Spurs won’t be challenging for the title

It has emerged today that new Tottenham Hotspur signing Jan Vertonghen believes the club can challenge for the Premier League title next season. His words would surely have got a number of the fans interested, with his ambition one that echoes the board and the supporters, but it is little more than a pipe dream.

The North London side certainly possess the necessary quality to mount a challenge for the summit of England’s top tier, as witnessed from last season prior to the speculation linking Harry Redknapp for the England job. After that, however, Spurs’ win percentage dropped to just 20%, throughout the time he was mooted as Fabio Capello’s successor, and they ended up finishing the campaign in fourth place.

Despite ending the season without Champions League football, it hasn’t hindered their pulling power when it comes to transfers, already bringing in Vertonghen and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Yet, it won’t be enough for Spurs to win the title, not yet anyway. With the type of money Manchester City and Chelsea have at their disposal, it will be near on impossible for them to compete.

One thing that Spurs have lacked in recent seasons is the winning mentality to really drag them to the next level. Following the appointment of Andre Villas-Boas as head coach, expectations have been high. In the Portuguese tactician, the North London side have a manager who has broken countless records with FC Porto and regardless of his time with Chelsea, is still highly regarded within the footballing world.

Upon his arrival, a wave of excitement swept over White Hart Lane, despite the media writing them off for a top four finish following Harry Redknapp’s sacking. Nevertheless, whilst Spurs do have a world class manager in Villas-Boas, it still isn’t enough for them to win the title. With the right investment and signings, they may challenge for part of the season, but it won’t be enough to win the Premier League.