Tottenham will probably find itself in a situation where they must sell in order to make room for new players during the January transfer window.
After going 10 games without a loss in the Premier League, Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have lost four of their past five games due to injuries and suspension issues plaguing the team in recent weeks.
Many have identified Tottenham’s lack of depth as the primary cause of the North London team’s inability to field strong backups for players like James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and Richarlison.
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Regretfully, as January draws near, the Spurs won’t likely be in a position where they have a lot of money.
According to journalist David Ornstein of The Athletic, Everton’s 10-point deduction and accusations made against Chelsea and Manchester City are increasing the focus on Financial Fair Play, but the Premier League team has already spent a sizable portion of the money raised by selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer.
Although there is no indication that Tottenham is even close to breaking the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations, Ornstein predicts that Daniel Levy will probably be thinking about it as January 1st approaches.
On Thursday, December 7, Ornstein wrote on The Athletic website, saying: “Like most Premier League clubs, not much.” They made some significant investments in anticipation of Harry Kane’s departure, and as of late, everyone is paying closer attention to ensure that profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) are followed. Tottenham will therefore need to use creativity, as will many of their rivals.
“Let’s see if they can move some of the players they couldn’t bring back in the summer. Depending on what they can get back, that would give them flexibility, if only in terms of squad space and salary. In my opinion, Spurs would prefer to add an attacker and a center-back, but that would depend on a number of factors, including the ones mentioned above.
The fact that players like James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Manor Solomon will eventually recover from injuries adds another layer of complexity. If they sign replacements, they will have too many players if and when everyone is healthy again, unless they can cut players.
Tottenham Spurs seem to be operating under extremely strict financial regulations in the Premier League because of how well Levy manages the team in North London.
The chairman of Tottenham has always advocated for increased spending restraint among England’s top football players.
Before the current season began, the club spent £780 million on transfers between 2016 and 2017. However, they also recovered £390 million and significantly increased their revenue by moving into the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, becoming one of the big six, qualifying for the Champions League final, and growing as a global brand.
With £523 million in revenue before taxes and £403 million in operating costs in their most recent set of financial statements, Spurs would need to experience a catastrophic event before they began to overspend on FFP.
It’s odd that Ornstein would say that Spurs are keeping an eye on the FFP situation ahead of January when the team is profitable, which is what they are.
It’s possible that developments at Goodison Park, the Etihad, or Stamford Bridge aren’t concerning Tottenham. Most likely, they want to keep making a profit overall and are worried about their own financial situation.
That’s all well and good, but Tottenham cannot advance to the next level unless they are willing to accept the odd setback.
And Spurs could use strengthening to the extent that they can sustain the run of form that saw them start the season so well, especially in this season when Man City is struggling and Arsenal and Liverpool aren’t too far ahead at the top.
This is where Levy has to break the mold. Have some faith in Postecoglou and provide him with the funds to go out and purchase the equipment he needs to make a serious run at a major award before the season ends.
A better opportunity might not present itself for some time.
