Tottenham Hotspur face a dilemma in the final days of the transfer window.
Tottenham Hotspur have crashed out of the FA Cup after a 2-0 defeat away at Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.
Spurs made a number of changes having only played Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, but they were comfortably beaten at Selhurst Park.
Connor Wickham and Andros Townsend scored the goals for Palace, with Tottenham’s misery summed up with a missed penalty by Kieran Trippier.
Fans will be desperate to see Spurs finally make some signings before Thursday’s transfer deadline, especially after no summer arrivals – but the dilemma about whether to make signings has just got a little trickier.
On the face of it, Spurs still need reinforcements. They have made just one signing since the end of the 2017 summer window, and the squad does need freshening up. Harry Kane and Dele Alli’s injuries also mean that attacking options are dented.
Yet Son Heung-min is now back from international duty, and the exit from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup means that Spurs are in just two competitions for the rest of the season, easing concerns about fixture pile-up for players, which was a main reason for bringing players in.
Spurs fans will probably guess that such a stance would be suggested by Daniel Levy. If Spurs can get away with not spending on new signings and simply make do with the options until Alli and Kane return, that’s probably Levy’s ideal situation.
There is also a bigger picture here though. Spurs aren’t giving Mauricio Pochettino the backing that many would expect, and failing to give him even a couple of promising signings even when Spurs clearly need fresh faces would be a damning message.
Spurs don’t want to risk losing Pochettino due to lack of backing, but also won’t want to go diving into the market late in the day, when negotiations become even more difficult and prices are increased.
It’s a tough dilemma Spurs now face after being dumped out of two competitions in a matter of days, and they must decide whether to press ahead with signings or try and make do with what they have for the rest of the season.
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