Spurs taking a gamble?

Tottenham Hotspur have never been strangers to spending money.

More often than not, that spending is coupled with hysterical outpourings of confidence.

And yet this summer the shopping and the "Oi! Oi! It's Tottenham's year!" seems to have taken on an added edge.

This time, they actually mean business.

Spurs, of course, always spend big money in the summer. But the relentlessness with which Juande Ramos has snapped up - or hopes to snap up - some genuine quality is perhaps indicative of a strong determination to unseat Arsenal or Liverpool in the top four. And fast.

At the time of writing, the two purchases which stand out as shots across Arsenal's bows are Luka Modric - signed with little fuss from Dinamo Zagreb before shining at Euro 2008 - and David Bentley's number one fan: David Bentley.

One could argue that Bentley's swagger has catapulted him into a price bracket (and indeed a level of reputation) which does not equate to what he can actually do on a football pitch. But he is a very good player, with a knack of scoring from distance, and may well turn out to be the heir to the Beckham throne on and off the pitch. Time will tell.

The signing of Modric was shrewd, despite the eye-bulgingly large fee. One of European football's hottest properties, the Croatian was snared quickly, and allowed Spurs to send an ominous message to the teams around them. His performances for his country in June would appear to vindicate Ramos in his choice.

And there is undoubtedly more to come before season start. Andrei Arshavin began an eventful summer by starring as Zenit St. Petersburg won the UEFA Cup. Then in the Euros he became, briefly, the world's most talked about player. His stock fell once the likes of Barcelona decided there was no point in shipping out layabouts Ronaldinho and Deco to replace them with a lazier and less influential player. White Hart Lane beckons, and for Spurs it would be a big success symbolically.

Ditto Roman Pavlyuchenko, Arshavin's fellow Russian, whose arrival at Spurs also seems likely. They're both good players, but it's their reputations that could well be the biggest boon for Ramos' side.

Of course, there have also been departures. Robbie Keane made a 'dream' move to Liverpool in controversial but - for Spurs and the club's chosen charity - lucrative circumstances. Last generation stars Pascal Chimbonda and Steed Malbranque have linked up with Roy Keane at Sunderland, along with Teemu Tainio, while Paul Robinson has been sold and replaced in goal by Heurelho Gomes.

Dimitar Berbatov's future remains uncertain, with Manchester United reportedly leading the chase.

I think somebody at White Hart Lane has finally decided that it's time to bring an end to the posturing and mount a serious assault on the Champions League spots. The fans must be delighted to see such a transparent attempt at rapid team improvement.

With Arsenal and Liverpool opting for more gradual improvement, there is ground to be gained. But what if it all goes wrong?