Mauricio Pochettino has done a magnificent job as manager of Tottenham Hotspur. It’s worth remembering that Spurs had only finished in the top four twice during the Premier League era prior to the Argentines arrival, yet they have finished third, second and third in each of the last three seasons, and are currently third in the Premier League table and into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Since we have previously done videos about Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Zinedine Zidane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pep Guardiola, Unai Emery, Rafa Benitez and many more, it seemed about time that we showed a bit of love for Tottenham’s perennially overachieving boss.
Now, this comes with an apology to a friend of the channels, Handerborte, who I’m sure many of you will have spotted comments requesting the same three videos on every single video we do. One of those suggestions is Pochettino’s last 7 signings at Espanyol, so I feel a little guilty doing a video about Poch and not the one you wanted, but I promise we’ll be a Basque XI at some point.
Right, here are Mauricio Pochettino’s first 7 Tottenham signings: Where are they now?
7. Ben Davies - Tottenham
Mauricio Pochettino’s first signing as Tottenham manager, a handful of you may recall, was Ben Davies from Swansea. The young Welsh international had impressed in just his second season at the Liberty Stadium, with Spurs striking first to see off the interest of Liverpool. Davies has been rotated with Danny Rose in the left-back position ever since, now in his fifth season with the club, and he recently eclipsed 150 appearances at White Hart Lane.
6. Michel Vorm - Tottenham
Michel Vorm signs new contract with Tottenham Hotspur at Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on December 23, 2016 in Enfield, England.
Both Ben Davies and Michel Vorm joined Tottenham on July 23rd 2014 from Swansea, as Gylfi Sigurdsson went in the opposite direction. Like Davies, Vorm is still at Tottenham, although he has registered rather fewer appearances. As backup to Hugo Lloris and now probably third choice behind Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga, Vorm has played 47 games in five seasons in all competitions, but just 13 in the Premier League. Now aged 35, Vorm’s current deal runs out at the end of this season.
5. Eric Dier - Tottenham
It’s quite unusual for a managers first three signings to all still be at the club, even when talking about transfers that only happened five years ago, as regular viewers of this series will know. That probably says a lot about Mauricio Pochettino’s shrewd and selective transfer policy though, and his overall business in the market has been excellent. Eric Dier set Spurs back just £4 million when he arrived from Sporting in Portugal, and he has since played over 200 games for the club. At one time, it looked as though Dier would become an automatic selection for England in the holding midfield position, but he hasn’t quite progressed as seamlessly as many had hoped. He’s still an important player for Spurs, and can still improve aged 25.
4. DeAndre Yedlin - Newcastle
DeAndre Yedlin points during the Newcastle United Training Session at Newcastle United Training Centre on April 17, 2019 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
The first player in this seven who isn’t still at White Hart Lane, United States international DeAndre Yedlin joined Spurs off the back of two impressive seasons with Seattle Sounders in the MLS. He only ever registered one appearance in a Tottenham shirt, but following a promising loan spell at Sunderland, he was signed by their north-east rivals Newcastle on a permanent deal worth £5 million. Yedlin has since made 95 appearances in three seasons at St James’ Park, where he’s seen plenty of rearguard action in a Rafa Benitez side that tends to sit deep, withstand pressure and try to hit teams on the counter. Aged 25, Yedlin has already won a mightily impressive 59 caps for the USMNT.
3. Federico Fazio - Roma
Tottenham had a pretty mixed record when it came to centre-backs, before striking a winning partnership with Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, which was further strengthened by the arrival of Davinson Sanchez. Back in 2014, Mauricio Pochettino hoped Federico Fazio would be the man to bring some solidity to their backline. The towering Argentine had impressed in a two-time Europa League winning Sevilla side, and he set Spurs back £8 million. A red card on his debut was a sign of things to come, and it just never clicked for the big man in North London. He returned to Sevilla on-loan the following season, before joining Roma on a permanent deal in 2017.
2. Benjamin Stambouli - Schalke
Benjamin Stambouli of FC Schalke 04 and Andrej Kramaric of TSG Hoffenheim battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and TSG Hoffenheim at Veltins-Arena on April...
Probably the most forgettable of Mauricio Pochettino’s first 7 signings, and he made exactly 7 signings in his first season in charge of the club we should add, Benjamin Stambouli arrived as cover at centre-back and in holding midfield. The uncapped Frenchman had won a league title with Montpellier a couple of seasons earlier, but he failed to ever establish himself in the Tottenham side. Although he made 25 appearances in his only season with the club, just 12 came in the league, and he joined PSG in 2015. Having experienced a similar fate with the Parisians, Stambouli joined his current club Schalke the following summer.
1. Dele Alli - Tottenham
The last of Mauricio Pochettino’s seven signings in his debut season as Tottenham manager, and indeed the best, Dele Alli didn’t play for Tottenham during the 2014-15 season, but was instead loaned back to MK Dons. He inspired his hometown club to promotion in his farewell campaign, before making a barnstorming start to life in the Premier League. Aged 19, he hit double figures from midfield in his debut campaign, an incredible 22 goals the following season, 14 last season and 7 so far this term, albeit he has had a number of injuries this season. Alli is a fantastic footballer, really clever in his movement, he’s got a smart first touch and he knows how to score goals. He’s also got that little bit of devil in him that so many great players have, and it can be a real weapon if utilised in the right way. He’s still only 23, and I suspect the best is yet to come from the England international.
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