Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has made a clear declaration about the club's transfer policy, stating they are not prepared to follow Arsenal's example of spending £100 million on a single player.
North London Divide on Transfer Strategy
The comments come ahead of a crucial north London derby, with Arsenal sitting top of the Premier League. Frank addressed the stark contrast in spending power between the two rivals, noting that Arsenal demonstrated their ambition by purchasing Declan Rice from West Ham for £105 million in 2023.
Spurs' own record transfer remains the £60 million acquisition of Richarlison in 2022. Their most significant signing in the summer of 2025 was Mohammed Kudus for £55 million, highlighting the current financial gap between the clubs.
Building Success Through Development and Smart Investment
When questioned about his predecessor Ange Postecoglou's prediction that Spurs would never spend £100 million on one player, Frank offered a measured response. "In the next 50 years? Then yes," he remarked, suggesting such a move was not imminent.
Frank elaborated on his philosophy for building a successful team. "I'm a big believer that we need to develop the players we have," he stated. "If you can develop players, not all of them should cost £60m, £70m, £80m, £90m."
He pointed to the examples of Liverpool and Manchester City, arguing that while investment is essential, it must be strategic. "You need to be good at developing the players, which I believe we are. You also need to invest in the right potential of a player."
New Ownership and Future Backing
The context for this discussion is a period of significant change at Tottenham. The club underwent a leadership shake-up in September with the removal of Daniel Levy as chair and the installation of a new leadership team by the Lewis family, the club's owners.
Frank expressed optimism about receiving backing from the new board, who have already injected £100 million into the club last month, with more funding expected. "They definitely said they are all in for the club, that they want to be here for the long term and they want to have success," Frank said. "I'm confident they will back us."
Ultimately, Frank's vision for Tottenham is one of patience and intelligent team-building. "To build, you need a combination of time and doing the processes... Hopefully do it cleverly and we want to do it smart so we don't invest too much on the wrong players." The challenge now is to prove this model can bridge the gap to the very top of the Premier League.
