Why Tottenham could be the side to challenge Manchester City's EPL dominance

#4 But they haven’t sold anyone either

Despite his exit being talked about all summer, Toby Alderweireld remains a Spurs player

When Mauricio Pochettino urged Tottenham – and chairman Daniel Levy – to “act bravely” in the summer of 2018, most observers assumed he was subtlety suggesting that Spurs ought to splash the cash and sign some of the world’s best players, just like their title rivals City, United, Liverpool and Chelsea have become known for doing.

Shortly after, Pochettino spurned the advances of Real Madrid and signed a new five-year deal to keep him at Spurs until 2023. When London club then failed to make any new signings, some fans began to suggest that Levy had failed Pochettino’s request for bravery.

Yet, Pochettino doesn't appear fazed with the situation at the club. Perhaps then, the call for bravery was actually referring to another issue within the club. In the past – despite breaking into the Champions League qualifying slots – Tottenham have still retained a reputation as a “selling club”, and have seen star players time after time leave for newer, usually larger pastures.

This has slowed down since Pochettino’s reign began, but as recently as the summer of 2017, key defender Kyle Walker was sold to Manchester City. But this summer has been different – despite speculation over much of the squad, from stars Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen to the supposedly disillusioned Danny Rose and Toby Alderweireld, nobody has been allowed to leave.

Surely that constitutes as “bravery” from Levy and Spurs? By not allowing a single player to leave, Tottenham continue to have one of the strongest squads in the league, and more importantly, they haven’t helped any rivals strengthen either. That means they’re well-equipped for a title challenge.