The New Age Hotspur

Article by Cam Lessard

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What a summer it has been, so far. The strategic and precise operation for Spurs' transfer window has been inspiring. Clearly, there is direction. Clearly, a master plan in place. Clearly, Poch is being taken seriously. It's the supporter's clamouring finally coming to fruition after a season of ups and downs, to say the least.

Obviously, Mauricio Pochettino had to tread carefully to start last season. We all knew he was playing with the hand he had been dealt and were all aware that what he idealised in a roster, was not on the pitch every week. It took a few weeks, but eventually the likes of Kaboul, Capoue, and Adebayor were completely removed from the plan. From very early, we could tell that Poch likes dealing with the hungry youth, rather than the fat veterans.

The injection of Harry Kane cemented this ideal. Even though he was lighting up the Europa League, it took a while for Kane to break in to the starting eleven as a permanent fixture. Looking back, he should have been playing every minute of every match from the beginning. Poch probably knew it, but old traditions are tough to kill. An out of form Adebayor and an unlucky Soldado had to have their chance to prove their worth, right? The weekly wages and transfer fees had to be fulfilled through play, right? I'm pretty sure that is what Poch was pressured into, at least.

But, as the season wore on, and the high wage players declined in play, Poch could knock them down a few pegs. There was a series of pinpointed responses to mediocre players who could no longer be taught or coached. Instead of dealing with stubbornness, Poch invested in pliable and covetous youth. For example, Pochettino thrust Ryan Mason into an important position and allowed him to grow into the role and become serviceable. It earned Ryan Mason a nice contract and a standing on the team, and it made Poch's plan look that much more attractive to seek.

Financially, relying on youth is sound, but it does not win trophies or heighten the value or support of the team. Levy is in the business of making money. He must to spend in order to keep our rabid support base from ripping him to shreds (more so than he already is). So, if Poch can offer low cost, home grown, viable, beloved players, Levy's job is pretty easy, right? Obviously, players at the calibre of Nabil Bentaleb or Harry Kane will not be coming out of the youth squad every year. Those success stories, however, provide examples of how good things can get when managerial freedom is allowed in order to pursue and work on achieving full potential of players.

Is there a better way of making money than turning nothing into something? Harry Kane, for all intents and purposes, was a nothing. Make no mistakes, Levy would have no qualms with spinning Harry Kane to Real Madrid if the price was right, we saw that with Bale. So, at this rate, it behooves Levy to follow Poch's lead by investing in cost effective solutions to solve big money problems.

Obviously, in the future, for example, if the academy has difficulty grooming forwards, the first team can be augmented using the money saved by relying up a promising crew of fullbacks and mid-fielders from the youth squad. It's a broad example, but the model is realistic for both on-the-pitch and business performance.

It's clear this model has played a key role in this off-season, in fact. Last year, Spurs allowed nearly as many goals at they scored; and they scored a lot, too. Evidently, in Poch's opinion, there weren't any youth players who could make a clear impact for the upcoming year. DeAndre Yedlin isn't a Premier League right-back, Kyle Walker-Peters is extremely young, and Milos Veljkovic is going to end up as a defensive midfielder. In other words, there is no youth player who is a better option that what existed at the end of last season (Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose). With that in mind, Poch and Levy invested in Wimmer, Trippier, and Alderweireld with the idea of heightening competition and, ultimately, letting the cream rise to the top. It will be fascinating to see where the back-line ends up, but rest assured the fight for positioning will be a blood sport by design.

In initiating this new model, Spurs have done an incredible job creating a better environment for it to be realised. Gone is Kaboul, Paulinho, Capoue, Holtby, Stambouli, as well as future, certain departures. Levy fleeced Guangzhou for Paulinho and made Sunderland look like morons while off-loading Kaboul. If nothing else, it guarantees the new age movement towards self-sustainment, while simultaneously promoting the creed of 'hard work pays off.' If you can do what Poch says, you will move up the roster. If you can't, you will be buried on the squad until you can be sold. To be on Tottenham you have to work harder than the next guy up. You have to 'Stay Relentless.' It may be the new marketing slogan, but it's what Pochettino will live by.

Levy seems to be striving to get to that relentless level, also. Hell, when you make a deal with the NFL, you know you are heading in a positive financial direction. I know there are a lot of mixed feelings that come by allowing the NFL to host games at the new stadium, but the influx of cash is going to be so great, that it is almost impossible to turn down. Additionally, he penned a deal with Fanatics, a giant sports retailer over here in the United States. As an American Spurs fan, I can honestly say, I could not be happier with either piece of news. It means exposure. It means fandom. It means substantial growth for the club. Tottenham already has a giant, U.S. fan-base, but it is about to get a lot larger. Both the NFL and the retail deal are incredible pushes forward in that regard. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the incredible stadium plans. I could not be more impressed and satisfied. All of this progress shows that Tottenham can no longer be taken lightly. It is clear that the long term plan is to be mentioned in the same breath as Manchester United and Chelsea.

Ultimately, the new age Hotspur ideal is happening at an organisational level. It goes beyond the pitch. It now applies to every facet of the machine. This summer is the first step in what could be a very fun and competitive ride...Let's just hope Levy doesn't sell Kane or fire Pochettino before the season.

Follow me on Twitter @OptimisticSpurs

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