Mauricio Pochettino comments on Arsenal’s spending

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Tottenham Hotspur take on Arsenal in the Premier League this afternoon.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has told The Telegraph that Arsenal signing three big-money attackers in the last two years highlights ‘the difference in the projects’.

Spurs make the short trip to the Emirates Stadium this afternoon, and need to hit back after a shock 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle United last weekend.

Tottenham have been unconvincing for large parts of 2019 now, and Pochettino needs to find an answer amid criticism that his Spurs side is now becoming stale.

Part of that problem is that Spurs largely have the same players from 2015, as a lack of great recruitment has prevented Pochettino from freshening up his side.

Spurs did finally bring in some big signings this summer in Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon and Giovani Lo Celso, but two are injured and the other is getting up to speed.

Pochettino has now commented on Arsenal’s spending, as they have splashed the cash on three attackers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe – with Pochettino says Spurs can’t do.

Pochettino claims Spurs haven’t signed a striker in five years, and his backup to Harry Kane is teenager Troy Parrott, highlighting the difference in the projects between the two North London rivals.

“Arsenal in the last two years signed [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang, the best striker in Germany, [Alexandre] Lacazette, the best striker in France, and one year after, [Nicolas] Pepe,” said Pochettino. “If you see us in five years we didn’t sign one striker and now our main striker is Harry Kane, but our second striker is 17 years old, Troy Parrott. That is the difference in the projects,” he added.

Pochettino maybe has a point, but his point is a little strange. He notably splashed the cash on Vincent Janssen in 2016, only to barely play him, and then signed Fernando Llorente in 2017 – two strikers, who maybe didn’t have the desired impact.

Maybe Pochettino means he hasn’t signed one truly great striker in his time at Spurs, but he’s had options in attack, plus it would have been difficult for Spurs to sign a player like Lacazette or Aubameyang given Kane’s untouchable status.