Tottenham Hotspur’s hierarchy entered the January window with a decision to make.
Should they strengthen a depleted side in the glaringly obvious key areas of weakness in defensive midfield and wide attack, and have a chance at salvaging a season that appeared to be slipping away by the week? Or should they trust that relegation was so absurd a nightmare that prioritising long-term planning over an increasing need for a quick fix would better prepare the club for success in the future?
As it transpired, the club’s hierarchy naively gambled their chips on the long-term plan. Evidenced by their atrocious league form in 2026 — with Thursday evening’s 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace one of the most deflating in the club’s recent history — that miscalculation could lead to a first relegation since 1977, a collapse with far greater consequences to the club’s long-term standing and finances than any transitional impact signing.
Having just completed a deal worth £35million ($46.8m) for Conor Gallagher, club chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham addressed the fans in the programme for the home match against West Ham United. Tottenham were winless in four, but signing an England international, signalling an intent to improve the squad, brought a refreshed optimism, even if sections of the fanbase questioned his fit within a squad already well-stocked with similar profiles.
In his statement, Venkatesham said he and the hierarchy “believe in our current squad, but must add more quality, experience and leadership to compete consistently at the highest level”. He added that the club was open to additions in January “where the right opportunities exist,” and were prioritising “signings that genuinely move us forward”.
But as key players relentlessly picked up injuries, leaving then-head coach Thomas Frank with the bare bones of the squad he inherited last summer, Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange, and the Lewis family were blind to the grave consequences of inaction. On top of project players, such as 19-year-old Souza, their only other January signing, there became a desperate need for first-team reinforcements at some point over that month.
If it wasn’t evident before, the 2-1 home defeat to West Ham indicated that Tottenham were not in a false position and had the potential to continue sliding unless something changed.
That change eventually happened in the technical area, with Igor Tudor replacing Frank, but the coach with a reputation for breathing new life into faltering clubs on the continent is having no such impact in north London. After the 4-1 loss to Arsenal, the first of three successive league defeats on his watch, Tudor acknowledged that this was the most difficult job he’d ever taken, and let loose on the players’ effort and quality in an explosive post-match press conference as they were beaten 2-1 away to Fulham the following week.
While Tudor must take some responsibility for failing to make his 3-4-3 formation work, the players available to him are an awkward fit. But those who hired a coach with a documented track history of using a certain system, without identifying that they do not have the players to fulfil it effectively, deserve the greater share of accountability.
Truthfully, however, the odds were stacked against whoever succeeded Frank — regardless of style, system or character. While Brennan Johnson may not have fit the club’s long-term vision, the decision to let him depart without a replacement — amid an injury crisis — is proving negligent. Due to injuries already accounted for in Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus, as well as an anterior cruciate ligament injury to Wilson Odobert sustained in February, Gallagher and Randal Kolo Muani have been pushed to the right wing, where they have been ineffective.
Souza started his first game for Tottenham on Thursday, but was replaced after Micky van de Ven’s red card, having picked up a yellow card inside seven minutes. While he could prove an important player in the future, he is not up to speed yet with the Premier League’s pace and physicality — nor should he be expected to be.
With Tottenham just one point above safety, their reasons for inactivity in the January window are inadequate. In an interview with The Athletic and other reporters, Lange reiterated the difficulty of doing business in the January market, suggesting there were “very few players who could make a difference for us now or in the future” as well as asserting that it “doesn’t make sense” to “bring in players that cannot help us now or we don’t believe have potential for the future”.
In an ideal world, Antoine Semenyo would have been that player, but who would have advised him to ignore the advances of title-challengers for a side slipping towards relegation? But what about Rayan, the Brazilian winger Bournemouth signed from Vasco da Gama, who has scored two goals in his first six games in the Premier League? Or Crysencio Summerville, who has registered nine goal involvements in 10 matches? He, along with January signings Pablo, Taty Castellanos, and Axel Disasi, has re-energised West Ham’s season, proving that smart work in the notoriously tricky window can turn a season on its head.
Or even Harry Wilson, the scorer of Fulham’s opener last week, who looks set to run his contract down in west London. With hindsight, Tottenham would take any of those in an instant.
While January additions may have proven ineffective, Tottenham’s recruitment team’s inaction in addressing glaring issues could result in the most improbable Premier League story since Leicester City’s title win in 2016. Should Spurs narrowly avoid the drop, perhaps Lange, Venkatesham, and the Lewis family will reflect on the decision with gritted teeth, appreciating the headroom it gives them for the summer window.
If they don’t, it will cost the club hundreds of millions and set them back years.