Tottenham must 'qualify for Champions League' to avoid financial calamity after latest deals - Stefan Borson

Tottenham Hotspur are in a "Champions League or bust" scenario after splashing the cash ahead of the 2026-27 season.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that competing at the top level is the only thing that can help match Tottenham's aspirations.

Roberto De Zerbi's side began their business early, signing Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, before big-money deals were done for Jan Paul van Hecke and Mateus Fernandes.

Since then, Sandro Tonali has arrived on a £100million deal, taking the Lilywhites' spending up to over £200m ahead of the new campaign.

Spurs clearly mean serious business after finishing 17th in the Premier League last term, only narrowly missing out on relegation to the Championship.

These kinds of transfer tactics come with their own risks, though, with the owners putting all their eggs in a Champions League-sized basket this season.

'Tottenham have to qualify for the Champions League'

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson explained that the only way Spurs can avoid financial issues is with a top-four, possibly top-five, finish this season.

"In terms of what they've got to do going forward, they've set themselves up now in a scenario where they have to qualify for Europe," he said.

"And and when I say Europe, really, we're talking about the Champions League. If you if you're going to have that wage bill, that amount of spending on transfers and, therefore, amortisation within all the tests, you're going to have to be in the Champions League.

"You're going to  need to find that £100m of revenue to pay for what you've got there. I think the issue is, is everybody very, very confident that that's going to be the case next season?

"Now, they've got a big advantage with no European football, of course. They've signed a lot of decent players, but it's very hard to be absolutely confident these days in being of the Champions League."

Who else could Tottenham sign this summer?

It would appear that Spurs are on the verge of signing Manchester City's Savinho, who could cost upwards of £85m with add-ons.

His teammate, Omar Marmoush, is also edging closer to a loan move this summer, and it remains to be seen where the Lilywhites will stop.

Of course, with Lucas Bergvall, Pape Sarr and Richarlison all linked with exits, there is time remaining to make some sales before the window slams shut.

Very few expected this amount of spending from a team who narrowly avoided relegation last term, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with the pressure in the months to come.