White Hart Lane: A quiet summer
(Baonghean.vn) - It seems that the investment in rebuilding White Hart Lane from a 36,000-seat stadium to a 61,000-seat stadium has prevented Tottenham owner Daniel Levy from spending money on players this summer.
Of the top five European football leagues, Serie A and the Premier League will shorten the summer transfer window to August 17, while all other leagues will maintain their usual plan until the end of August.
Coach Pochettino once again criticized this: "If compared to Europe, the Premier League is putting the clubs at a disadvantage. I don't know if other teams are happy or not, but this situation is really disadvantageous, it does not help Premier League clubs." Despite saying that, coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted that Tottenham may not be able to sign any new players in this summer transfer window.
Budgetary constraints
In fact, Tottenham Hotspur's home team had initially planned to make a move in the summer transfer window this year and they seemed to have set their sights on Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha.The former MU player is considered suitable for Tottenham's playing style. He can start as a winger and would be the perfect partner for Harry Kane, the most expensive star in England at the moment.
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| Tottenham is focusing on building White Hart Lane so they won't be buying players this summer. Photo: Internet |
The Ivorian is under contract with Roy Hodgson's side until 2022, earning £100,000 a week, but Zaha is said to have rejected a pay rise from his parent club in order to join a bigger club.
However, when Zaha was valued at around £70 million, Chairman Daniel Levy shook his head. The London club does not have a spare budget after investing £850 million to build a new stadium.
Tottenham are the only team in the Premier League's top six yet to make any new signings. Tottenham have had two good performances in the International Champions Cup, beating AS Roma 4-1 and only losing to Barcelona on penalties (drawing 2-2).
Pochettino and his team will play their final match in the US against AC Milan and then their final friendly against Girona in Spain on August 4. They will return to England and travel to Newcastle for their opening Premier League match on August 11.
Shortage of forces
Tottenham were one of the teams most affected by the 2018 World Cup last summer, with 12 players missing, including nine who reached the semi-finals.Manchester City (16 players), Real Madrid (15 players), Barcelona (14 players), Chelsea (14 players), Paris Saint-Germain and Paris Saint-Germain (both 12 players).
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| Coach Pochettino will face difficulties due to lack of players at the beginning of the season. Photo: Internet |
Five Tottenham players have been called up to the England squad, the most a club has ever fielded. They are five key players for the Three Lions, including Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose, Eric Dier and Dele Alli.
Hugo Lloris will represent France, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele will all be called up to Belgium. Davinson Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Son Heung-min will play for Colombia, Denmark and South Korea respectively.
With nine starting players not being available for the trip to Newcastle in the opening match of the Premier League on August 11, and no new players being recruited, the White Hart Lane audience is full of worries for their team.
Coach Pochettino himself also admitted: "Last season, at this time, I could sit here and talk about a few names, but this season I really don't know. I don't know if we will sign anyone or not. Right now, I only know that the club's leadership is making some efforts."
