because we know Spurs have the resources and foundations to achieve great things in the world of football, not just off it but potentially on it too. But under Enic’s current transfer strategy we may never see these come to fruition.
