Daniel Levy: Spurs could have “easily” spent more money on players

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has revealed the club could have “easily” spent more money during the summer transfer window.

After going a full season without signing any new players, Spurs invested into the market in the summer transfer window, bringing in four new faces.

Could Spurs have spent more money? Five things to know…

• Tottenham Hotspur didn’t sign any players during the 2018/19 season.
• But they returned to action in the most recent window, breaking their transfer record.
• Tanguy Ndombele was signed from Lyon for £53.8m.
• Spurs also brought in Ryan Sessegnon, Jack Clarke and Giovani Lo Celso.
• And Daniel Levy has revealed Spurs could have easily spent more money, though doubted whether it would have worked.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men broke their transfer record, signing Tanguy Ndombele for £53.8m, while also adding Ryan Sessegnon for £25m, Jack Clarke for £10m and Giovani Lo Celso on loan.

Many praised Spurs for their transfer business, with some dubbing them as having the best window of the Premier League. And while Levy has revealed the club could have spent more, he questioned whether it would have been a successful path to take.

“We could have easily spent more money on players,” he told the Financial Times.

“Who knows if that would have bought us more success or not, the right approach is to build from the bottom up.

“There is no quick fix to becoming a much more significant global club.”

Despite making movements in the most recent transfer window, Spurs are still criticised for going a year and a half without signing any players, while their rivals were improving their squads.

And Levy defended this to an extent, reiterating that Spurs are looking to build for long-term stability.

“I understand, as I am a fan, clearly you want to win on the pitch,” he added.

“But we have been trying to look at this slightly differently, in that we want to make sure we ensure an infrastructure here to stand the test of time.”

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How have Spurs’ summer signings fared so far?

Despite Spurs spending big in the summer, only Ndombele has really got going so far this season. The French midfielder starred in Spurs’ first two Premier League games of the season, and scored in their opener, but missed the next two matches due to injury.

Ndombele has started his comeback, however, playing 62 minutes against Olympiacos in midweek to prepare for 85 minutes against Leicester City on Saturday.

Loanee Lo Celso has also seen his playing time cut due to injury, with the midfielder suffering a hip problem while with Argentina during the most recent international break. Before that, however, he had only managed three substitute appearances spanning 44 minutes.

Injuries have also prevented Sessegnon from making his Spurs debut, while Clarke was sent on loan to former club Leeds United.