Upcoming summer will tell whether Daniel Levy finally backs a Tottenham manager

For Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, the season so far has been a bit of mixed bag. He can look back fondly on leading the club to a league cup final and decisive victories over rivals Chelsea and Arsenal amongst others. But there have been plenty of lacklustre performances to go along with them. There was also disappointing exits from two other competitions and the chance of qualifying for a Champions League place looks slimmer than ever as things stand.

However, it’s clear he doesn’t have anything close to a full squad he can rely upon. To truly show what he can achieve, he needs to be given the freedom to shape his playing group and add some much needed quality. As revealed in reports this week, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is expected to agree to a major overhaul of the squad this summer.

Levy will green light the sale of several of the club’s expensive flops signed in the summer of 2013, even if it means making a loss. Franco Baldini, the man responsible for bringing them in, will finally fall on his sword. A few of the club’s senior peoples who have clearly not bought into their new manager’s philosophy, including Emmanuel Adebayor and Younes Kaboul, should be shifted on as well.

Source: tottenhamhotspur.com

It is likely Pochettino will replace some of their places with youngsters either from the academy or who are out on loan. However, there is still a real need for players to be brought in. Not many are needed but it is vital Pochettino is allowed to bring in the players he desires to plug important holes in his first team. Both quality and experience are vital attributes to compliment the hungry core of young players already at the club. But history shows that may not be likely.

Levy and his staff tends to buy players they feel would be best for the club, not the manager. Ahead of an unlikely title challenge in January of 2012, gaffer Harry Redknapp wanted to acquire Carlos Tevez and Gary Cahill. He got Louis Saha and Ryan Nelsen instead. An outside shot at the title turned into fourth place. This soon didn’t mean a thing as Chelsea won the Champions League, meaning they took Spurs spot in the competition for the next season. Redknapp would be soon be ousted.

Even last summer may put some doubts on this. Federico Fazio has a lot of the qualities to become a top centre-half but it is clear Pochettino feels he doesn’t fit in with his system. It is clear to see what type of defender Fazio is. So what was the point of signing him? Wouldn’t it be obvious he would have some struggles with a high line? He has been replaced in the first team with young Eric Dier.

It is harder to understand why fellow new boy Benjamin Stambouli has not featured more. He hasn’t played enough to really be assessed and has tended to only do so in cup games. Stambouli was a player highly desired by Marco Bielsa in the summer, the man Pochettino bases his philosophy on. Perhaps, having missed out on first choice Morgan Schneiderlin, the club went for a back-up option and he has not shown enough quality to claim anything more than what he has.

Daniel Levy has shown in the past he hasn’t given managers his complete trust. But perhaps we will see a change this summer. Franco Baldini is expected to leave and his role will be filled by one of Pochettino’s own, Paul Mitchell. The Argentine was originally given a five year deal and that should still be viewed as an encouraging sign. Maybe Levy has finally realized that he needs to give a manager trust and time to build something to compete with the big boys around him. We don’t have the money to create instant success.

This summer will be the time to show he truly understands that concept. Otherwise it’s back to that vicious cycle that has haunted Tottenham for so long. Mauricio Pochettino has tremendous talent. He just needs to be given the tools to be able to show what he can do.