As the summer rumbles on and Premier League sides continue to improve their squads ahead of next season, it is fair to say that a section of the Tottenham Hotspur support is growing impatient at the lack of transfer activity in North London.
While it is still a bit premature for panic, Mauricio Pochettino will surely be keen to add two or three new players to his ranks before next season, with a number of positions being mentioned as priorities.
Tottenham continue to be linked with centre-halves as the Spurs boss looks for strength in depth in this area, while a striker to provide competition for Harry Kane is also said to be on the wishlist.
It has been widely accepted that the Lilywhites will not match the top-paying clubs in the division in regards to wages, while Pochettino has a certain ilk of player that he covets.
As such, it narrows the potential pool of players, but a few relatively exciting names have been linked to Tottenham of late.
Swansea City centre-half Alfie Mawson and Bournemouth’s Josh King have both been touted as possible Spurs targets, in what would be shrewd additions to the squad.
Both have Premier League experience. Both are hard-working, willing to learn, confident on the ball and can improve. Both are reportedly valued at £30 million.
Tottenham really have had it good in terms of value in the transfer market over recent years.
Dele Alli’s £5 million purchase continues to be the shining light of recruitment, but landing Eric Dier at a similar or slightly lower fee was also sublime business.
Others in the squad, such as Christian Eriksen, Victor Wanyama, Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen, Hugo Lloris, Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier are all worth significantly more than the modest fees they were signed for.
While the examples of Moussa Sissoko and Vincent Janssen continue to serve as a reminder that big fees do not guarantee success, Spurs are in a dilemma in regards to landing first-team players for affordable transfer figures.
If King and Mawson were added to the squad this summer it would be positive business without sparking wild celebration among the fans, but for a combined £60 million??
It feels that £30 million fees are being bandied about in the press like it is small change; the way that £10 million was a fair price for most players five years ago.
Tottenham already have a financial balancing act in regards to keeping and attracting players on a wage structure lower than the teams they are in direct competition with.
However, it feels like Spurs will have to spend a fortune this summer to add a handful of players, while breaking the club transfer record almost seems like a necessity to guarantee a new star to improve the starting XI.
I’d take Mawson and/or King – but certainly not at £30 million a pop.
As such, we Tottenham fans have every right to demand new players be added to Pochettino’s squad this summer – but the inflated nature of the market and the afore-mentioned financial constraints at the club mean we must be patient in the wait for new faces.