Tottenham cannot afford €40m price tag so won’t pursue transfer target | OneFootball

Tottenham cannot afford Lens' €40m asking price for Abdukodir Khusanov, so they have taken a backseat in the transfer pursuit for now.

Looking at Tottenham from a macro perspective, it is easy to suggest that they will be active in the January transfer window. After all, they are going through an injury crisis and as one of the biggest clubs in England, they simply must recruit to battle this, right?

Well, things are very rarely this simple in North London. While Spurs *should* strengthen, this doesn't mean they actually will strengthen.

After all, Tottenham are operating on a limited budget (who's surprised there?), so they might not be able to compete with those teams around them for the same transfer targets.

Tottenham cannot afford €40m price tag so won’t pursue transfer target

According to a report from The Athletic, Lens have asked for a minimum transfer fee of €40m (£33.2m) for their centre back Abdukodir Khusanov. This means that Tottenham have been priced out for the Uzbekistan international defender

Some earlier reports last week have suggested that Tottenham will approach this transfer window with a budget of €30.1m (£25m). Therefore, they are quite a way from reaching Lens' transfer fee, but this is unfortunately the nature of the sport right now.

Tottenham would be incredibly naive to head into this transfer window with the mindset of being skimpy with finances. While this might serve them well on their balance sheets, it will not serve them well where it matters most - the playing field.

Of course, Ange Postecolgou does have plenty of experience of managing with a limited budget. While Celtic rarely disclose their finances, it is known that they are not the richest club in the world and are not big-spenders.

Nevertheless, this is somewhat a redundant argument. Operating with a budget is much easier in the Scottish Premiership than it is in the English Premier League.

To keep up with their competitors, Tottenham have to spend money. This is simply the way it has to be.

Tottenham Hotspur recently welcomed in former Slavia Prague goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky for a reported fee of €16.5m. A backup goalkeeper was definitely needed, with Vicario's long-term injury.

Next up on the priority list should be a new defender signed at Tottenham. After all, it is their backline which has been hit the most with injuries this season. If only it was Khusanov, but it probably won't be, so Tottenham must now look elsewhere.