Jamie O'Hara has hit out at Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy as manager Antonio Conte pushes for January reinforcements.
Spurs spent more than £100m over the summer, with the likes of Richarlison and Yves Bissouma arriving in north London. However, after finishing two points and one place ahead of Arsenal to pip their rivals to a top-four finish last season, they have floundered this term while their neighbours challenge for the title.
Arsenal's summer arrivals have made a quick impact, with Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko both playing a part in the title push. It has been a different story for Spurs, though, and ex-Spurs midfielder O'Hara has made a painful admission about the difference between the rival sides.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football courtesy of Grosvenor Sport, O'Hara questioned whether Spurs' new recruits have made them a better side. However, he also wondered aloud whether Conte has been able to recruit the players he wanted, or whether Levy has stood in the way of certain targets ending up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
"We don't know, Conte might be asking for those players and Levy might be saying no," the ex-midfielder said. "He might say I want [Paulo] Dybala, I wan't Joao Felix, I want so and so' and Levy goes 'no, no, no'.
"So he has to go three or four players down the list in that position and ends up getting one who doesn't really improve the team. I don't know what Levy's saying to him and what he's actually doing, but you get the impression from Conte that he isn't really getting what he wants and that's a massive problem.
"You've got the issue from [Conte's] contract as well. Levy's going to look at it and go 'Well I'm not going to back you and give you these players and spend this money on everyone you want if you're not going to sign a new deal'.
Should Spurs back Conte in January? Have your say in the comments section
Spurs had explored the possibility of tying Conte down to an extended deal before the January transfer window, but have yet to make it official. The London club made a flying start, picking up 23 points from their first 10 games, but have since slipped back into the pack while Arsenal have thrived, and O'Hara insisted Arsenal's recruitment suggests Spurs should have the capability of finding the right additions.
"Of course there's top players out there, there's tons of them, but the club has got to identify the best players and go 'he's better than what we've got in that position'," he said. "We need a new 'keeper - we've got two over 30 year old 'keepers, where's the new up and coming keeper where you can say he's going to be our 'keeper for the next seven or eight years.
"Look at Arsenal. Arsenal have done it the right way - they've identified young talent, identified young players who have improved the team straight away but also you look at it as a future progression they've got, like he's going to be a star for them for a long time. We haven't done that."
Spurs have spent more than £200m since the summer of 2021, with Conte overseeing a number of those new arrivals. Arsenal's outlay has been a little higher, with the likes of Ben White and Martin Odegaard arriving ahead of last season and further signings made in summer 2022, but while Spurs' signings have sometimes been on the fringes, many of the Gunners' recruits have slotted straight in.
"W ith Arsenal and Arteta he has identified how he wants to play and the positions he needs to improve in and has brought in players in that position to improve that team," O'Hara explained. "We have brought in squad players, players who don't necessarily make the team any better, they just might improve the squad. But I still look at the bench and think the squad is rubbish, the bench is nowhere near good enough, and that's a massive problem we've got."
