Thierry Henry has admitted that he is bemused by Tottenham Hotspur's struggles to reach the Champions League in recent seasons.
Spurs have not finished in the top four in the Premier League since the 2011-12 campaign, and have fallen just short in the past two seasons with fifth and sixth-placed finishes respectively.
Mauricio Pochettino's men missed the chance to close ground on Manchester United in fourth place when they were defeated by Manchester City 1-0 at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Henry told Sky Sports News: "There is something with Spurs that is difficult to put your finger on. It's a well run club. They buy a lot of players, they sell a lot, and yet they still finish sixth in the league. They can't make the step.
"I think they did a great job of bringing some youngsters in - [Ryan] Mason, [Nabil] Bentaleb, [Harry] Kane - but at one point something has to kick in, something has to be done. You can't always be fifth, or sixth team in this league.
"They have an amazing training ground, everything is there for them to make that step. But they are not making it."
Spurs are sixth in the Premier League with 58 points from their 35 matches.