Whisper it quietly but Tottenham Hotspur might be on the verge of something special.
After several frustrating years where the team has achieved beyond expectations but fallen just short of silverware the whole feel around this transfer window and the ambition that the club appears willing to show is noticeably different.
The signing of Ndombele last week saw Spurs break an 18month famine in regards incoming transfers but more importantly, it saw the club invest in a genuine first-team player something that doesn't seem to have happened for a very long time! Yes, we've acquired the likes of Lucas Moura the hero of Amsterdam, Davison Sanchez former record signing and Moussa Sissoko who after 2 years finally looks like he might be worth the £30million+ we paid for him. However, i'd argue that at the time of signing and in many cases as it stands none of these players were likely to improve our best 11.
Spurs invested the money gained from the sales of Kyle Walker, Kevin Wimmer and Nabil Bentalab into a number of players who strengthened the squad but not necessarily the best 11
By contrast, if Ndombele hits the ground running then he will go straight into our midfield ahead of the likes of Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier and provide Tottenham with the kind of catalyst that we have been missing since Moussa Dembele began his inevitable decline and eventual departure.
Add to that the fact that an increasing number of sources seem to be suggesting that we will be doing more business in the coming days/weeks including breaking our transfer record again to bring Argentine Giovani Lo Celso to the club and it might just be time to get excited. As with Ndombele, this would be a marquee signing, a player of genuine Champions League pedigree with the potential to become a world beater.
Poch has achieved miracles by transforming some average players into a team capable of regular top 4 spot. Now imagine what might be possible if you give him a few ready cut diamonds to add to the ones he has already polished up?
Credit has to go to the manager for hanging in there long enough to see these heady days. Many a coach would have downed tools by now or simply not have been good enough to meet the clubs ambitions with the assets at his disposal but Poch has remained positive and professional throughout. I do believe that the rhetoric from him has shifted over the last 4 or 5 months and his occasional comments to the media about the club's transfer policy suggest that his patience was coming to an end. Hopefully, that patience is about to be rewarded.
It's also difficult not to enjoy the positive winds of change that are sweeping through Spurs against the back-drop of disarray at our nearest rivals......
Manchester United appear to be about as attractive a destination as a leper colony right now. Snapping up young talent like Aaron Wan-Bissaka and potentially Sean Longstaff is all very good but do they expect to break back into the top 4 let alone challenge for the league with players of that calibre? There are also rumours doing the rounds that Tottenham have beaten them to the signing of Dani Olmo, the Spain U-21 star who is attracting attention from a host of Europe's elite clubs. IF this is true, it is a further indication of United's decline and the way that Tottenham and in particular Pochettino are viewed as a positive move for players looking to take that next step in their career.
Arsenal are in desperate need of reinforcements but appear to have little funding to make the necessary changes. The Gunners are doing their best impression of Tottenham in previous transfer windows by low-balling Palace over the Wilfred Zaha deal. They aren't the first side to show an interest in taking the Ivorian out of his murky little pond and placing him back in the big time but each time a top 6 side has come calling, Palace have remained steadfast in the valuation of their prize asset. As such, it's tempting to wonder if Arsenal really want the transfer to happen or whether this is just a way of placating their fans by showing that they at least tried to get a deal over the line.....
Chelsea have sold their star player, alienated another manager and appointed a man with a season's experience as a first-team coach. Frank Lampard is probably the most likeable thing to come out of Chelsea for the last 20 years but he is going to have a huge job on his hands to keep this side competitive. Sixx suggested that his appointment was one based on nostalgia, my feeling is that Lampard is there for damage limitation and expectation management. The 'he is one us' mentality might buy him a bit more time but if Chelsea were serious about challenging for the title they would have gone out and got a manager who has a proven track record. The messages coming out of the club are so predictable that you barely have to open a newspaper to know what's coming. "We are building for the future" roughly translates as don't expect us to achieve anything this year or "we're giving youth a chance" can otherwise be understood as we've got a transfer ban so we have to rely on the players previously deemed not good enough for the first team.
A recent headline from The Times. Perhaps it was his keen understanding of the importance of winning games that convinced the Chelsea hierarchy to give him the job!
The fact that 3 of our nearest rivals are floundering should only increase the sense of urgency that seems to be sweeping the club in this transfer window and if we can get the above-mentioned deals over the line and keep this momentum going into the new season then we have a real chance of putting daylight between us and them and then who knows perhaps there will be a genuine 3rd contender for the title this season .........
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