EPL 2017/18: Spurs and Liverpool run risk of being left behind
It's been a busy summer for most of the teams in the Premier League, and none more so than those at the top end of the table. There has been no messing about from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United.
However, two teams at the top - Liverpool and Tottenham - have had a relatively quiet summer so far when compared to their rivals.
Manchester City alone have spent £204.43m on areas that needed improving at the start of the window, with the most prolific of the signings being Benjamin Mendy, who arrived from Monaco for a reported fee of around £49m. The other three teams mentioned above have spent considerably less but have captured their marquee signings: Manchester United signed Romeu Lukaku (£75m) and Nemanja Matic (£49m), Chelsea bagged Morata (£58m/£71m including add-ons) and Arsenal brought in Lacazette (£52m).
All four have majorly bolstered their squads and the clubs would all be hoping that their latest acquisitions will give them the edge needed in the upcoming campaign. So what about the other two sides from the big six?
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When Jurgen Klopp joined Liverpool, plenty of comparisons were drawn between his high pressing style of play and Mauricio Pochettino's. As time passed, more and more similarities emerged and it appears that it is not only the way they manage their teams that is similar but also the way in which the clubs they are contracted to conduct business.
Both like to make money rather than spend over the top, which is often criticised. However, when it works, it works well, as Spurs discovered with two consecutive seasons of finishing second. However, for Liverpool, it's been a different story as the downfalls of the 'buy cheap sell big' philosophy have been highlighted by the team's struggles on the field in the last few seasons.
After a scintillating season in 2013/14 in which they narrowly missed out on the title, things were looking positive for Liverpool. However, the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona couldn't have been answered in a worse manner. The Reds brought in 10 players that summer and in that batch came an astonishing number of flops, resulting in Liverpool moving from 2nd to 6th.
The club have been trying to rebuild after that disastrous summer and last season they made some steps in the right direction as they scraped into the fourth spot. However, despite the progress, improvements are needed as Liverpool are still an injury away from having a threadbare squad.
For both Spurs and Liverpool, the attempts to improve their teams to be capable of competing with the best in the league have been very disappointing. Spurs have signed an astonishing zero players this window, and Liverpool, only three, with the additions of Dominic Solanke, Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson.
The window so far for both clubs has been far from spectacular and with the season just weeks away it is becoming a cause of concern for fans, as both squads are two or three quality players short.
So, what does the rest of the summer hold for Liverpool and Spurs?
For Liverpool, the two names constantly linked with moves to Anfield throughout the summer have been RB Leipzig's Naby Keita and Southampton's Virgil van Dijk. Their pursuit of Keita now appears dead in the water after RB Leipzig refused to sell. Whether there are any alternative targets remains to be seen.
The van Dijk saga appears to be one that will drag on right through the transfer window and it is uncertain whether a deal will be struck at all.
On the other hand, Spurs have been out of the news with only Ross Barkley being heavily linked. It is expected to be a quiet few transfer windows for Spurs as the prospect of a new stadium could hold them back financially for a while. They will be hoping that their young squad stays together and develops. Whether that is good enough to keep them at the top end of the table, only time will tell.
Last season, the top six were miles ahead of the teams below but if the current squads remain the same there could be the case of Liverpool and Spurs being cut apart from the top six.
Both would be wanting to challenge for the title but when compared to their rivals' summers, they are lagging behind as both have failed to procure world class talent. It is unclear whether either will complete the signings needed, however, what is certain is that the next few weeks will be both nervy and crucial for both sets of fans.