Are Tottenham Hotspur's stadium expenses beginning to bite?
Tottenham Hotspur have been overshadowed by the achievements of their north London rivals Arsenal for most of the time that the two clubs have been in existence.
Such dominance became more intense when Arsenal were taken over by Arsene Wenger, winning 10 major titles to Tottenham's solitary League Cup trophy, which they won in the 2007-08 season under Juande Ramos.
Spurs had tried in vain to usurp their north London rivals, with the closest being in 2006 when they fell to their London rivals West Ham United on the final day.
With Arsenal beating Wigan 4-2 on the final day of the season as the Gunners bid farewell to Highbury to move to their new home, the Emirates Stadium. They also bid adieu to the Spur's chances of a Champions League spot.
After several failed trials, Danny Levy made an inspired signing when he appointed former Espanol and Southampton manager, Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino in 2014. Since his appointment, Spurs have been on an upward spiral.
The Argentine has implemented a high energy pressing style of football with a wonderful balance between defense and attack and, along with some shrewd signings that have seen England sensation Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld, Kieran Trippier, South Korean finest, Hueng Min Son, Eric Dier, Kenyan midfield rock, Victor Wanyama, Colombian centre back Davinson Sanchez join the club, Spurs have drastically improved
Those along with prolific England captain, Harry Kane, have not only helped topple their bitter rivals Arsenal, but forced them out of the top four for two consecutive seasons.
It's safe to say that it's none other than Spurs who are currently occupying Arsenal's position in the top four, and ones the Gunners will be looking to unseat.
Looking to establish themselves into a seasoned powerhouse in English football, the Tottenham board elected to increase their revenue by expanding White Hart Lane into a 62,062 seater stadium.
The new Northumberland stadium, which will be completed a few weeks into the new Premier League campaign, will no doubt lift the Lily Whites' finances, glamour and appeal, but it will come at a cost, which is beginning to be clearly evident.
Since the rebuilding of the stadium started, Spurs have gone about their business a lot more carefully than for instance, when they sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Last season they left it late when they signed centre back Davinson Sanchez from Ajax and Serge Aurier from PSG.
This off season, with nine days to the start of the Premier League campaign, Tottenham have not signed any player, not even on a Bosman. Not that their team is in desperate need of reinforcements, but any squad needs improvement to get ready for the challenges of the new season.
They have a decent squad, but are still miles away from matching last season's conquerors, Man City. Mauricio Pochettino has promised to bring one or two players in, but with the window closing on August 9th, the timing of any signings is definitely not ideal.
The most notable reason is that Spurs are hampered by the huge cost of the new stadium. With Arsenal having a change of guard with Unai Emery coming in to replace Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have done their business early.
It has been in a flurry of signings that has seen 5 players arriving, Liverpool have also strengthened, while Manchester United and Man City have also brought in one or two players thus far. Tottenham are in serious danger of being left behind.
Another worry for Spurs is that many of their key players reached the latter stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and many of them have not reported back for preseason.
Hugo Lloris, Kieran Trippier, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Moussa Dembele, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all played most of the games up to the end of the tournament, either in the 3rd place playoff or in the final and have hence not done any preparations for the new season. This threatens to wreck their season before it has even started.
Building a 60,000+ magnificent stadium in definitely a step in the right direction, but its short term implications may serve to deter Tottenham Hotspur's progress on the pitch.