Tottenham have been slow to move in the summer transfer market because they are still figuring out Ange Postecoglou's future at manager, and while that has been a source of frustration for most fans, there is no question that, after Postecoglou's future is figured out, Spurs are going to need to be heavy buyers in the window.
After finishing just 17th in the Premier League but still qualifying for the Champions League on the back of a clutch Europa League campaign and title triumph, Spurs are going to need all the reenforcements they can muster in the summer window in preparation for the Champions League campaign in 2025/26.
The biggest breakout star of the 2024/25 season, Bryan Mbeumo of Brentford has been linked to Spurs a number of times this year, but a recent report from The Athletic's chief insider David Ornstein has made it clear that Tottenham have already lost the race for Mbeumo with Manchester United heavily favored to sign Mbeumo due to the player's issues.
So, basically, Tottenham, who have done absolutely nothing to sign the hottest breakout star in the Premier League at a marquee attacking position, are going to get roundly beat in the transfer market by the team they beat in the Europa League Final for all the marbles.
Tottenham can't compete for the biggest stars on the transfer market
It says a lot about the Tottenham transfer strategy and how they consistently strike out on the biggest targets in the world due to sheer complacency. They let Desire Doue go last summer to PSG without doing anything about it, the same is already happening again this year with Lyon's Rayan Cherki, and Mbeumo is about to be another case.
So much of Tottenham missing out on Mbeumo goes back to Daniel Levy and wages. Everyone knows that Tottenham have the lowest revenue to wage ratio in the Premier League, meaning they spend the least amount of money on paying their own players compared to how much they could be paying.
That's basically why they aren't competitive for Mbeumo. The 25-year-old right winger scored 20 goals with 7 assists as one of the best all-around attacking players in the Premier League last season, leading Brentford to a much more successful season than Tottenham and lapping all the Spurs forwards in goal contributions.
With all the top revenue-generating clubs after Mbeumo, Tottenham would have to break their wage structure and pay Mbeumo more than the highest-earning players they currently have. Son Heung-min and James Maddison, their biggest stars, don't even break 10 million pounds, which is a number Mbeumo would easily exceed in a final offer from, say, Manchester United.
Until Tottenham alter what they are willing to pay for premium talents on the transfer market, they won't be able to attract the world's biggest stars and compete for titles bigger than the Europa League. Under Levy, a Europa League title may be the best it gets, which, under that scope, puts a different level of clout on what Ange Postecoglou just achieved in 2024/25 for Spurs.