ENFIELD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 31: Jose Mourinho, Head Coach of Tottenham Hotspur during the Tottenham Hotspur press conference at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on January 31, 2020 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Tottenham have failed to properly back Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho is saying all the right things about Tottenham’s failure to sign a striker this month, but it’s a massive mistake by Spurs.
Tottenham did some good business in the January transfer window, but in the end, Daniel Levy has left Jose Mourinho out to try. Failing to sign a striker capable of covering for Harry Kane will prevent Spurs from finishing in the top four.
To Mourinho’s credit, he’s not moaning to the press about the club’s lack of transfer activity. The Portuguese gaffer refuses to “lie” about the difficulty of playing without a recognized senior striker, but he stopped short of criticizing the higher-ups at Hotspur Way. Spurs officials shouldn’t count on Mourinho continuing that kindness in future windows.
Playing without a real No. 9 for the rest of this Premier League campaign is going to prevent Tottenham from securing the top four finish the club desperately craves. That will have a negative effect on Spurs’ willingness to spend money in the summer. Don’t be surprised if Mourinho starts to work the press to put pressure on Tottenham to spend more when the current campaign comes to an end.
Relying on Lucas Moura to lead the line will also sink any hopes Spurs have of making a serious Champions League run. It’s highly unlikely the club can score enough goals to overcome RB Leipzig over two legs. Ironically, signing someone like Timo Werner could have turned the tide in Totetenham’s favour. Instead, he’s a good bet to terrorize Mourinho’s inconsistent back line.
On one hand, Tottenham fans shouldn’t be surprised at the club’s unwillingness to spend money on a striker this month. Mourinho correctly points out that spending significant funds on a player who won’t help Spurs in the future is not an ideal investment for a club with limited resources.
On the other hand, the hiring of Mourinho seemed to signal a real shift in the club’s philosophy. Fans reasonably assumed that Levy and the higher-ups at Tottenham were finally ready to spend the amount of money required to challenge on silverware for all fronts. That assumption has been emphatically proven false.
Tottenham supporters shouldn’t expect Mourinho to stop grinding for results this year, but he’s not been given the tools necessary to achieve success in North London. Once again, club officials have let their manager down by being too cheap.
