Andre Villas-Boas has spent almost £60million on his Tottenham Hotspur squad this summer, yet he insists he still has more business to conduct before 2 September.
After being denied entrance to the UEFA Champions League by virtue of sixth-placed Chelsea winning the competition in 2012, there was more heartache at White Hart Lane when Arsenal pipped them to fourth place in the Premier League last term. This seems to have merely redoubled their ambitions for the coming campaign, though, with a number of impressive signings heading to the North London club in recent weeks.
The future of Gareth Bale may well remain in some doubt, but Villas-Boas has added the Spanish striker Roberto Soldado to his options for £26million, Brazil midfielder Paulinho for £17million, and Belgian ace Nacer Chadli for £7.5million. And now Etienne Capoue, who has been linked with Arsenal, has joined from Toulouse for a fee of £9million.
The 25-year-old, who can play in midfield or in the heart of the back four, has seven caps for France, and was involved in their goalless draw with Belgium on Wednesday evening. His signing will be seen as another major coup for Tottenham, yet their Portuguese coach has revealed he intends to delve into the market again before the deadline.
“We have been very active in the transfer window,” said Villas-Boas. “The ultimate objective is to make the team stronger than the year before. We couldn’t manage to get in the top four spot we wanted [last season]. Our ambition stays the same and for that to happen we have been very, very active in the transfer window. We haven’t finished our business. We will continue to be active and hopefully have the team ready in the next few weeks.”
Despite the arrival of Capoue, it is believed that Spurs are still in the market for a central defender. Steven Caulker, who impressed last season, has been sold to Premier League new-boys Cardiff City, and although Younes Kaboul is back in contention, his history of injury problems remains a concern and the same can be said of Michael Dawson.
One potential option could be Toby Alderweireld, the Ajax star who can operate at centre-half or at right fullback. The 24-year-old has been quoted by Sky Sports as saying he would be interested in a move to England and, specifically, Tottenham, where he would link up with Belgian international pals Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele, and Chadli.
