TOTTENHAM fans waited all deadline day for the transfer ‘bomba’ that never happened.
In the end, the most explosive event came courtesy of Cristian Romero, who launched a grenade of an Instagram post seemingly aimed at Spurs’ January window strategy.
And with so many of his team-mates liking his missive, Thomas Frank could well have a job on his hands keeping his injury-hit squad happy between now and the end of the season.
With impeccable timing, captain Romero waited until just after the 7pm deadline – following Spurs’ failure to make a single senior signing on the final day – to light the fuse.
The World Cup winner pointed out how “disgraceful” it was that the team had just 11 players available for Sunday’s game to Manchester City.
Romero has a track record for thinly-veiled digs at Spurs’ hierarchy on social media and in interviews, and this was interpreted as another incendiary swipe.
The fall-out from it could be wide-ranging too, given how many team-mates appeared to show their support by liking the post.
Players often have social-media teams managing their accounts so the like button could have been clicked as a matter of habit, to boost each other’s content reach, though it seems unlikely that that would be the case for all of them.
The list of fellow squad-members to like the post feels like nearly the whole team.
It includes Djed Spence, Dominic Solanke, Xavi Simons, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Kevin Danso, Pedro Porro and Pape Matar Sarr.
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Striker Dane Scarlett, who has just gone on loan to Hibs in Scotland, also liked it, as did former team-mate Davinson Sanchez.
Then there are the thousands of irate fans who liked and shared the post over and over, feeling like their skipper is speaking for them and their frustrations.
Frank, who has enough to deal with just trying to hold onto his position amid a dismal domestic campaign, will be tasked with trying to explain away Romero’s outburst and suggestions of disquiet in his squad.
Mercifully for the Dane, it is a rare week with no midweek game so he will not have to face the music until Thursday when his next press conference is scheduled.
Spurs will have predicted the heavy fire they are now coming under for their January business from supporters – albeit perhaps not from their captain.
They made two senior signings in Conor Gallagher and Brazilian teenage left-back Souza – albeit the £35million they splashed on the former was recouped by Brennan Johnson’s sale to Crystal Palace.
The North Londoners wanted to push the button on Antoine Semenyo and Andy Robertson but were foiled by the Semenyo’s reluctance to come and Liverpool’s hesitancy to sell.
As ever, names flew about on social media on deadline day to get supporters’ hopes up, but there was never any interest in Magnes Akliouche, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby.
They resisted the urge to panic-buy, despite a crippling injury list which was boosted to 11 players when NINE became crocked in January alone.
That saw a rethink on plans to sell Yves Bissouma and Radu Dragusin, who are now needed given the lack of players available.
The most farcical moment came when Spurs decided to sell Johnson – last term’s top-scorer – and two days later Mohammed Kudus picked up a serious quad injury, leaving them dreadfully short out wide.
It has furious fans in a frenzy, with many hoping this window would have been a statement of intent for the supposed new era of the Lewis family ownership via a heavy spend.
Spurs had the money to do that – as evidenced by their willingness to go big on Semenyo. But ultimately the club were happy to keep their powder dry for the summer if the right players were not available.
That is in spite of Frank’s sparse numbers and the nine-point gap to the relegation zone.
Given how Spurs seem to pick up new injuries every week and their poor league form, the approach to the January window has seemed a huge gamble.
Frank’s has his fair share of heat this term for bad performances, but now it will crank up on those running the club, from chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, to the sporting directors Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici.
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It was Venkatesham who told supporters in an open letter on January 17: “We believe in our current squad, but must add more quality, experience, and leadership to compete consistently at the highest level.
“Doing so requires a more proactive approach to recruitment, alongside a wage structure that supports our ambition.
“We are fully focused on strengthening the squad in January where the right opportunities exist, while recognising that the most significant player trading activity typically comes in summer windows.
“Our priority is to make signings that genuinely move us forward, and we will be disciplined against that aim.”
Spurs fought to keep hold of Paratici for the window before he says arriverderci and joins Fiorentina.
Yet after the signing of Souza on January 22, which had been the pipeline for a few weeks, no further senior signings were made, in spite of all the Italian transfer guru’s contacts.
Usually, Lange does an in-house interview to sum up a window’s business a few days after the deadline has closed. This window’s instalment will no doubt seem like rage bait to supporters.
Protest group Change For Tottenham had planned a walk-out at 75 minutes of Sunday’s 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City, during which Romero came off at half-time due to illness.
Next to no fans left the stands though as they could not take their eyes off the most thrilling game in Frank’s tenure, with Spurs fighting back from two goals down.
Yet further protests will surely follow after the lack of activity this window and the anger building from the last few years.