Tottenham losing to Chelsea shows Daniel Levy made glaring error in summer transfer window
Spurs 0-3 Chelsea – Nuno reaction
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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy may have been left wondering what might have been after his side’s lacklustre defeat at the hands of Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. The Blues turned on the style after half-time to seal an impressive 3-0 win on away turf and leapfrog Manchester United at the summit of the Premier League table.
Spurs started brightly and controlled much of the ball in the opening stages, with Son Heung-min registering the only shot on target in the first period.
However, the hosts crumbled after the interval and allowed Chelsea to take control of the match, with Thiago Silva opening the scoring after just four second-half minutes.
N’Golo Kante’s deflected effort and Antonio Rudiger’s late strike went on to seal all three points for the European champions and condemn Spurs to another humiliating Premier League defeat.
The north London side were sub-par across the pitch, but Harry Kane’s performance in attack was particularly disappointing.
The England skipper declared last month that he would be staying at Tottenham until at least the end of the campaign after failing to force through a move to Manchester City during the summer transfer window.
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However, he is yet to score a Premier League goal since the beginning of the season and was forced to go without once again for the visit of Chelsea.
Kane started the match on the left-hand side and struggled to gain a foothold on proceedings throughout the entirety of the contest.
He was moved back into the centre after Chelsea’s second goal but was unable to influence the game upon returning to his usual role.
The 28-year-old failed to hit the target with either of his two efforts on goal and was heavily criticised by supporters and pundits alike after the final whistle.
It remains to be seen whether Levy will regret his decision to block Kane’s exit during the summer window if his form cannot be rescued over the coming months.
He was far from the only problem on Sunday afternoon, with his team-mates also struggling to live up to the billing.
However, Spurs could have reaped the rewards of a big-money fee for Kane’s signature in order to strengthen all over the pitch.
City saw at least two nine-figure bids rejected by Levy before last month’s all-important deadline, with Spurs missing out on vital funds that could have been reinvested into shaping a potential Premier League title challenge in the process.
Meanwhile, the abject nature of Kane’s performance, especially during the latter stages of the match, suggested that he could still be unhappy behind closed doors.
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He was desperate to join City in order to challenge for major honours after failing to win a single trophy since the beginning of his professional career with Spurs.
Keeping hold of a player that does not want to be at a club can often have unwanted consequences, and it seems likely that Kane could still be nursing a summer hangover after his desire to leave was quashed by Levy.
He is still undoubtedly one of the world’s best strikers and his muted run of form could easily be nothing more than just a minor blip.
However, it seems as though Levy’s decision to prevent his desired move to City may have caused a number of its own problems.
The Spurs chairman passed up the opportunity to lead a large-scale rebuild without Kane in order to hold on to his prized asset, but with the striker misfiring as things stand, the jury still appears to be out on whether the right call was made.
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