5 clubs who didn't sign what they needed in the 2015 summer transfer window
The summer transfer window is such an important time in football. Get it right as a manager and your season can be one to remember for decades to come. Get it wrong, however, and you could find yourself in a sack race. With the amount of money floating around the top level of football now it’s never been more important to get your signings right – especially if you are competing for a title or trying to fight off relegation. But who had glaring weaknesses in their side going into this window and didn’t even acknowledge that this summer?We take a look at five clubs who didn’t sign what they needed.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur - Midfielder
I could have picked a couple of positions here that Spurs needed to strengthen. The Lilywhites have gotten rid of a number of players – 20 if you include loanees. For me though, their midfield still looks light.
Mauricio Pochettino likes to play his 4-2-3-1, a very useful formation that offers width and options going forward while the double pivot protects the defence. But for it to work, the two holding midfielders need to be of a sufficient quality.
Nabil Bentaleb has potential and Ryan Mason is busy, that’s as far as the praise these two will get in this article because that’s all you can label them. They are not world beaters and won’t be enough for Spurs to ever consider being a top 4 side. At least for a couple of seasons.
Pochettino hasn’t actually won any of the first four games of the league season and if things don’t improve soon he can find himself in the rumour mill for first to go. And that is because he hasn’t identified a suitable central midfielder to play in beside either one of Bentaleb or Mason.
Spurs were linked with moves for Schniederlin (a player he managed at Southampton), but losing out to Manchester United is understandable. He also tried to get Victor Wanyama but he either seemed to have left it too late in the window or the offer wasn’t good enough.
Instead, Spurs spent their time chasing Saido Behrahino who has had one decent season, is horribly overpriced, and was clearly never going to be sold. Now Spurs will once again be languishing in mid-table and will most likely have to settle for a Europa League place. But at least Paulinho is gone.