Levy finally reveals why Tottenham didn't buy any players in the summer

The Spurs chairman has been quizzed over the lack of activity from the club in the summer

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has given his verdict on why the club did not buy a single player during the summer transfer window.

This year Spurs became the first club in Premier League history to not sign anyone since the creation of the summer transfer window.

The north London outfit also failed to sell any of their first team stars meaning manager Mauricio Pochettino started the new season with the same squad he had during the last campaign, albeit with a couple of fringe players having returned from loan spells.

At a meeting with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust on Tuesday evening at Lilywhite House, the club's offices alongside the new stadium, Levy and his team were quizzed on the lack of transfer activity and whether there would be funds for January transfers.

In the minutes of that meeting, which have now been released on the Trust's website , Levy's answers are detailed.

"Daniel Levy explained that the club had based the summer window on certain assumptions that some players might be leaving and certain targets would be available," read the minutes.

"Mauricio Pochettino didn’t want to sign someone for the sake of it. He felt there were sufficient players in the squad, and that those coming back from injury would be like new signings.

"Daniel Levy said that, concerning budgets, the stadium won’t directly impact on the transfer policy. There is a certain amount earmarked for transfers and the club can only spend what is available.

"He also said that transfers were complicated with several variables so it was not possible to work out in advance how much you could spend in a given window."

Levy was also asked whether he was happy with the performance of the club's academy.

"Daniel Levy said it was important to look at this across more than one season and that, on the whole, he was very pleased," read the minutes.

"He stated a huge amount had been spent on the academy and that THFC’s strategy was different to other clubs because it had to be. We had to take a different approach in the transfer market in order to compete with other top teams."

The Spurs chairman also clarified that chief scout Steve Hitchin has taken over the duties of recruitment head Paul Mitchell and that he "works very closely" with Pochettino.

The minutes continued: "Daniel Levy felt that a bit of luck was needed in the transfer window. Spending big did not guarantee success. He said the club could not do more than it was doing, that they had come a long way and that they needed to be mindful not to stretch themselves too far sometimes."