Spending big money in the transfer market is something which is part and parcel of the modern game and needed to help bring about various levels of success.
Tottenham Hotspur have shown glimpses of splashing the cash in recent times, with the hierarchy spending over £400m in the last three years alone.
However, big spending doesn’t necessarily equate to success, with their latest investment in Xavi Simons appearing to be one that has struggled to hit the heights many expected.
The board forked out a fee in the region of £52m for the Dutchman’s signature, but he’s only registered one assist within his first eight outings across all competitions.
It may only be the early days of his stint in North London, but the 22-year-old desperately needs to find his best form to avoid being labelled a flop by the fanbase.
If Simons is unable to do so, he could be placed in the same category as one player who massively failed to deliver during his own stint in the Premier League.
The finances behind Tanguy Ndombele’s failed spell at Spurs
Back in the summer of 2019, excitement was at an all-time high at Spurs, after the hierarchy forked out a then club-record £63m on the signature of midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
The Frenchman joined from Lyon with real expectations of taking the first-team squad to the next level - understandably so given the nature of the transfer fee.
He was handed a five-year deal on a staggering £200k-per-week, but such a deal would turn out to be one of the worst in the club’s history due to the astronomical numbers involved, coupled with his lack of impact.
When combining the total spent on his signature and the wages the hierarchy paid him, such a deal ended up costing £104.2m, with the breakdown of such a cost highlighting how much money they wasted.
Ndombele only made 91 appearances for the Lilywhites during his five years in England’s top-flight - which works out at a staggering £1.1m per appearance he made in North London.
He also only netted 10 goals and registered nine assists, with his total of 19 goal contributions seeing the club fork out a total of £5.4m per contribution he made.
To top off his dismal spell in North London, the 28-year-old would depart on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 - further showcasing how much money they wasted on his signature.
The Spurs player who could become as big a waste as Ndombele
In the present day, Thomas Frank has the opportunity to break new ground for Spurs and build on the Europa League triumph at the back end of last season.
As previously mentioned, Simons was brought into the club to provide a needed boost in the final third, with Mohammed Kudus another player to make the move to North London.
The hierarchy forked out £55m for the Ghanaian’s signature, a hefty figure, but one that has appeared worthwhile given his immediate form in 2025/26.
He’s currently sitting on one goal and four assists across all competitions - currently boasting the highest combined tally of any player within the first-team squad.
The same can’t be said for fellow winger Wilson Odobert, with the Frenchman ultimately struggling to match the excitement his arrival last summer generated.
His transfer to join the Lilywhites came out of the blue, as the board paid a reported £25m for his signature after Burnley were relegated back to the Championship at the end of 2023/24.
Injuries massively plagued him in 2024/25, with the 20-year-old restricted to 21 appearances across all competitions - scoring just one goal in the Premier League as a result.
However, Frank’s arrival could have handed Odobert a fresh lease of life this campaign, but he’s so far been unable to take the initiative with both hands.
He’s already racked up 10 appearances in 2025/26, but has so far been unable to register a single goal or assist in any competition, with his underlying stats further highlighting his lack of positive impact.
The former Burnley star has only completed 0.5 crosses per 90, whilst only completing 52% of the dribbles he’s attempted - often being unable to beat the opposition defenders with the ball at his feet.
Odobert has also been wasteful in front of goal, only managing to place 28% of his shots on target to date - undoubtedly contributing to his disappointing return in the final third.
At 20, he still has bags of time to improve further, but it’s unclear if he will be able to do that in North London, given the pressure placed on his shoulders.
He’s been tasked with replacing Heung-min Son this campaign, so far to no avail, with such a deal being a waste of money if he’s unable to find the form that saw the club spend big money on his signature.