Spurs' win at Man City shows transfers aren't everything

MANCHESTER, England -- After a week in which they've missed out on signing Eberechi Eze to rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur delivered a timely message with their 2-0 win at Manchester City that the success of a season doesn't just come down to what you can do in the transfer market.

Already in coach Thomas Frank's short time in charge, Spurs have come within minutes of beating European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup and started their Premier League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Burnley. But this week the tone has changed -- primarily because of Eze's decision to join Arsenal rather than their North London neighbors.

Radio phone-ins have been inundated with furious fans. The supporters who traveled to City for Saturday's early kickoff began their afternoon with chants of "We want Levy out" in a show of frustration -- it must be said, not only linked to the failed bid to sign Eze -- at chairman Daniel Levy.

Within 45 minutes, though, the mood had flipped again. Tottenham went in at halftime at the Etihad Stadium leading 2-0. A controlled, disciplined performance in the second half meant the match finished that way and, for a few hours at least, Spurs went top of the Premier League. Maybe they've already got their signing of the summer by hiring Frank. Eberechi who?

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"Extremely proud of the players' performance, an exceptionally good performance," Frank said postmatch. "I think it's fair to say we've had a few questions about the transfer market. 'Why not?' and 'What if?'

"We have a good group of players, a talented group of players, that I'm very pleased with. If we can improve it, perfect. If we can't, then we have very good players, and we showed that today."

Asked about Eze's snub at his prematch news conference on Friday, Frank said he "doesn't want any players that don't want to come to this club." He might find his transfer targets in the final days of the window are more willing to join after his team put in a clinical display against City.

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Thomas Frank 'extremely proud' after Tottenham's win vs. Man City

Thomas Frank speaks after Tottenham's 2-0 victory against Man City in the Premier League.

For 35 minutes, they soaked up pressure and needed goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to save well from Omar Marmoush. The final 10 minutes of the first half were all about the manager's game plan.

A long ball forward exposed City's high line and Richarlison raced through before squaring his pass for Brennan Johnson. Initially ruled out for offside, VAR Andrew Madley intervened and the goal stood. Then, high pressure on the edge of the penalty area forced goalkeeper James Trafford -- starting ahead of Éderson -- to make a poor pass, and João Palhinha gratefully accepted the gift to score a second.

You don't necessarily need new signings to play well and win games. Sometimes it's more important to have a manager who knows what he's doing. Frank, a winner at the Etihad before with Brentford in 2022, picked a team against City that included two summer arrivals -- Palhinha and Mohammed Kudus -- but, crucially, he's getting more out of the players he's inherited.

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