Tottenham Hotspur legend Glenn Hoddle has criticised the hierarchy at his old club for failing to bring in players during the summer.
Tottenham have been transformed into Champions League regulars under Mauricio Pochettino but they took a backward step in the summer.
That’s according to Spurs legend Glenn Hoddle who has told Sky Sports that Pochettino was let down in the summer.
With Tottenham’s relative – albeit trophyless – success has come the inevitable speculation over the future of Pochettino.
Talk of interest from the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid has had Spurs fans understandably concerned in recent times.
The majority of supporters feel certain Pochettino is in it for the long haul.
But a lack of investment in the summer – with Spurs failing to sign a single player – against the backdrop of having to pay for the new stadium has cast some doubt.
This season Tottenham have not been at their brilliant best which was evident in a turgid performance against Cardiff City last time out and their struggles in the Champions League.
The indifferent form coincides with players breaking rank for the first time to complain about the intensity of training (Daily Mail).
According to the Mail, a number of Tottenham players have privately expressed concerns that Pochettino’s energy-sapping training sessions have contributed to the club’s lengthy injury list.
But Hoddle feels the lack of recruitment is to blame and already coming back to haunt the North Londoners with the finger of blame pointing squarely at the club’s hierarchy of Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis.
“I said at the beginning of the season I was really surprised nobody came in,” Hoddle told Sky Sports.
“And these are the situations (it leaves you in) when you’ve got tough Champions League games against (the likes of) Barcelona, tough games, you don’t get an easy game in the Premier League, it’s not like some of these clubs like Barca and Real Madrid, they can play a lesser team and rest their key players we can’t do that at Tottenham and (in) England because the Premier League is so tough at the weekend.
“You need a squad that goes deep and it’s the quality of the squad rather than just the amount of players that you get. I just felt we were one or two players short, maybe that can happen in January, it will probably have to happen next season now.
“Llorente hasn’t worked out for them, it’s very difficult to get a striker to come and play second fiddle to Harry, I think Moura has looked as if he can play up there with Kane but he does need a rest at times, mentally and physically it is too much for him he doesn’t get a rest with England and he wont get a rest with Tottenham so it’s inevitable he’s going to peter out at times but he’s coming bouncing back with Tottenham and I back him to score at least one or two in the next two games.”
Hoddle’s words will resonate with Spurs fans, many of whom are no longer buying the argument that Tottenham’s first team was so good there were no players out there that could realistically improve it.
The same argument could be made for a host of Europe’s top clubs including sides of similar stature like Atletico Madrid, who are constantly improving and reshaping their team under Pochettino’s former Argentina teammate Diego Simeone.
January is never a good time to buy players and Spurs rarely do business during the winter window.
So as Hoddle points out, it is likely to be next summer until fans see any investment in the team at the earliest.
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