Tottenham Hotspur failed to make a single summer signing.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told Football.London that the club did actually achieve their top transfer window objective; keeping their best players.
Spurs kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 win at Newcastle United, as after Jan Vertonghen’s opener was cancelled out by Joselu, Dele Alli bagged the winner for Tottenham.
The win came less than 48 hours after the closure of the summer transfer window, and Spurs subsequently went into the game with something of a cloud hanging over them.
Tottenham failed to sign a single player over the course of the summer, becoming the first Premier League team since the inception of the transfer window in 2003 to go signing-less.
Questions have been asked about Daniel Levy’s backing of manager Pochettino in the transfer market, suggesting that he isn’t giving the Argentinian the funds needed to boost the Spurs squad, especially given the money spent by Tottenham’s top six rivals.
Some are even concerned that Pochettino may move on if he feels he isn’t being backed, but the Argentinian offered an upbeat assessment of the summer transfer window to Football.London.
Pochettino suggested that Tottenham actually achieved their top target this summer, as they kept hold of their key players such as Alli, Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen.
Pochettino noted that the transfer market was ‘crazy’ because of the World Cup, and Spurs won’t sign players just because it’s ‘fashionable’ to do so.
“The market was crazy, the World Cup changed the mind of everyone,” said Pochettino. “The transfer market finishes today and people who understand it better than myself will debate whether it is good or bad idea to be different to the rest of Europe. We have a very good squad, with very good players and it is very difficult to add players to that. We didn’t sell players and with 25 players in the squad it is difficult to add players. It’s not about adding because it’s fashionable to sign players. If you really need or not and then if you can get your target or not.”
“It’s true our targets are always the same level as Manchester United, Manchester City or Real Madrid but for different circumstances we can’t achieve that. I am not worried, I am not sad, I am so happy. To keep our best players was our objective and goal and we have achieved that – at the moment, we will see what happens in the next 20 days in Europe. If you can’t add a player than can improve your squad, the most important thing is to make sure you do not lose your best player and I think that was a great job from the club to keep the best players and the best manager,” he added
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