Tottenham tipped to copy Mikel Arteta ‘blueprint’ amid ‘massive’ transfer claim – pundit
Noel Whelan has insisted there is no quick fix to see Tottenham return to the Champions League.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed Spurs will have to follow the transfer “blueprint” established by Arsenal and Mikel Arteta in order to rebuild their squad.
Tottenham bounced back from midweek disappointment against Burnley to defeat the Whites 4-0 at Elland Road on Saturday (26 February).
Despite the win, however, Antonio Conte’s side remains five points outside the Champions League places with two games in hand.
Conte has been publicly dismayed with Tottenham’s underwhelming January transfer window, and as relayed by the BBC (17 February), claimed the squad had been “weakened” last month.
However, Whelan suggested Spurs may need to qualify for the Champions League again before they can sign “quality” in the transfer market.
“It is a massive project at Tottenham,” he told Football Insider‘s Russell Edge.
“Just look at how under-fire Mikel Arteta was at Arsenal. It’s not going to happen overnight.
“Arteta knew that he had to bring in the right players – it’s taken three years to build a squad, and that’s not come without controversy, either, after what happened with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“It has been a tough ride for them, but now they’re looking balanced from back to front, and a striker is the final piece of the puzzle.
“For Tottenham, they’ll have to follow that same transfer blueprint. I really don’t think it’s going to happen quickly, no matter how many they bring in this summer.
“To bring in that quality, it’ll be massively important to be in that Champions League. That’s going to be something that may take a little while longer to achieve.”
Tottenham last played in the Champions League during the 2019-20 season, when they bowed out at the Round of 16 stage.
Spurs’ next Premier League engagement comes against Everton next Monday (7 March).
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