Tottenham coach Antonio Conte says it is the club's "philosophy" to weaken the squad following their January transfer dealings.
The north London side signed two players from Juventus in the latest transfer window, bringing in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.
But Conte feels his side is not as strong as it was, as he saw, Dele Alli move to Everton on a free transfer, Tanguy Ndombele join Lyon and Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil loaned to Villarreal and Valencia, respectively.
What has been said?
Asked in an interview with Sky Italy if there are similarities between Spurs and his first year in charge of Inter, Conte said: "Should you find something like this, it is always difficult to make comparisons, but surely when you take the job in a team that hasn't won for a long time it is inevitable that you will lack confidence.
"I glimpsed situations that could have developed, then when you enter the situation you understand that something... what happened in January is not easy.
"Four players left in January. Four important players for Tottenham, two have arrived. So even numerically instead of strengthening yourself you may have, on paper, weakened.
"Bentancur and Kulusevski are the ideal prospect for Tottenham. Because Tottenham is looking for young players, players to be developed, not ready players."
Can Conte take Tottenham forward?
Spurs are currently eighth in the Premier League and looking to book a place in Europe next season.
Conte said recently that it is "impossible" for them to finish in the top four this season and was asked if he can take his side up a level despite the club's transfer strategy.
He added: "The vision, the philosophy of the club is this. It is inevitable that if you want to grow faster and if you want to be competitive faster you need players with a lot of experience because then they lead to increase the experience also in your team.
"But then again, the vision of the club I understand is this."